Dubai Creek or Khor Dubai is a saltwater creek located in Dubai, United
Arab Emirates (UAE). It ends at Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary. Some sources
say that the creek extended as far inland as Al Ain, and that the Ancient
Greeks called it River Zara. Historically, the creek divided the city into two
main sections – Deira and Bur Dubai. It was along the Bur Dubai creek area that
members of the Bani Yas tribe first settled in the 19th century, establishing
the Al Maktoum dynasty in the city. In the early 20th century, the creek, though
incapable then of supporting large scale transportation, served as a minor port
for dhows coming as far away as India or East Africa. Although it impeded the
entry of ships due to current flow, the creek remained an important element in
establishing the commercial position of Dubai, being the only port or harbour
in the city. Dubai's pearling
industry, which formed the main sector of the city's economy, was based
primarily on expeditions in the creek, prior to the invention of cultured
pearls in the 1930s.
Fishing, also an important industry at the time, was also
based along the creek, whose warm and shallow waters supported a wide variety
of marine life. Dhows used for purposes of fishing were also built on the
foreshore of the creek. The importance
of the creek as a site of commercial activity was a justification to introduce
improvements to allow larger vessels to transit, as well as to facilitate
loading and unloading activities. This led, in 1955, to a plan to develop the
creek, which involved dredging shallow areas, building of breakwaters, and
developing its beach to become a quay suitable for loading and unloading of
cargo. The creek was first dredged in 1961 to permit
7 feet (2.1 m) draft vessels to cross through the creek at all times. The creek was dredged again in the 1960s and
1970s so that it could offer anchorage for local and coastal shipping of up to
about 500 tons. The dredging
opened up the creek to much more continuous traffic of merchandise, including
the development of re-export, and gave Dubai an advantage over Sharjah, the
other dominant trading centre in the region at the time. Al Maktoum Bridge, the
first bridge connecting Bur Dubai and Deira was constructed in 1963. Although
the importance of the creek as a port has diminished with the development of
the Jebel Ali Port, smaller facilities, such as Port Saeed, continue to exist
along the creek, providing porting to traders from the region and the
subcontinent.
Including the most remarkable buildings alongside the Deira
side of the Creek are the Deira Twin Towers, Dubai Creek Tower, Sheraton Dubai
Creek, National Bank, and Chamber of Commerce.
The creek's initial inlet into mainland Dubai is along the
Deira Corniche and Al Ras areas of eastern Dubai and along the Al Shindagha
area of western Dubai. It then progresses south-eastward through the mainland,
passing through Port Saeed and Dubai Creek Park. The creek's natural ending is
at the Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary, 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) from its origin at
the Persian Gulf. The traditional form of transport between the eastern and
western sections of Dubai via the creek was through abras, which continue to
operate in Dubai. In addition, the eastern and western sections are linked via
four bridges (Al Maktoum Bridge, Al Garhoud Bridge, Business Bay Crossing, and
Floating Bridge) and one tunnel (Al Shindagha Tunnel).