Sheikh Saeed Al Maktoum House Museum

Sheikh Saeed Al Maktoum House (older material sometimes incorrectly called it "Sheikh Zayed's house" — that's wrong; the building is named after Sheikh Saeed bin Maktoum Al Maktoum, ruler of Dubai from 1912 to 1958 and grandfather of the current ruler) is located in the historical district Al Shindagha on the shores of the Persian Gulf.

The house was built in 1896 and served as the official residence of Dubai's ruler. Despite its status, the building looks fairly modest — a two-story coral-and-gypsum house with four wind towers (barjeel) for natural ventilation. Today it's part of the larger Al Shindagha Museum complex, which unites more than 20 restored historic houses of the district, including the neighboring Ethnographic Heritage Village and the Diving Village, which tell about how Dubai lived before oil was found here. Plus, all these museums are located on the shore of the Persian Gulf, next to a beautiful promenade with cafes and restaurants where you can drink aromatic coffee or have a cheap meal with traditional dishes.

The house has several halls displaying rare historical photographs that tell about the past, and collections of coins and stamps that belonged to the sheikh. One of the halls is dedicated to the traditional Arab craft - pearl fishing (but you can and should learn more about this at the Diving Village), as well as furniture, carpets, and jewelry.

Opening hours and prices

The Al Shindagha Museum complex (including Sheikh Saeed's house) is open Saturday to Thursday from 8:00 to 20:30, and Friday from 15:00 to 20:30.

A single ticket for the whole complex costs around AED 50 (≈$14) and covers all 22 house-museums, including Sheikh Saeed's house.

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