Al Rigga or Al Riqqa ( ar, الرقة) is a locality in

Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...

(UAE). Located in the heart of eastern Dubai in

Deira Deira ( ; Old Welsh/Cumbric: ''Deywr'' or ''Deifr''; ang, Derenrice or ) was an area of Post-Roman Britain, and a later Anglian kingdom. Etymology The name of the kingdom is of Brythonic origin, and is derived from the Proto-Celtic *''daru' ...

, Al Rigga is a residential and commercial centre. Al Rigga is bordered by

Rigga Al Buteen Rigga Al Buteen or Riqqa Al Buteen ( ar, رقة البطين) is a locality in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). Located in eastern Dubai along Dubai Creek in Deira, Rigga Al Buteen is a small community that houses many prominent landmarks. It h ...

Port Saeed Port Saeed ( ar, بور سعيد and sometimes ميناء سعيد) is a locality in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It was established by Saeed Ahmed Lootah, who named it after the Egyptian city of Port Said which was destroyed in the Anglo-French ...

, Al Muraqqabat and

Naif Naif (, ar, نايف) is a locality in Deira side of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is a commercial and residential locality. Considering the nearby localities, Naif is larger in size. It is one of the oldest localities. The residents of this l ...

and bounded to the south by

Dubai Creek Dubai Creek ( ar, خور دبي, Khūr Dubay) has been described as a natural saltwater creek, tidal inlet, and watercourse or waterway in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). It extends about inwards and forms a natural port that has traditional ...

. Al Rigga is bounded in the west by route D 88 (Omar bin Khattab Road) and to the east by route

D 78 D, or d, is the fourth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''dee'' (pronounced ), plural ''dees''. History Th ...

(Abu Baker Al Siddque Road). The locality is separated from Al Muraqqabat by Al Rigga Road and from

by route D 89 (Al Maktoum Road). The Union Square is located in Al Rigga where buses and taxis provide transport within the emirate as well as to other

emirates Emirates may refer to: * United Arab Emirates, a Middle Eastern country * Emirate, any territory ruled by an emir ** Gulf emirates, emirates located on the Persian Gulf ** Emirates of the United Arab Emirates, the individual emirates * The Emirat ...

in the country. The Dubai Clock Tower, which lies at the intersection of

Umm Hurair Umm Hurair ( ar, ام هرير) is a locality in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). Umm Hurair has a small residential community as well as a shopping and economic district with shopping malls, hotels, banks and restaurants. Umm Hurair is divide ...

Road and route D 89 is situated in Al Rigga. Additionally, several local hotel chains such as Metropolitan Palace, Zain International Hotel and Sun & Sands Hotel are located in Al Rigga. Local roads in Al Rigga follow a

grid pattern In urban planning, the grid plan, grid street plan, or gridiron plan is a type of city plan in which streets run at right angles to each other, forming a grid. Two inherent characteristics of the grid plan, frequent intersections and orthogo ...

, continuing in numerical sequence from those of Al Muraqqabat. Even-numbered streets progress in a northwest–southeast pattern, beginning with 3rd B Street (near Al Tahir Restaurant) and ending with 45th C Street (near Metropolitan Hotel). Even-numbered streets progress northeast–southwest, beginning with 2nd Street (near

Bani Yas Bani Yas ( ar, بَنُو ياس) is a tribal confederation of Najdi origin in the United Arab Emirates. The tribal coalition which consists of tribes from Dubai to Khawr al Udayd southeast of Qatar, was called the Bani Yas Coalition. The tribe has ...

Cemetery) and end with 44th A Street (near Rigga Al Buteen Plaza). Both Al Rigga and Al Muraqqabat play a central role in the

Dubai Shopping Festival Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF; ar, مهرجان دبي للتسوق, Mahrajan Dubayy lil-tasawoq) is an annual event that runs for over a month displaying the very best the city of Dubai has to offer. Organised by the Dubai Festivals & Retail Est ...

(DSF) celebrations.

Planet Pepsi A planet is a large, rounded astronomical body that is neither a star nor its remnant. The best available theory of planet formation is the nebular hypothesis, which posits that an interstellar cloud collapses out of a nebula to create a young ...

, a DSF entertainment park is located in Al Rigga.

History

Al Rigga is home to the country's first mall, Al Ghurair Centre, and the first McDonald's branch. Built in 1981, both continue to thrive to this day and have undergone renovations in recent years to keep up with the times.

Landmarks

Deira Clocktower

It was built in early 1960s, as a symbol of Dubai and called after the Emirate. The roundabout in Al Rigga had the tower at its core and it was the most famous landmark in the then smaller city. In technical terms it is the oldest ‘monument’ in modern Dubai. By sheer usage it became known as the Deira Clock Tower.The Clock Tower has held its own even as it was dwarfed by the construction around it. It enjoys a certain affection with the public and even as traffic swirls around it from different flyovers and turnoffs, the Tower is still referred as an important landmark.

References

{{Neighborhoods in Dubai Communities in Dubai