Traditional Sandstone homes with colorful curtains, rustic furniture, Arabian hanging glass lanterns decorating maze of lanes that felt nothing short of magical. That was how I felt, as I explored the Heritage Village Dubai. Heritage Village Dubai was our first stop on our half day trip exploring the Dubai City after our arrival in Dubai the day before on our 6 days trip to Dubai. And what could have been a better start to exploring a new place than starting right at the heart of it’s culture. Wondering how it was? Thinking whether you should include it in your Dubai Trip Itinerary? Worry not. For, you are about to embark on a virtual tour of the Dubai Heritage Village with me today.
An introduction to Heritage Village Dubai
The Heritage Village Dubai is a “reconstruction” of the traditional life and style of people in Dubai thousands of years back. It has models of traditional houses of Dubai. That are furnished with traditional and culturally rich fabrics, lilen and crafts that were popular in Dubai in olden times. Also, it depicts the old streets, the traditional wooden carved doorways of the desert houses. And details things to the extent of traditional artifacts like clay and terracotta items, traditional floor and wall lamps etc.
While exploring the streets of Heritage Village Dubai, you might encounter Potters and Weavers working on traditional crafts. Which will give you an insight into how things worked years back in this region of the world. The area also thrives with multiple cute cafes and comprehensive restaurants, a souk or market selling souvenirs and local items on the other end of the street. And also hosts several exhibits and shows at certain times of the year.
Visiting the Heritage Village Dubai is like getting transported to the past of the Emirates, thousands of years back!!
PS: How to obtain Dubai VISA for Indians
A tour of Heritage Village Dubai
Our cab driver dropped us right in front of the entry to the Dubai Heritage Village. The first thing we spotted on our left was a recreation of a traditional Emirate barn. With a couple of camels standing at one end of it. And this was enough to get the kids excited to explore ahead.
Next we walked through a narrow lane in front of us to reach a courtyard. Which held models of 2 large wooden boats that were used in the olden times by the people of this region for sailing.
Across from here, we entered in a maze of streets. With several instagram worthy spots in the form of wooden benches, beautiful traditional door frames and several other random spots.
Particularly attractive were the sandstone houses with beautiful traditional wooden doors. I was amazed at how similar it looked to the houses that we have seen when exploring the traditional parts of Rajasthan in India like the streets of Jaisalmer town, or the forts and palaces of Jaipur!! And the cobblestoned streets reminded me of my days exploring Florence on a walk !!
Heritage Emirate House Architecture
The houses were made of mud and sandstone. There is generally one wooden door which is the entryway to the house.
Inside, some had a small room first, and some others had a passageway leading to the central courtyard. And this structure of the houses makes complete sense. Given the hot and arid climate of this region. This kind of architecture ensures minimising the impact of the hot weather. Some houses were single storey and some were two storey house, there were mud staircase leading to the second floor. Most of the other rooms were located around the central courtyard.
I was amazed to see how similar the houses in the Heritage Village Dubai looked to the traditional houses that we have visited in India. Including those in Rajasthan. And even the traditional houses of Karaikudi region!!
Furnishing of the houses in Heritage Village Dubai
Some of the rooms in some heritage houses were furnished. The furniture consisted of rustic beds, wooden sofas, chairs and tables. Most of which are cushioned and have fine cotton hand-embroidered covers and sheets.
In between the houses, there are several cafes and restaurants with both outdoor and indoor seating. From fine dine to light refreshments, there are all kind of food options available to you as you explore the Heritage Village Dubai!!
Crossing the maze of streets in Dubai Heritage Village, admiring the beautiful recreation of the past culture and tradition of this region, we arrived back at the main road.
Here, our car was parked on the right side. While on the left, there were some instagram worthy benches within flower beds!! I couldn’t stop but wonder how they managed to have such blooming flowers in the middle of the desert on a hot summer day! Anything is possible if the human race resolves for it, isn’t it ?
