Heritage and Diving Village

Heritage and Diving Village
Situated in the Shindagha area near the creek mouth (see map) the
Heritage Village has been created where potters and weavers display
their art. The village provides a glimpse of Dubai’s traditional culture
and lifestyle.
Focussing on the Emirate’s maritime past, pearl diving traditions and
architecture, the centre offers storybook displays including a tented
bedouin village, ancient armoury, wooden chests and cooking utensils.
The village is close to the site of Sheikh Saeed Al Maktoum’s House.
Pearl diving, one of the oldest professions in the region, existed
almost six to seven thousand years back. A pearl diving ship carried
10-60 people on board for an expedition. The team comprised a captain
(Nokhaza), some divers, seeb, and other staff. The diver often risked
his life to gather pearl studded oysters from the sea bed. He used to
dive deep for more than two minutes to collect a handful of oysters. The
season lasted only for six months starting from April because the Gulf
waters during this season were warm and safe. The Emirate of Dubai was
most active in this adventurous occupation and owned about 335 pearl
fishing dhows at a time.
The Diving Village forms part of an ambitious plan to turn the entire
Shindagha area into a cultural microcosm, recreating life in Dubai as it
was in the days gone by.