Hi, Sunil here to talk about the Dubai museum and a few others worth your visit…

Dubai is one of the most fascinating countries in the world (to me at least).

Visiting the museums in Dubai is sure to give you interesting insights into the evolution of the culture and civilization there.

A well maintained and run museum is a tourist’s delight.

Dubai houses a few museums, which are attractive and popular enough to attract hundreds and thousands of visitors every year.

The most famous museum in Dubai is the Dubai museum.

The major attraction in this museum is that this is located in one of the oldest forts in Dubai called the Al Fahidi Fort.

Before it actually housed the museum this interesting and enigmatic fort served as the residence of the royalty, as the government office, as a storage facility for arms and ammunition and even as a jail.

One enchanting aspect of this fort is its walls, which are made of shell rubble, and coral, which are cemented together with the help of lime. The Al Fahidi court thus provides the ambience and setting for a perfect museum.

This museum came into existence in the year 1971. The intention of the ruler who inaugurated this museum was to preserve the historic information and artifacts for posterity. Traditional life of Dubai is kept alive here.

Apart from this, interesting artifacts and antiques from Asia and Africa are on display. You will be welcomed at the entrance by ancient maps of the Gulf of Emirates along with pictures of the ever changing Dubai over a period of time.

You will also most likely be surprised as you go into the museum as you come across interesting display of various artifacts like musical instruments, deadly weapons, exciting wind tower models, etc. There is also an interesting collection of boats at an area called the Narish Khyma located next to the museum. This place houses ancient boats and the various boat models used in the past for ferrying across the Dubai Creek.

Another exciting feature of this museum is the dioramas housing life sized figures with fantastic effects of lighting and sound. These dioramas will give you an insight into the way of life in Dubai before oil. Enchanting Arab houses, schools, souks, mosques, marine life, etc are some of the aspects highlighted here.

The archeology section of the museum has on its display antique alabaster and copper pots, weapons, coins and even skeletons, which have been unearthed in various expeditions. Some of these artifacts are from eras dating back to the third millennium BC.

You can visit the museum anytime between 8.30 AM to 19.30 PM from Saturday to Thursday and between 13.30 PM to 19.30 PM on Fridays. After you finish touring the Dubai museum, consider visiting the Miraj Islamic Art Centre as well.

The Miraj Islamic Art Centre is an enticing combination of an art gallery and a museum. There is a mind boggling variety of antiques from the Middle East on display and this museum sells art and craft work of the regional craftsmen and artists. This museum and art gallery is located ideally on Jumeirah Beach Road and is open everyday between 10 AM and 6.30 PM.