Old Dubai of wind towers
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Narrow lanes, coral-and-gypsum houses topped with wind towers, galleries and cafés: the historic Al Fahidi district tells the story of Dubai before oil. It sits on the creek, where you take an abra to the Deira souks.
In the late 19th century, merchants from Persia settled on the creek and built these houses cooled by wind towers, called barjeel. Restored, the district is now home to museums, galleries and the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding, which hosts Emirati meals to talk about local culture.
