Intriguing Alleyways!

Echoes of a thousand and one nights!!!

This evening we headed down to the creekside hamlet of Bastakia, the oldest part of Dubai which has been restored to its original glory and boasts some of the most amazing traditional art galleries, housed in the most amazing traditional houses.

Nestling right next door to the present day Rulers Majlis or "Parliament" building, it was the area first settled in the late 19th Century by the wealthy Persian merchants who were attracted by the free trade tariffs. It even takes its name from an area in southern Iran called Bastak.

Streets were traditionally designed to be long and narrow so that they were always shady. This one is a prime example of how the area would have looked......and shady, it most definitely was!!

Windtowers provided natural air conditioning as the early morning and late afternoon breezes came in from the mouth of the creek and once more the sleepy hamlet of Bastakia would come alive with the bustle and hustle of traders selling, buying and bartering their copious wares!

I wonder what their thoughts would be if they returned through a portal and ended up in these narrow streets today....bustling with tourists and art galleries!!!

Would love to be a fly on this wall!!!!

Happy Blipping Everyone!