Dubai - Al Bastakiya

The Old City is Way More Interesting
There is a tiny part of Dubai which wasn't razed for modernity's sake.  Al Bastakiya sits along a large creek that cuts in from the sea.  It dates back to the 19th century and was, up until the 1960s, how most people here lived.   The government had already knocked down a sizable portion of it when an English architect, who was living in one of the houses, asked Prince Charles to chat with the UAE royalty about it.  Chuck somehow convinced them to save some of it for historical purposes.

Nobody lives here anymore, the whole place has been frozen in time and turned over to the retailers.  There are cafes, book stores, arts shops, etc.  I took a walk around at high noon, the only one crazy enough to be doing so.  I suspect this is a more popular tourist attraction at night. 

The buildings are set closely together to create shaded walkways.

I couldn't imagine living in this part of the world without air conditioning.  Their solution was to use the wind.  Many of the buildings were built with a wind tower, which simultaneously lets out hot air and draws in cool air,

Not much was open at noon, I mostly just walked around, snapping photos.