SMCCU Dubai culture tour

My husband, Ed, and I spent four days in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in April 2013 (May ’14, pg. 14). Our final full day there was special.

On its website, we learned about a tour at the Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Centre for Cultural Understanding, or SMCCU (www.cultures.ae). We made reservations via email (smccu@cultures.ae) for the 90-minute “Heritage Tour,” which cost AED55 (near $15).

Our guide was a charming young woman who provided much information and “debunked” many misconceptions about Islam and Muslims, especially about a woman’s role in Islam and why Muslim women dress the way they do.

In my opinion, the tour of the SMCCU (whose slogan is “Open Doors, Open Minds”) should be a “must” for everyone. I personally believe everyone would expand their understanding and awareness through educational and cultural programs such as this one.

We started by visiting the Bastakiya Heritage Village, a charming, car-free area near Dubai Creek. This old section of narrow walkways is filled with restored houses and wind towers built over a century ago by wealthy Persian pearl and textile merchants.

Typically, each house has two stories and a central courtyard from which radiate the various rooms. Although the homes have plain exteriors, the interior of each has elaborately carved archways, wooden doors, grillwork and stucco panels.

Next was the Diwan Mosque, where we sat on the floor while the guide briefly explained the basic beliefs of Islam. Our group was allowed to ask any questions about the Islam faith, and the guide responded in a very candid manner.

Lunch was served in the courtyard of a typical bastakiya “wind tower” house. We sat on pillows, although chairs were provided for those who had difficulty sitting on the floor.

The meal started with Arabic coffee. In many Arab countries, it is customary to serve guests bitter, unsweetened coffee. Our guide got great delight in having us try to guess the coffee’s ingredients. We gave up and she told us it contained cardamom and saffron. 

Lunch was laid out on an elaborate rug on the floor. Our guides said this was a pretty typical Emirati meal — dishes mostly of fish, chicken and rice seasoned with spices such as cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and dried lemon. There were lentils and squash, too. The food was abundant and delicious.

During lunch, our guides explained family life in the UAE and the social aspects of Dubai life. 

The meal ended with dates and lots of sweet tea. While we sipped our tea, the female guide asked if any women would like to come up and put on an abaya (a Muslim woman’s dress) and a hijab (a head covering). While she helped the ladies dress, she explained the purpose and function of each item.

She also emphasized that the Koran is silent on how Muslim women should dress. She said the dress is based upon country, culture, tradition and fashion, not religion. 

It was a most enjoyable and educational afternoon.

Following our morning visit to the SMCCU, Ed and I toured the ancient fort, which now houses the Dubai Museum. This “low-key” museum takes only about an hour to traverse, but it provides a good background to the history, culture and traditions of the country. The entrance fee was under $1.

Leaving the museum, we walked over to the Grand Mosque, which has nine large and 45 small domes along with Dubai’s tallest minaret. Rebuilt in 1998, it is a replica of the original mosque from the early 1900s. 

It has been our general experience that, except when religious services are being conducted, visitors can tour a mosque as long as they do so in an appropriate manner, but we found the interior of the Grand Mosque to be off-limits to non-Muslims.