February 15th 2011
Bastikiya - Dubai’s last frontier
The narrow lanes of the old Bastakiya district give the visitor a fascinating glimpse of old Dubai albeit in a sanitized environment. The old charm is somewhat gone because of over-renovation…..
Wind towers are typical of traditional Middle Eastern homes
This is a wind tower or “wind catcher”, so called, because it catches the prevailing wind, brings it down the tower, thus cooling the interior of the building. The number of wind towers a house has indicates the wealth of the owner family.
Courtyards like this are prevalent in Middle Eastern homes, not only as a place to cool off but also to provide outdoor living in utmost privacy.
Bastikiya is a maze of covered pathways and courtyards. You walk through a series of corridors and you can easily stumble upon a small courtyard.
And in every corner, there is always something that will catch your attention.
There are galleries showing photos of the Middle East in the old days.
My dream house? it must have a courtyard, then I can fully express all my artistic self.
Melted candle art - fantastic!
The rooftop is also a maze of stairs and open spaces looking down to the courtyards. In the burning summer, residents prefer to sleep here as it’s cooler.
Bastikiya houses a Coin Museum…
…some restaurants and a hotel
and a gift shop with eye-catching decor
