Beneath a glitzy
skyline, wooden boats ply Dubai Creek, the historic heart of a city that
was transformed in little more than a generation from a tiny pearling
and fishing port to a global trading hub.
From
early morning to late evening the creek is abuzz with daily commuters
and tourists riding in abras, the wooden boats that have been used for
more than a century and are still built by hand nearby. The 25-cent
passage from one bank to the other is one of the only bargains left in a
city where much of the population is expatriates lured to the Gulf
emirate by job opportunities.
Unlike the rest
of the city, the Dubai Creek area has until now been left relatively
untouched by developers, offering a glimpse into the modest beginnings
of a city that is now a byword for wealth, excess and overnight
development.
"The creek is very much the heart of the city, physically and metaphorically," says Yasser Elsheshtawy, associate professor of architecture at the United Arab Emirates University. "You know, that's really where everything started."
"The creek is very much the heart of the city, physically and metaphorically," says Yasser Elsheshtawy, associate professor of architecture at the United Arab Emirates University. "You know, that's really where everything started."
The
city is awaiting the results of a bid for Dubai Creek to be declared a
UNESCO World Heritage Site, and a $544 million creek-side project has
been approved by Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE vice
president and prime minister and ruler of Dubai, that aims to transform
the area into a cultural and artistic hub for the city.
Here are images from Associated Press photographer Kamran Jebreili of Dubai Creek.
(AP)
(AP)
