Discover the history and culture of Dubai at the Naif Museum, a must-visit destination for history buffs and cultural enthusiasts. Explore an extensive collection of artifacts, photographs, and documents, and learn about the city’s rich heritage and evolution. Discover the unique history of the Naif area and its significance in shaping Dubai as we know it today. Immerse yourself in the local culture and gain a deeper appreciation for this dynamic city.
When it comes to seeing the cultural and historical heritage of Dubai, there are two districts in Dubai, which every local will instantly recommend you to visit. One district of old city is the Bur Dubai, the other is the Deira. The historical Naif Museum also locates in Deira. The original building of Naif Museum used to be a fort, making it even more exciting to visit!
Out of the two old-towns, Deira was the one, which had more importance back in the olden days, where even the seat of governmental bodies was found there. Deira also has a very good location, next to Dubai Creek, just by the sea, one feature that might have been the cause of its special role. Today Deira is one very important tourism district, where most of the souks or markets and countless diverse hospitality facilities can be found. Visiting Deira is necessary for everyone, who would like to enjoy the old–time atmosphere of Dubai and learn more about Dubai and the Emirates’ history.
Al Naif is not only the name of the Naif Museum and the fort hosting it, but also that specific area of Deira is called Al Naif. This area is very famous for its huge souk, called Al Naif Souk, looking very traditional. The whole area roofed, serving an amazing variety of all goods, ranging from fruits to clothes, you can find here just everything, if you have a couple of hours to walk all around it.
Al Naif Museum is to be found in the Naif fort, which, together with many forts found all over the Eastern area, has been well not famous, but rather one notorious place in the city of Dubai, during the times when it served as a prison. Therefore, we might also call it the “IF” of Dubai, which is indeed interesting to visit, especially if we would like to learn about the old-time executive system of the Emirates. The Naif Fort had been the very first police station of Dubai, for many decades.
Interestingly, the Naif Museum’s building is not as old as we might think by looking at it. It was built in 1939, when the actual king Sheikh Rashed decided that there was a need to be something bigger to serve as a prison, in order to deter the rest of the Dubai population from the commitment of any criminal activity. An interesting addition to this that we must know is the executive system of Emirates is quite rough to this day, partly based on the verses of the Holy Quran. It has very strict laws, concerning crimes called the “Shariya” law, and partly because the leaders of the country has always found, that the dominative power is the best as the population always obey orders.
The first built part of Naif Museum was its tower in Arabic “Al Makbad”, which is still its iconic part, and not long after getting ready, it was already hosting quite a few criminals. The entire Naif Fort, as Naif Museum was built partly of a special clay, Al Madar, which is still a popular structuring material in the Middle Eastern area giving a certain yellowish colour to the buildings.
The Tower of Naif Museum today is a great spot of the tourists to catch a view to Dubai. There are several exhibitions in the museum on the history of Dubai.
