Museums- Dubai-style

After our little foray through Souk-ville, we made our way over to the oldest (supposedly) building in Dubai. They have turned this old fort/ mosque into a stunningly well-done museum, and rivals any I've seen anywhere in the world. Everything is clean, well signed, and thorough. Just all around beautifully done. The outside greets the visitor with this formidible dhow. It is very well preserved, and immediately invites the guest to enter another time period- one of pearl diving, trading, and sea faring. Come along, we'll go together!

The outside is decieving somewhat, however, as its crumbling exterior and thousands of birds nesting IN the clay walls, makes one think that perhaps the interior will prove to be just as ancient. Not so.

One of the first displays showcases the masterful carving skills of the ancient Arabs. These two juxtaposed doors reminded me of the verses in Revelations (3:20). "I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice calling him and opens the door, I will come in and fellowship with him, and he with me."


Aren't they beautifully carved??!

A fair amount of the museum displayed items dealing with pearl diving. Below is an example of a typical pearl diving boat. Below that is a brief explanation of the pearl diver's life. I think it is clear enough to read that they could hold their breath for 3 minutes!!!! I want each of you to try that, then tell me in your comments how far you got :)

There were many displays depicting the daily life of people. Here is mock-up of the fish seller in the souk. I, personally, was glad they left out the smell.

Next, was the cloth merchant. I think this photo ended up being my second favorite shot of the whole trip. I had my oldest girl check out the fabric too. I think she liked what she saw, because she ended up buying a scarf just like this one earlier in the day- Oh wait, this IS the scarf she bought earlier in the day! HA!

Another of the clever displays showed how those who live in the desert off the land could actually live semi-comfortably from what they had- most notably palm tree products. The "walls" you see are woven from palm fronds, as are the mats on the floor, and the basket beside this baby cradle.

Now, the highlight for all of us ladies was the 2nd henna tatoo session. For about $5 each, this stunnningly beautiful woman gave us equally striking designs on our hands. Each tatoo took about 5 minutes to draw. The paste comes out of a tube, and must sit on the skin for a couple of hours without being disturbed. After that, the dried brown paste flakes off, and a rich auburn "tatoo" is left behind for about 2 weeks. Women all over Pakistan, India, and the Middle East do this for special occasions like weddings, birthdays, and such. We had a blast doing this together!

Well, that wraps up the daytime part of our city excursion. I know I promised to post some pictures of the stuff we had bought this day, and I actually did take the pictures of most of those items, but I thought that I really wanted to get these photos posted first. So, really, really next time I will show you the incredible bargains we found. But I did give you a sneak peak at the one scarf we bought for Daughter #1.

Next up: THE BEST meal of our whole trip- Pakistani! Yum, yum!

Until Next Time,

Your SteppeSister