Deira (In
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...
: ديرة) is a historically significant district within the city of
Dubai
Dubai (, ; ar, wikt:دبي, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the List of cities in the United Arab Emirates#Major cities, most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 ...
,
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (Middle East, The Middle East). It is ...
bordered by the
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a mediterranean sea in Western Asia. The bo ...
,
Sharjah
Sharjah (; ar, ٱلشَّارقَة ', Gulf Arabic: ''aš-Šārja'') is the third-most populous city in the United Arab Emirates, after Dubai and Abu Dhabi, forming part of the Dubai-Sharjah-Ajman metropolitan area.
Sharjah is the capital ...
and
Al Awir.
It is located at the northern end of the
Dubai Creek.
History
Deira is one of the oldest and most established areas of Dubai, its origins date back to the mid-1700s, it developed along the canal called Dubai Creek, this saltwater canal separates Deira from
Bur Dubai. The canal enabled the area to develop in importance; it facilitated the
sea trade, which is still operational today, thanks to the traditional
dhow
Dhow ( ar, داو, translit=dāwa; mr, script=Latn, dāw) is the generic name of a number of traditional sailing vessels with one or more masts with settee or sometimes lateen sails, used in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean region. Typically spo ...
boats which still load and unload hundreds of tons of goods on the canal docks every day.
In 1841, a
smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...
epidemic broke out in the
Bur Dubai district, forcing residents to relocate east to Deira.
In 1896, a fire broke out alongside Dubai Creek, a disastrous occurrence in a town where many family homes were still constructed from ''barasti'' – palm fronds. The conflagration consumed half the houses of Bur Dubai, while the district of Deira was said to have been totally destroyed.
In the following years, more fires broke out and in 1908 the "great storm" struck the pearling boats of Dubai and the coastal emirates towards the end of the pearling season that year, resulting in the loss of a dozen boats and over 100 men. The disaster was a major setback for Dubai, with many families losing their breadwinners and merchants facing financial ruin.
These losses came at a time when the tribes of the interior were also experiencing poverty. In a letter to the
Sultan
Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it c ...
of
Muscat
Muscat ( ar, مَسْقَط, ) is the capital and most populated city in Oman. It is the seat of the Governorate of Muscat. According to the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI), the total population of Muscat Governorate was ...
in 1911, Sheikh Butti bin Suhail Al Maktoum, the
ruler of Dubai at the time, laments, "Misery and poverty are raging among them, with the result that they are struggling, looting and killing among themselves."
Historically it was the most important commercial center of the emirate alongside its twin across the creek, Dubai City (Independent of Deira at the time), It reached its peak during the
pearl fishing period before pearls started to be cultivated on a large scale in the early 1930s by the Japanese. The ferrying of people is provided by small boats that constantly go back and forth between the two sides.
Despite its historic importance, it has been losing its significance during the past decades due to recent development and larger focus by the government towards areas along
E 11 road (Sheikh Zayed Road) and areas further down the coast towards
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi (, ; ar, أَبُو ظَبْيٍ ' ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most populous city (after Dubai) of the United Arab Emirates. It is also the capital of the Emirate of Abu Dha ...
since
the Union of the 6 Emirates in 1971.
Deira alongside
Bur Dubai,
Karama and
Satwa, is part of an area that’s locally known as ‘Old Dubai’. It’s due to the fact that these are some of the most historic quarters of the city and home to countless iconic structures, from centuries-old gold and spice souqs to ancient forts and fortresses.
Population
Deira has a population of 400,000 which consists of 20% of Dubai's total population.
Economy
The district contains 30% of Dubai's trading locations and 10% of its GDP.
A large portion of its earnings come from the historic fish, gold, and spice souqs that have been essential to the district for centuries
References
{{Neighborhoods in Dubai
Neighbourhoods in the United Arab Emirates
Central business districts in the United Arab Emirates
Communities in Dubai