Are you interested to know about the cultural history of Dubai? To get information about the old-age Emirate traditions as well as culture, visit Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding. It is referred to as a non-profit organization, providing knowledge about the rich traditional heritage of the city. The primary goal of this place is to aware residents as well as tourists about the UAE history.
Furthermore, you will find lots of activities here. Not only you will get the best culinary experience, but also, they will offer you several tours, making it a family-friendly place. Some of the popular activities which Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding organize incorporate Creekside tours, mosque tour, traditional cuisine, spoken Arabic classes, and much more. If you want to get more info regarding this place, here is a detailed guide for you.
| Name | Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding (SMCCU) |
| Location | Bur Dubai, UAE |
| Founded by | Sheikh Mohammed IV |
| Year | 1998 |
| Address | Al Fahidi, Al Musallah Road, UAE |
| Type | Historical, Traditional place |
| Timings | 8 am – 8 pm |
| Activities | Going to Jumeirah Mosque, Educational programs, Creekside walking tour, etc. |
| Reaching Method | By metro, car, or a taxi |
Location
SMCCU, also known as Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding is situated in Al Fahidi neighborhood in Bur Dubai. It was established by Sheikh Mohammed IV in the year 1998. This place is located in cultural Emirati wind tower house and works under the tag of ‘Open Doors Open Minds.’
Furthermore, SMCCU organize a ton of activities to engage public incorporating educational programs for students, tours of landmarks and heritage places in the city, iftars in Ramadan, cultural awareness occasions, proper Arabic classes in native Gulf language. Despite all these activities, you will get to experience the best traditional Emirati cuisine.
How to reach Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding?
In case you are planning to go to Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding and are looking for the best way to reach there, here is the route you should follow:
Simply take a metro or hire a taxi and reach Al Fahidi station. Once you reach there, you need to exit the Al Fahidi station from the Al Musallah exit. After that, move along the Al Satwa/ Al Musallah road north and cross the roundabout of Al Fahidi to the SMCCU on your left. Once you get there, you can easily reach Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding from that station by just walking for around ten minutes. SMCCU is located on the right side of the 2nd entrance to the house number 26.
Several Activities at Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding
At SMCCU, you will never get bored as there are tons of activities to do and explore the place. They offer many tours of traditionally important places as well as cultural landmarks and guide you throughout the tour.
While having a tour, visitors can enjoy coffee, dates, and Arabic tea, to refresh themselves. Let’s discuss about some of the most popular activities you will find here.
1. Visiting Jumeirah Mosque
This Mosque is accessible to Muslims as well as Non Muslims. Other than Jumeirah Mosque, there is just 1 mosque in Dubai which is open for people of any religion. You will see a demonstration of Wudu at the mosque which is cleansing ritual done before praying. Also, before partaking in the mosque’s presentations, visitors can have a light and delicious breakfast after reaching there.
At the Jumeirah Mosque, people are offered a detailed explanation of Emirati culture as well as religion. Also, there is a dress code for women and men and they need to follow it properly. For visitors seeking to honor the traditions of UAE, there are traditional dresses for them. Except Fridays, the timings of this tour are 10 am – 2 pm daily. In addition, the price for the tour is around 35 AED for a single individual. Visitors are offered with refreshments while having a tour.
2. Creek side Walking Tour
If you choose to take the Creekside walking tour, be ready to explore the popular Al Fahidi Historic District. While having this tour, you will explore several places such as the Textile Souk, the Diwan Mosque. Along with this, you can take an abra boat to travel across the Deira creek. Furthermore, visitors can explore the Spice Souk and Gold Souk in Deira. This walking the tour ends with the question & answers session at SMCCU house.
It is your choice whether you want to take private or public tour as both options are available here. For private tours, you will need to ask them about the details, however, you can book for a private tour from November 1st – March 31. You need to have 10 persons for private tour. On the other hand, you can book for public tours at every Monday. The timing of a public tour is 3 pm.
3. Programs for Schools and Universities
Other than the walking tours, SMCCU also has several programs for universities as well as students. In the programs, parents, students, and teachers from all around the world can get an insight about the culture and tradition of UAE. With the best presentations of cultural Emirati meal decorum, these programs take place in the courtyard of wind tower house. Furthermore, in these programs, some of the important topics related to the Emirati tradition are also discussed, for example, significance of coffee to honor the visitors is a part of their tradition.
One of their programs is known as the cultural mosque program. It tells about the significance of worship house and how it is extremely crucial in the culture. One of the best things about these programs is their Q&A sessions where anyone can clear his confusion by asking from the experts. Additionally, the aim of these programs is to communicate values of universal citizenship, permitting students to discover and establish empathy and care while learning to distinguish several individuality.
4. Iftar Program at SMCCU
While the month of Ramadan is going on, SMCCU also hosts Iftar Program. This program offers the best experience to teach visitors about the tradition of breaking the fast. Iftar program is conducted in one of the traditional houses of SMCCU in the Al Fahidi Historic Neighborhood.
Furthermore, people will experience the best Arabic cuisine in this program. People start to gather at the place every evening around thirty minutes prior to call to Maghrib prayer. If you want to be a part of this program, you will need to do advanced booking as it is compulsory. The time period for this program is approximately 120 mins.
Culinary Experience at SMCCU
Despite of enjoying all the activities we have mentioned above, another thing popular at Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding is their dining experience. Have your ever thought about how a traditional Emirati food? There are several cultural carpets of Bedouin-style available at this place, where visitors can have a perfect lunch, breakfast, dinner, Cultural brunch and Emirati Fuala at any day of the week.
Visitors will have the option to reserve their booking from their official website in case they want to eat privately. Otherwise, there are open events or choose as well.
Some of their popular cuisines include:
| Emirati Dessert | Description | Key Ingredients |
|---|---|---|
| Luqaimat | Golden, fried dumplings | Flour, yeast, sugar, spices, date syrup |
| Aseed | Creamy porridge | Wheat, saffron, cardamom, sugar, cinnamon, ghee |
| Khabeesah | Sweet pumpkin mash | Pumpkin, dates, sugar, water, spices, rosewater (optional) |
| Balalit | Savory or sweet pancakes | Flour, turmeric, yeast, milk, eggs, dates, sugar, onions, tomatoes (variations vary) |
