Pic(k) of the week 4: Abra driver

January 26, 2012

Pic(k) of the week 4: Abra driver

Centuries ago, life in Dubai started around the Creek, a saltwater tidal channel dividing Dubai in two main parts, Bur Dubai to the Western side and Deira to the East.

With the first records of the town being made in 1799, life was then mainly sustained by fishing and pearl diving. Dubai became a separate Sheikdom in 1833, when the Al-Maktoum dynasty of the Bani Yas clan took it over peacefully. The invention of artificial pearls in 1926 and the Great Depression in 1929 caused a collapse in the international pearl market, which resulted in Sheikh Saeed looking for an alternative source of income and Dubai becoming one of the leading re-export ports in the world. In 1966, oil was discovered in Dubai, which changed the country beyond recognition and led to Dubai becoming the vibrant, modern, business-centred city-state it is today.

Even today the Creek still has the guzzle and buzzle it used to have in the early days. It is a Mecca for travel photography. I finally decided to open a gallery dedicated to the "Life at the Creek". Browse through a few years of images here.

One of the must do's for every Dubai visitor is taking an Abra (small wooden boat) across the Creek. Quite often I bump into people who have been living in Dubai for years and have never done the crossing. You are missing a unique experience! And yes it is cheap... 1 DHS (1/4 USD) for a single trip!