The Historical Sheikh Saeed Al Maktoum House

One of the greatest surprises about coming to Dubai is the richness of its history. Of course, with the city's feats in architecture, engineering, human development and rapid economic growth in recent years, it is easy to forget that Dubai also has a great history to tell.

Crossing the creek from Bur Dubai to Deira through the Shindagha tunnel, one would notice, on the right, a line of palm trees slightly covering a strip of  what looks like old Arabian designed buildings.

This strip, the Historical Shindagha  is just about a few hundred meters long but holds a lot of clues about Dubai's rapid economic rise as a business hub in the region.

Of particular interest is the Sheikh Saeed Al Maktoum House. Built in the late 1800s, it is one of the older buildings along the creek and has witnessed the development of the emirate. It has been nicely reconstructed and turned into a museum.

Inside one can really have a better picture of what life was back then. It is a museum where one can see the evolution of the coins used, from the lareen dating back to 1480s AD, to the time of British rule and up until the modern day UAE.

It also features stamps that highlight local and world events through its young years. There is also a room dedicated to historical documents, marine and social life. Inside the house are pictures that so brilliantly captured scenes of their daily life in the fifties. One can also have the chance to catch a glimpse of how Dubai Creek looked like when there were no tall buildings.

 After visiting Sheikh Saeed Al Maktoum House, one cannot help but have a deeper respect and understanding of the emirate and its people.It is really worth a visit for Dubai tourists and expat residents alike.