Deira, Dubai
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Deira () is a historically significant district within the U.A.E. city of
Dubai Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...
. It is located at the northern end of Dubai Creek.


History

Deira is one of the oldest and most established areas of Dubai. Its origin dates back to the mid-1700s, it developed along the canal called Dubai Creek, this salt-water canal separates Deira from Bur Dubai. The canal enabled the area to develop its importance. It facilitated the sea trade, which is still operational today. With the help of these traditional
dhow Dhow (; ) is the generic name of a number of traditional sailing vessels with one or more masts with settee or sometimes lateen sails, used in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean region. Typically sporting long thin hulls, dhows are trading vessels ...
boats, hundreds of tons of goods are still loaded and unloaded on the canal docks every day. In 1841, a
smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by Variola virus (often called Smallpox virus), which belongs to the genus '' Orthopoxvirus''. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (W ...
epidemic An epidemic (from Greek ἐπί ''epi'' "upon or above" and δῆμος ''demos'' "people") is the rapid spread of disease to a large number of hosts in a given population within a short period of time. For example, in meningococcal infection ...
broke out in the district of Bur Dubai, forcing residents to relocate east to Deira. In 1896, a fire broke out alongside Dubai Creek, a disastrous occurrence in a town where many family homes were still constructed from ''barasti'' – palm fronds. The conflagration consumed half the houses of Bur Dubai, while the district of Deira was said to have been totally destroyed. In the following years, more fires broke out and in 1908 the "great storm" struck the pearling boats of Dubai and the coastal emirates towards the end of the pearling season that year, resulting in the loss of a dozen boats and over 100 men. The disaster was a major setback for Dubai, with many families losing their breadwinners and merchants facing financial ruin. These losses came at a time when the tribes of the interior were also experiencing poverty. In a letter to the
Sultan Sultan (; ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be use ...
of Muscat in 1911, Sheikh Butti bin Suhail Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai at the time, laments, "Misery and poverty are raging among them, with the result that they are struggling, looting and killing among themselves." Historically it was the most important commercial center of the emirate alongside its twin across the creek, Dubai City (Independent of Deira at the time), It reached its peak during the pearl fishing period before pearls started to be cultivated on a large scale in the early 1930s by the Japanese. The ferrying of people is provided by small boats that constantly go back and forth between the two sides. Despite its historic importance, it has been losing its significance during the past decades due to recent development and larger focus by the government towards areas along E 11 road (Sheikh Zayed Road) and areas further down the coast towards
Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...
since the Union of the 6 Emirates in 1971. Deira, alongside Bur Dubai, Karama and Satwa, is part of an area that is locally known as "Old Dubai". It’s because these are some of the most historic quarters of the city and home to countless iconic structures, from centuries-old gold and spice souqs to ancient forts and fortresses. File:Deira, Dubai, 1950s.jpg, A souq in the 1950s File:Dubai Creek 1964.jpg, Al-Ras District and Dubai Creek in the mid-1960s File:AlRas Deira Mid1960s.jpg,


Population

Deira has a population of 400,000 which consists of 20% of Dubai's total population.


Economy

The district contains 30% of Dubai's trading locations and 10% of its GDP. A large portion of its earnings come from the historic fish, gold, and spice souqs that have been essential to the district for centuries. City Centre Deira is a flagship
shopping mall A shopping mall (or simply mall) is a large indoor shopping center, usually Anchor tenant, anchored by department stores. The term ''mall'' originally meant pedestrian zone, a pedestrian promenade with shops along it, but in the late 1960s, i ...
in central Deira, with the Deira City Centre metro station at its entrance. The Waterfront Market, retailing fish, vegetables, and meat, opened on the Deira Corniche in 2017. File:Spice Souq Dubai 10.jpg, A souq of spices File:Dhows on Dubai Creek (8722991951).jpg,
Dhow Dhow (; ) is the generic name of a number of traditional sailing vessels with one or more masts with settee or sometimes lateen sails, used in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean region. Typically sporting long thin hulls, dhows are trading vessels ...
s on the Dubai Creek in 2013


References


External links

* {{Neighborhoods in Dubai Neighbourhoods in the United Arab Emirates Central business districts in the United Arab Emirates Communities in Dubai