Shindagha

Area: Bur Dubai, Dubai

Shindagha is one of the oldest areas of Dubai, and home to the al Shindagha Museum. This modest, two-storey dwelling was home to the visionary Sheikh Saeed Al-Maktoum, ruler of Dubai from 1912-1958 and grandfather of the present ruler. After his death, it lay abandoned until it was demolished, rebuilt next to its original site and opened to the public as a museum in 1986.

Today, it’s known as the Al Shindagha Museum, and stands as a proud reminder of Dubai’s pre-oil era. It houses some truly fascinating historical photographs, letters, maps, treaties, coins and stamps that breathe life into many aspects of the social, cultural and educational life of yesteryear.