The Creek, a natural sea-water inlet which cuts through the
centre of the city, is the historic focal point of life in Dubai.
A stroll along its banks evokes the city’s centuries-old
trading traditions. Visitors will be captivated by the colour
and bustle of the loading and unloading of dhows which still
ply ancient trade routes to places as distant as India and
East Africa.
An attractive way to view the Creek and the dhows is from
an abra, one of the small water taxis which criss-cross the
Creek from the souks of Deira to those on the Bur Dubai side.
Boatmen will also take visitors on a fascinating hour-long
trip from the abra embarkation points to the mouth of the
Creek and inland to the Maktoum Bridge, passing on the way
many of the city’s historic and modern landmarks.
Redevelopment work has transformed parts of the Creek’s
banks. On the Deira side, a broad and well-lit, paved promenade
extends from the Corniche, which faces on the Arabian Gulf,
all the way to the attractive purpose-built dhow terminal
constructed beside Maktoum Bridge.
On the Bur Dubai side between Maktoum and Garhoud bridges,
Creekside Park provides pleasant paved walks and extensive
landscaped public gardens.
At the inland end of the Creek is a large, shallow lagoon,
now a wildlife sanctuary which has become a haven for migrating
shore birds. Some 27,000 birds have been counted here at one
time during the autumn migration. The most spectacular are
the many Greater Flamingos which have made the Creek their
permanent home. |
