This 1890 courtyard house offers a rare opportunity to peek inside the one-time residence of a wealthy pearl merchant. Built from coral and gypsum, it wraps around a central courtyard flanked by verandahs to keep direct sunlight out. Most rooms have audiovisual displays and use dioramas to recreate traditional aspects of daily life.
The house once belonged to Sheikh Ahmed bin Dalmouk, the founder of the adjacent Al Ahmadiya School, Dubai's oldest learning pens. You're free to explore on your own and pop into such rooms as the majlis (meeting room), the kitchen, the bride room (with distinctly unhappy-looking bride and groom mannequins), a bathroom and a traditional larder or ‘store’. The upstairs room was originally used for family gatherings but displays traditional children's games.
