Dubai National Museum

Dubai National Museum

The national museum was built in 1798 and officially established as the Dubai National Museum in 1971. It was formerly the Al Fahidi Fort, which once served as a palace, fortress, and coastal defense stronghold — the oldest building in Dubai.

In the museum’s outdoor exhibition area, you can see the living patterns of ancient Arabs, including the earliest wind towers. Part of the indoor exhibition is located on the ground floor of the ancient fort, which is an antique-style market and art gallery showcasing traditional Arab features. Among the displays are bronze artifacts from tombs that are 3,000 to 4,000 years old, making you feel as though you’ve stepped into a time tunnel.

In the exhibition rooms of the Dubai Museum, “antiques” are displayed, such as musical instruments used by old-time Arabs, everyday items, and tools for pearl diving and processing. There are also exquisite bronze ware, gypsum products, and pottery excavated from a 4,000-year-old tomb at the Al Ghusais archaeological site.

Another large room in the Dubai Museum displays marine life and scenes of pearl diving activities by Arabs in the past. In addition to statues, there are scales and measuring rulers once used by pearl merchants to weigh and size pearls, as well as sieves for filtering pearls. These exhibits offer visitors a complete picture of Arabian desert and maritime life.

Walking through a tunnel in the Dubai Museum leads you into the fort. The first thing you see is a collection of photos documenting Dubai’s rapid development from the 1950s to the present. It’s hard to imagine that in just a few decades, this once-rundown fishing village has transformed into the international metropolis it is today.

Admission & Opening Hours

3 Dirhams

Opening Hours: Saturday–Thursday 8:30–20:30, Friday 14:30–20:30. Transportation

Take bus C7 and get off at the Al Fahidi station. It’s about a 550-meter walk from there.