|
There are three main
excavation sites in Dubai, at Al Ghusais, Al Sufooh and Jumeirah.
The first two are graveyards dating back more than 2,000 years.
The Jumeirah site reveals artefacts from the seventh to 15th
centuries. Though not yet open to the public, tourists or tour
operators may obtain a permit from Dubai Museum to visit the
digs.
Dubai Creek or Khor Dubai is a saltwater creek located in Dubai,
United Arab Emirates (UAE). It's end at Ras Al Khor Wildlife
Sanctuary. Some sources say that the creek extended as far inland
as Al Ain, and that the Ancient Greeks called it River Zara.
Historically, the creek divided the city into two main sections
– Deira and Bur Dubai. It was along the Bur Dubai creek
area that members of the Bani Yas tribe first settled in the
19th century, establishing the Al Maktoum dynasty in the city.
|
|
|
In the early 20th century, the creek, though incapable then
of supporting large scale transportation, served as a minor
port for dhows coming as far away as India or East Africa. Although
it impeded the entry of ships due to current flow, the creek
remained an important element in establishing the commercial
position of Dubai, being the only port or harbour in the city.
Dubai's pearling industry, which formed the main sector of the
city's economy, was based primarily on expeditions in the creek,
prior to the invention of cultured pearls in the 1930s.
Fishing, also an important industry at the time, was also based
along the creek, whose warm and shallow waters supported a wide
variety of marine life. Dhows used for purposes of fishing were
also built on the foreshore of the creek. The importance of
the creek as a site of commercial activity was a justification
to introduce improvements to allow larger vessels to transit,
as well as to facilitate loading and unloading activities. This
led, in 1955, to a plan to develop the creek, which involved
dredging shallow areas, building of breakwaters, and developing
its beach to become a quay suitable for loading and unloading
of cargo. The creek was first dredged in 1961 to permit 7 feet
(2.1 m) draft vessels to cross through the creek at all times.
The creek was dredged again in the 1960s and 1970s so that it
could offer anchorage for local and coastal shipping of up to
about 500 tons. The dredging opened up the creek to much more
continuous traffic of merchandise, including the development
of re-export, and gave Dubai an advantage over Sharjah, the
other dominant trading centre in the region at the time. Al
Maktoum Bridge, the first bridge connecting Bur Dubai and Deira
was constructed in 1963. Although the importance of the creek
as a port has diminished with the development of the Jebel Ali
Port, smaller facilities, such as Port Saeed, continue to exist
along the creek, providing porting to traders from the region
and the subcontinent.
Including the most remarkable buildings alongside the Deira
side of the Creek are the Deira Twin Towers, Dubai Creek Tower,
Sheraton Dubai Creek, National Bank and Chamber of Commerce.
The creek's initial inlet into mainland Dubai is along the
Deira Corniche and Al Ras areas of eastern Dubai and along
the Al Shindagha area of western Dubai. It then progresses
south-eastward through the mainland, passing through Port
Saeed and Dubai Creek Park. The creek's natural ending is
at the Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary, 14 kilometres (8.7
mi) from its origin at the Persian Gulf. The traditional form
of transport between the eastern and western sections of Dubai
via the creek was through abras, which continue to operate
in Dubai. In addition, the eastern and western sections are
linked via four bridges (Al Maktoum Bridge, Al Garhoud Bridge,
Business Bay Crossing and Floating Bridge) and one tunnel
(Al Shindagha Tunnel). |
|
|
|
