Heritage House, Dubai

For an insight into local traditions and history, take a visit to Heritage House. Originally built in 1890 as the home of a wealthy merchant, in 1910 it became the home of Sheikh Ahmed bin Dalmouk, a pearl merchant. The home was restored in 1994 as a traditional family home with a large courtyard.

When you enter, the first room on your right is the traditional majlis or meeting room where guests would be welcomed.

Many Gulf homes have courtyards as a means of providing light and air to those rooms which surround it. In the Heritage House courtyard you may well be asked to take a seat and presented with a selection of traditional snacks to enjoy.

On a hot day, take a walk upstairs and sit in the cool shade and breeze found up there. Additionally, Heritage House also has a traditional wind tower.

Entrance is free.

4 more images

This house in the nothern part of old Dubai (Deira) gives you an impression about how a wealthy Dubai family lived in the first half of the 20th century. The house was built in 1890 and was bought in 1910 by a wealthy pearl merchant family. You can enter most of the rooms, where its functions are explained on boards as well as on a couple of computers. So,you will learn something about traditions and the traditional roles of men and women in family and society. This museum run in cooperation with a nearby school museum, which is useful to know for following fact: Ladies’ restroom is only found in the Heritage House while gents’ restroom is only found in the school museum. Ask the museum staff for the way from one to the other…
A nice extra we got was a simple, but tasty chickpea soup and a tea we enjoyed.We asked ourselves why we were the only people in the museum to get this free meal. Before entering the museum, you had to answer a couple of questions, including the one for your nationality. Did the people think that we were potential investors (which we are not) just because we are germans or do we just look nice (what I am not). I have no clue….
Well, entry is free, for some people meals are too, and I would recommend a visit if you are interested in local culture.