Dubai Creek: Things to See and Do
How to Experience Dubai’s Waterway when in the United Arab Emirates
© Rod Quin
An Arab dhow tour, an abra trip, a walk along the wharf and a visit to the spice souq offer fascinating ways of exploring Dubai Creek and learning about life in Dubai.
Dubai Creek is a 14 kilometre (8.7 mile) inlet of the sea forming a natural harbour which has been crucial to Dubai’s development as a trading port. The creek separates Bur (old) Dubai on its southern bank from the town of Deira on its north.
An Arab Dhow Tour
For a good introduction to both Dubai and its creek take a one hour tour on an Arab dhow. A dhow tour provides the chance to observe the rich variety of architecture surrounding the creek, as well as an up-close experience of its working life.
On the Bur Dubai side buildings tend to be of traditional Middle Eastern and Emirati design, with arched windows, Arabic latticework, wind towers, minarets and domes predominating. On the Deira side architecture is more modern with some wonderfully imaginative skyscrapers offering gleaming reflections of each other, the creek and the bright Middle Eastern sun.
On the river itself, working dhows mingle with modern yachts and cabin cruisers, while water taxis squeeze between larger craft, ferrying passengers from one bank of the creek to the other.
Tour boats can be found at the wharf on the Deira side of the Creek and an Arab dhow tour is included in the price of the Dubai Big Bus City Tour. One of the best times to take a dhow tour is at midday when the calls to prayer from Dubai’s many mosques float across the water, providing a reminder of the central role of Islam in Emirati culture. Evening dinner cruises lasting two and a half hours are also available.
A Trip on an Abra
Visitors to Dubai should also experience the form of river transport favoured by locals. This is a fleet of small motorised water taxis called abras which ply back and forth between various points in Bur Dubai and Deira.
Abras hold about twenty people and an abra trip costs just 1 dirham (27 US cents) and lasts about 10 minutes. Just hop aboard and hand over the money when the driver comes around collecting fares. Ensure you have some loose change before taking an abra ride, as drivers work mainly in coins, rather than large notes.
A Walk along the Wharf
Dubai Creek is a working harbour and on the Deira side is the wharf where traditional and modern craft unload goods from around the gulf area and further afield. On a stroll along the wharf visitors can see workers unloading an intriguing range of cargo, from traditional Middle Eastern wares to modern appliances.
A Visit to the Spice Souq
When exploring the wharf, visitors should pop into the spice souq just across the road. Here jars, boxes, sacks and trays of every imaginable form of spice, herb and incense from around the Middle East can be seen, smelt, tasted and bought: saffron, henna, frankincense, myrrh, dried rosebuds, rosewater, cinnamon bark, vanilla pods, star anise, cardamom, coriander, cumin and cloves, to name just some. Also on display and for sale are dried fruit and nuts, joss sticks, incense burners, water pipes, and pottery and basket spice containers.
Current and Future Developments for Dubai Creek
Dubai Creek has recently been extended by 10 kilometres (7.6 miles) as part of the Business Bay development. The extension curves the creek back through the heart of the business district to Sheik Zayed Road.
By 2010 a further 2 kilometre (1.2 miles) extension will take the creek to the ocean, completing its encirclement of Bur Dubai. As part of the creek extension a new ferry service will be introduced in mid 2008 to supplement the service provided by abras.
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