Hatta Village is also known by the name of Dubai Heritage Village. Currently, it is the oldest remained settlement in Dubai, which is in a state that makes it enjoyable for tourists. Of course, there were many additions to the experience, with some beautiful gardens and restored building. The Hatta Village looks great, representing the way of life of a more ancient time.
Hatta Village is an old settlement, the towers of which are the oldest remaining parts of it, was built around 1880 when the Maktoum family had already ruled Dubai with Shaikh Hasher bin Maktoum bin Butti ruling in those days. The interesting outlook of the Hatta village can be derived from the fact that the Hatta Village currently on show in the plain desert has been built in order to be a mountain settlement. The houses are made out of mud-bricks and if you go up to the central tower, you can catch a great sight of the whole Hatta Village. The outlook of the Hatta Village is quite preserved and there are some exhibitions and shows there, representing the old crafts in the Arabic culture in the Gulf Area.
The Hatta Village has been targeting tourists and so it takes care of them. There is no way you could get lost here or did not see any attraction worth seeing. So, let us explore what are the must-see sites and buildings within the Hatta Village:
* The central fort tower for the view
* Al Husen Majlis, which is a great villa from the old days, working as a furnished museum on the inside contains conference rooms, the governor’s room, weapons room and the living area as well many photographs and descriptions on the everyday and political life of Dubai those days.
* Mosque, which is more than two hundred years old (it has not indicated whether tourists can go in or not, so let us stick with “not” in this case). When you are there, you can ask it freely.
* The Palm Tree Products House selling all sorts of goods made out of palm tree this or that way. For sure, it will leave you surprised. You will see how to make honey out of date.
* There is traditional Handicrafts’ house selling all sorts of handmade beautiful handicrafts for tourists.
* There is Falaj or little Oasis where tourists can rest a bit after much walk.
* You can see the traditional Hatta style settlement surrounded by walls and towers for the watchers
* A Hatta home traditionally have a majlis, a storage place, a kitchen, sitting room that also serves as sleeping room in most of the cases.
* You will see the daily life of people who still live in the Hatta village. There are many families who run their business there and this way make the place a lot more authentic.
* You will get to know a lot of information on the lifestyle of Hatta people, about the fishing and pearl diving traditions too.
The Hatta Village serves both as a great memento for the future generations, to see how they used to live and in the same time, it serves as a great attraction for all the tourists visiting Dubai. It is one of the few cultural attractions of the huge metropolis worth seeing. Important to note that Hatta Heritage Village is not the same as the Heritage and Diving Village, although each one of them are along Dubai Creek, but far from each other.
