Page 54 - 7x PR REPORT MAY 2024

5/16/24, 3:03 PM Guide to Dubai's newly listed historical places, from a pineapple slide to a fish fountain
Ruler of Dubai.

Dubai's mosques, culture and heritage

Five mosques also make the list. Visitors to Dubai, especially non-Muslims, will be familiar with the Jumeirah
Mosque, which admits all faiths and opened in 1979. It is managed by the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural
Understanding.

The mosque at Al Fahidi, also known as Bastakiya, is part of the historical neighbourhood by the creek in Bur
Dubai, as is the Ruler’s Diwan, or meeting place.

Al Ras Public Library, also known as Dubai Public Library, is the city’s oldest, lending books since 1963 in Deira,
overlooking the creek. It closed for renovation in 2019. Zabeel High School is one of the oldest government
schools in Dubai, established in 1979 in Karama.

Naif Police Station in Deira was originally a fort and served as the headquarters for Dubai’s original law
enforcement as far back as the 1950s. It was expanded and renovated in 1997, preserving the first structure,
which is now a museum.

A Flourish map
Monumental buildings

Equally arresting is the Flame Monument, first lit in 1969 to mark the beginning of oil production in the emirate.
Originally part of the Clock Tower Roundabout, it has moved twice, and is currently situated at the edge of the
airport in Al Khabaisi Park.

Only a few minutes away is another monument commemorating a time when Dubai was dependent on fishing
and pearling. At the centre of Fish Roundabout is a stylised concrete fish fountain, believed to have been
designed by Iranian artist Mir Ismaili.

Many may not realise that the giant mushroom-like structure on a 40-metre stalk in Satwa is actually a water
tower dating from the 1980s. It is now the centrepiece of the small Al Khazzan Park and a local landmark.

At 63 hectares, Safa Park is much larger, now bisected by the Dubai Water Canal. Created in 1975, with further
development in 1984 and 1992, it contains a number of original buildings, included The Archive art library,
designed by the Dubai-based Japanese architect Takeshi Murayama.

Growing up in Dubai in the 1980s, every child would have known Al Nasr Leisureland, especially the fruit-themed
rides that include a pineapple slide and banana swings. Opened in October 1979, the complex in Oud Metha is
largely unchanged, with an ice rink, wave pool and bowling alley.

https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/uae/2024/05/15/dubai-new-historic-places/ 5/6