There are many museums in Dubai.
If you want to visit them all, you'll need more than a week in the city.
Today, I'm talking about the five must-see museums in Dubai.
Museum in Dubai: article summary
Le Coins Museum
Like many other museums in Dubai, the Coins Museum is located in the historic district of Bur Dubai. Although small, it offers a wealth of information and is freely accessible. Around 470 pieces are on display, with touch screens providing the most important information about each piece.
The Coin Museum was opened in 2004. It is housed in one of the old two-storey buildings near the historic district.
There are eight rooms in the museum, each with a different theme. The first deals with the history of coinage. The others feature coins dedicated to different eras and geographical regionsfrom the caliphate of Rashidun to the Umayyads, Abbasids and other Islamic civilizations. The museum also exhibits coins from Egypt, Turkey, North Africa, Islamic Spain and the United Arab Emirates.
You can discover all these pieces :
- from Sunday to Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
It will take you approximately one hour to tour the Dubai Currency Museum.
The Coffee Museum
Arabs have long had a special relationship with coffee. It is said that they were the first to use coffee as a recreational beverage, and they passed on the culture of coffee to the rest of the world. The word coffee itself has its roots in the Arabic word Kava.
The Coffee Museum, located in the historic Al Fahidi district, tells the story of the love affair between Arabs and coffee. Inside, you'll find richly decorated rooms dedicated to the ancient artifacts of coffee brewing and consumption. You can see old rotary machines, pots and grinders.
There are audio and visual presentations on the coffee and legends about its origin. You can even try different varieties of coffee, including Arabic, Ethiopian and Japanese beverages.
The Dubai Coffee Museum brings together a number of museums dedicated to coffee culture. There's also a small library with many coffee-related historical texts.
To enter this area, you must Entrance fee of AED 10 (approx. €2.70)
The coffee museum opens :
- from Saturday to Thursday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saruq al-Hadid Museum
This one's a trip back in time. Here, you'll return to the Iron Age of the United Arab Emirates. Considered one of the richest historical sites on the Arabian Peninsula, the Saruq al Hadid archaeological excavation site is located in the southern region of Dubai, in the Rub Al Khali desert.
This spot was discovered by the ruler of Dubai in 2002 while flying over the desert. He noticed a particular patch of sand that was darker than its surroundings. However, the artifacts are displayed in a more accessible location.
The Saruq al Hadid Museum is located on the banks of Dubai Creek, nestled between many other historic buildings. It is located inside an old house which once belonged to Sheikh Juma Bin Maktoum Al Maktoum.
This museum presents human life in this once desolate desert as far back as the third millennium BC.
The Saruq al Hadid Museum uses state-of-the-art technology to tell the story of the past. There are immersive and informative video and audio presentations. In addition to the galleries, the museum offers an archaeological experience for everyone. You can roll up your sleeves and dig up artifacts from the earth of a simulated excavation site.
To visit this museum, you must pay :
- 20 AED per adult (€5.50)
- 10 AED for children aged 7 to 12 (€2.70)
Admission is free for over-60s and children under 7.
The museum opens :
- From Saturday to Thursday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- the Friday from 4 to 8 p.m.
The Museum of Dubai
Dubai's oldest museum. Set between two boutiques in the busy streets of Bur Dubai, this museum looks ordinary from the outside.
Built in the late XVIIIᵉ century, the site initially served as a fort to protect the city from foreign attack. The fort functioned as the sovereign's residence until 1896 and later as a prison. In 1971, it was transformed into a museum to present the history and traditions of Dubai.
The entry fee is very nominal. You can almost consider it free. Arishs are houses built from palm leaves and tree trunks. They were used by the population of the time. In the courtyard, there are a few spaces with exhibitions of ancient weapons and tools used by the Arabs.
But the main parts of the museum are two storeys underground. A spiral staircase takes you into the underground galleries. The main attractions in these galleries are the dioramas. These life-size dioramas take you on a journey the daily lives of Arabs before the oil boom.
There's a section devoted solely to archaeological finds. Human remains and tools used some 4,000 years ago by the region's ancient civilization can be found here. In another part of the museum, there's a display of historic government documents that have become important in Dubai's history.
To enjoy this museum, you must pay an entrance fee of :
- 3 AED per person (80 centimes)
The site opens to the public :
- From Saturday to Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
- Visit Friday, 2:30 to 8:30 p.m.
The Etihad Museum
The Etihad Museum is a jewel of modern architecture. Rather than depicting things from the ancient past, the Etihad Museum focuses on the period following the oil boom. Especially the years from 1968 to 1974 and the formation of the United Arab Emirates. The significance from the Arabic word "Etihad", meaning "Union".
The Etihad Museum takes you on a journey through the country's modern history through photographs, documentaries and artifacts. The museum is located in Jumeirah, next to the Union House.
Passports and personal effects of the founding fathers are on display. You can also see their family tree. The seven golden pillars in the main hall refer to the pens used to sign the agreement, and the curved white roof to the paper on which it was signed.
To visit this site, you will need :
- 25 AED per adult (€6.90)
- 10 AED for students (€2 70)
Admission to the museum is free for children.
The site is accessible :
- Every day 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Now you know the main museums to visit when you go to Dubai. During your visit, I advise you to don't neglect its various places of interest.
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