If would like to see a piece of old Dubai tradition, the Heritage House is just the place for you. The Heritage House combined with the Al-Ahmadiya School is one of the best places in Dubai to get closer to its people and its culture.
The Heritage House found in the Deira region is situated in the coastal region of Dubai. The Heritage House is not only one house but it is a complex, combined with the Al –Ahmadiya School that is situated right next to the original house.
The Heritage house was built around 1890 and was originally a wealthy merchant’s home that came from Iran to Dubai around 1850. He finished building this house finally in the year 1910. The famous builder who has built this famous Heritage House is Mattar Bin Said Bin Muzaaina.
The style of the Heritage house can be called traditional Arabic courtyard style, which at that time, only those few could have, who were wealthy. In these houses, you can get a glimpse of the old Arabic lifestyle, when you walk through the rooms and the storeys of the Heritage House, watching the famous wind-tower, you can see interesting elements of medieval Muslim architecture. The inside of the Heritage House has beautiful restorations and furnishings.
The Al Ahmadiya School inside the Heritage House is no longer existing, but you can still visit the classroom, and with the help of all the photos, pictures and learning tools, still to be found there, you can come closer to the lives of the then-students and their teachers.
Mentioning this, it is no surprise that in the last decades, the Heritage House is functioning as a museum, having various exhibitions on the Arabic culture and history, and of course, on the history of both the building, and the Al Ahmadiya School.
The Al-Ahmadiya School had been a functioning school back in the 1800’s and it is famous because of its pure size. In the school, they taught eight hundred students in altogether 21 classes, which is also today still an unbelievable number. Out of this, we can see how important a school the Al-Ahmadiya school has been.
Numerous people working at the Heritage House will join you during your tour to guide you, giving you not only picturesque descriptions on the traditional Arabic lifestyle and history, but will also offer you some tasty mint tea and a great chance to rest for a while, to enjoy the pure atmospheres of the historical Heritage House. Moreover, the visit of the museum of the Heritage House is completely free of cost. Of course, the tip is up to you!
You can find the Heritage House quite close to the beach. It is easy to get there, if you ask for information at your hotel or the nearest travel agency. You can easily find out the name of the road where the Heritage House is situated. It is called Al-Ahmadiya Road. It is definitely one of the must-see historical –cultural sites of Dubai!
