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The merchants
Persian merchants built Al Bastakiya from the 1890s
Al Bastakiya dates back to the 1890s. It was built mostly by affluent Persian merchants drawn to Dubai by trade opportunities, and named after the southern Iranian town of Bastak. Narrow, winding lanes separated most of its housing units.
Saved
A campaign and a royal visit stopped the demolition in 1989
In the 1980s half of Al Bastakiya was destroyed to make way for an office complex. In 1989 the municipality directed that the rest be demolished. The British architect Rayner Otter campaigned, and after Prince Charles visited, the demolition was canceled.
Restored
In 2005 a restoration project began and the district was renamed
In 2005 the Dubai Municipality started a project to restore the old buildings and lanes. The name was later changed from Al Bastakiya to Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood.
Coffee
A coffee museum in the district shows roasting and brewing
The district holds a Coffee Museum on two floors. On the ground floor different roasting and brewing styles are demonstrated live, and the second floor has a book area on the history of coffee.
Day 2, morning
Next is Abra Ride on Dubai Creek.
More stories from this trip idea
The words are a retelling of the Wikipedia article Al Bastakiya, and are shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. They are checked against those articles, and a fact that is not in them is left out.