Life in Dubai Creek

Dubai’s fast-paced lifestyle means it can be easy to overlook its rich cultural history. Rob Garratt heads to the creek to rediscover a part of the city that time forgot. Photography Lester Ali

We all know Dubai Creek: the pretty, picture-postcard location that lures tourists hunting for a glimpse of a more ‘traditional’ side of Dubai. Yet the creek is more than just a quaint reminder of a bygone era. It remains a thriving import-export trade hub that fuelled the city’s industry long before the discovery of oil. Today that industry is still sustained by primitive, rickety dhows that ferry cargo across the region to destinations as varied as Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Oman, India, Yemen and even Somalia and Sudan.

View more of Life in Dubai Creek