TRADERS BACK RENOVATION OF FORMER DUBAI RULER’S OLD NEIGHBOURHOOD
Creek business community believes restoration scheme and museum will increase tourism, writes Patrick Ryan
Plans to renovate the historic district lived in by a former Ruler of Dubai and create the world’s largest open-air museum have been welcomed by traders in one of the city’s oldest neighbourhoods.
Sheikh Saeed bin Maktoum, the grandfather of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, made the area his home and his house is now a historic building.
Members of the local business community say the rejuvenation of Shindagha Heritage District on Dubai Creek, part of a wider project to restore old areas of the emirate, will boost tourism and increase trade.
“The redevelopment is good for business because it will attract even more tourists than before,” said Jafar Ciyan, who helps to run the Asaadi supermarket on Dubai Creek, a business that opened in 1963.
“Dubai has changed a lot in recent years. Before the redevelopment it was all old buildings, but now we are seeing it become more and more modern.”
Mr Ciyan said that investments in an area that has long been seen as a throwback to the “old ways” of the emirate can only be good news.
“There has to be change, or else you will just get left behind. Life itself is change,” he said.
“Dubai is constantly changing, so why should Dubai Creek be any different?”
Arjun Mathath, who runs the nearby Roseland and Salarjal shops, said: “I have no doubt at all that this project is going to attract more and more people to the area. That is good news for us.
“What is also good is that it is not just going to be for people who are rich, like other parts of Dubai. It will be for people from all walks of life.”
Tourism is essential to the prosperity of the entire emirate of Dubai, but to the traders in Dubai Creek it is their lifeblood.
“Of course, tourism is helpful because it helps our businesses to grow,” Mr Mathath said. “The whole area is excited about what these changes are going to bring.”
Shabeeb Abdulla, who runs Al Naba jewellery shop, said anything that brought more tourists to the area would be welcomed.
“Conditions have been difficult for traders recently, especially as we are just getting over the lull from Ramadan,” Mr Abdulla said. “The Eid Al Fitr break helped us a lot, but we still need help.
“One of the biggest problems we have faced is that customers do not want to pay VAT to us. They think because we are small business owners that it does not apply, and they can haggle us down. We still have to pay it, though, when buying our stock.”
He said this would not be a problem if more tourists came to shop at Dubai Creek.
“They are used to the concept of VAT in their home countries, unlike here in the UAE,” Mr Abdulla said.
He praised the advent of water taxis, which he said had transformed the Creek since they were introduced in 2013.
“It has been brilliant for business as it has made us an easier option for tourists to visit,” Mr Abdulla said.
Connie Waluhan, who works in the Roads and Transport Authority ticket office on the dock, said that while the buildings in the background became modern, “the heart of the Creek stays the same”.
“It makes sense that the place becomes more developed, especially with Expo 2020 on the way, but it is just as important that the area does not lose its historical appeal,” Ms Waluhan said.
When the project – a collaboration between Dubai Municipality, the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing and Dubai Culture and Arts Authority – was announced in 2015, the goal was to attract 12 million visitors by 2020. The
National reported this year how 150 historical buildings had been renovated, including Sheikh Saeed’s house.
The overall renovation is being overseen by Dubai Municipality’s Architectural Heritage Department in adherence to international best practices.
The aim of the project is to make the area a leading culture and heritage centre in the region, focusing on trade, crafts and the pearling industry.
The redeveloped Shindagha Heritage District is expected to open this year.
There will also be 17 pavilions displaying more than 50 collections of cultural and historical value.