The market across Heritage Village Dubai
As you cross the main road in front of the Dubai Heritage Village, there is a market of traditional and souvenir items. We explored around here for a while as well. The market has shops selling Kashmiri Pashmina Shawls (which we didn’t buy as we had bought one right from Kashmir on our 9 days Kashmir trip) and keffiyeh ( A scarf like cloth that Arabian people tie on their head, that gives protection from heat and sand storms hitting the head). The keffiyeh interested Abhishek. And he not only bought it, but also learnt here how to wear it.
Apart from these, there were several other souvenirs from magnets to miniature versions of Dubai landmarks like buildings and localities. Masks and murals for the wall and many more. We just bought a few refrigerator magnets as souvenirs. And rather chose to soak in the vibe of this place. Do remember to bargain when you buy anything here. We bought everything from the same shop. And the final cumulative price came to be half of what the shopkeeper had initially quoted for each item !!
The Dubai Creek
Since the Heritage Village Dubai and this market are located almost near the Dubai Creek, as we walked across the market, we reached at one side of the Dubai Creek. Where there stood a small platform on the banks of the sea. Giving a good view of the skyscrapers across the creek, the boats cruising in the water and the airplanes penetrating the sky.
Standing at the crux of the Heritage Village Dubai at one side and the modern Dubai right across the creek, I felt like time traveling through two very different worlds that belonged to two very different times, all at the same moment!!
Overall, myself and my family had a fantastic time exploring the Heritage Village Dubai. And I highly recommend putting it on your itinerary. Particularly if it’s your first time visiting the Emirates and the middle east. Although I agree, it would feel much more real if it was a real village preserved like Mawsynram village in that we visited on our trip to Meghalaya or the traditional Portuguese houses of Fontainhas in Goaor the French area of Pondicherry . But nevertheless, it still gives a very genuine sneak peak into the culture of Emirates.
With that, let me add some general information and tips for you to visit the Heritage village.
General Information on Heritage Village Dubai
What is the entry fee to Heritage Village Dubai?
The entry to Heritage Village Dubai is free of cost. You can explore this area just how you would explore any other street of Dubai.
When is the best time to visit Heritage Village Dubai?
The best time of the day to visit Heritage Village would be either the first hour in the morning after it opens or later in the evening. Because unlike the malls of Dubai, this place has open streets. With no shade to protect you from the sun. While you can get in and out of the houses, you will have to eventually roam around in the open a lot when visiting Heritage Village Dubai.
I visited here in the morning around 10:30am. And the sun was already getting strong enough to confine us to whatever shade we could find. But, I must say with the beautiful lighting it will look wonderful in the evening and magical at night. So, do visit towards the evening as well, if you have time.
What are the timings of Heritage Village Dubai?
From Saturday to Thursday: from 8 am to 10 pm.
Fridays: 8 am to 11 am and from 4 pm to 10 pm.
Where is Heritage Village Dubai Located?
It is located on the northern side of Dubai Creek, in between the Bur Dubai and Diera area.
Is Heritage Village Dubai included in a packaged tour ?
Yes, you can include it in your packaged tour. We had it in our list of places to visit on our half day Dubai city tour. It was our first stop, followed by Jamairah Beach, Palm Jamairah, Atlantis Hotel and Dubai Marina.
How much time is required to visit Heritage Village Dubai?
For a sneak peak into Heritage Village, 15 mins to 30 mins are more than enough. If you want to go little in-depth and visit a few houses, stop of a quick bite or take a guided tour, you could easily spend anywhere from 2 hrs to half a day here. You can plan your time here depending on your interest level and the other activities planned for you along with visiting the Heritage Village Dubai.
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PS: Overall, we did a 6 days Dubai Trip. Here’s our complete guide to plan a trip to Dubai. It includes all the information on places to visit, best areas and hotels to stay in Dubai, things to do in Dubai etc. Along with visiting the Heritage Village Dubai, we also visited Dubai Mall and enjoyed a trip to the Dubai Aquarium and Underwater zoo, Legoland Dubai, did a desert safari in Dubai and did a one day trip from Dubai to Abu Dhabi. You will find all the information in our trip itinerary with day by day plan.