Neighborhood information for Dubai Culture Museum

Just next to the Dubai Museum, there is the Bastakiya Folk Village. This place has largely retained its traditional Arabian style of architecture and old features. The old Bastakiya district is crisscrossed with narrow alleys and houses standing with tall chimney-like wind towers, a testament to the Dubai of yesteryear. This includes the wind tower that you see, which is a very Arabian building. In the days before air-conditioning was invented, residents cooled their homes with the wind flowing in from the wind towers. People also often hung strips of fabric or small rags inside the wind towers to enhance ventilation. Since ancient times, Arabian architecture has been famous for the large number of wind towers that line the sides of the Gulf. Prior to 2010, the Bastakia district was redeveloped with a cultural center, many restaurants and a traditional hotel with a gallery, in addition to the Dubai Museum. The wind towers and bizarre alleyways that we now see are the homes in the Shindagha district neighborhood. These 30 or so traditional houses have all been restored recently to recreate their original appearance and to give you a better idea of what Arabia is all about. The world-famous UAE attractions attract tourists from all over the world.