Dubai Museum
Dubai Museum is the main museum in Dubai. It is located in Al Fahidi Fort which was built in 1787 and is the oldest existing building in Dubai.It is opened fro 8.30 a.m. to 8.30 p.m. from Saturday to Thursday and 2.30 to 8.30 p.m. on Friday. You can contact Dubai Museum by the contact number 04 353 1862. You can reach there in metro by going to Al Fahidi metro station.There were more than 1 million visits for the museum 2013.The museum was opened by the ruler of Dubai in 1971, with the aim of presenting the traditional way of life in the Emirate of Dubai. From the fort, there is a path to the galleries, which display the general culture of the land which includes local antiquities as well as artifacts from African and Asian countries that traded with Dubai. It also includes several dioramas showing life in the emirate before the advent of oil.Al Fahidi Fort is square-shaped with towers occupying three of its corners. It was built of coral rock and mortar in several phases.Two cannons guard the main gate to the fort on the eastern wall, adorned by flags of Dubai and the UAE.Visitors first enter the gallery in which the old maps of Dubai are displayed. Next they visit the video room, showing a video that depicts Dubai from before the discovery of oil in the 1960's to the current day. Below it there is a map that shows the urban scape of the city growing in sync with the timeline of the video.Life-size dioramas of the pre-oil era await behind the next door.Moving ahead the visitors will see the shops filled with craftsmen, vendors and buyers.Finally, the winding track leads to a gallery displaying finds from other sites and historical eras, like the Umayyad site at Jumeirah. The gift shop is the last stop before a spiral ramp takes you up to the museum's southern exit.