Diving Heritage in Persian Gulf

Diving heritage at Dubai diving village....

An ideal destination for uncovering artifacts and being a part of Dubai’s history, the Diving Village provides a glimpse of the days when pearl trading was the emirate’s main revenue.

Though it may not have a huge tourist draw, it is a shift from the modern, bustling, hip and happening Dubai. The village’s sand-coloured houses with traditional bastikiya (wind-towers) provide a startling contrast to the ultra-modern buildings along the Dubai Creek.





Traditional Wind Tower Buildings, Old Dubai, Bastakia Quarter, Bur Dubai, Dubai, UAE


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The Diving Village features displays of pearl diving, as well as scale models of dhows and pearling boats and is a living museum where visitors can look back in time and explore the past. The entrance to the Village showcases a ship while the vast ground on the opposite side features two old dhows.

A walk around the diving village will transport you to the days of yore. Dhows and abras can be seen at the centre with ornate window fitting designs. A well covered with rocks stands as testimony to the days of yore. Local women can be seen preparing gahwa (Arabic coffee) and other snacks in tents. Fishing nets hang on the walls with big leafy trees in the courtyard. Focussing on the Emirate’s maritime past, pearl diving traditions and architecture, the centre offers displays including a tented Bedouin village, ancient armoury, wooden chests and cooking utensils.

Hall number five of the Diving Village houses a medium-sized aquarium which is supported by the Mohammed bin Rashid Establishment for young business leaders. The aquarium is home to purely UAE sea fish.

“Mostly tourists come to the aquarium and they like to click pictures of these fish,” said Mohammed Yasir, security guard at the aquarium. “In a day, 150 to 200 people come to the diving village. Usually, in the evenings, the Emiratis come here to have gahwa and socialise in the tents.”

More about diving heritage at Dubai's diving village.

Modern day Persian Gulf pearl traders.