Souk Al Bahar

In front of you is Souk Al Bahar, a shopping centre dressed up as an old souk. Its name is often translated as «the sailors’ market», and its architecture borrows elements from the Dubai of the Creek: arches, sand-coloured walls, latticework and lanterns that echo the merchants’ houses of the Al Fahidi quarter.

1An Arabian-style island

Emaar built it on the so-called Old Town Island, an island in the Burj Khalifa lake, as part of Downtown’s «old town»: a new complex inspired by traditional architecture. The first phase opened in late 2007, and the complex was completed shortly afterwards, together with the opening of The Dubai Mall.

2Tradition as scenery

If you have done the Creek route, the contrast is striking. There, thick walls, arches and lattice screens really did keep out the sun; here they are a decorative nod on an air-conditioned building. The interior corridors, with stone floors and pierced lanterns, aim for the atmosphere of a market, but with craft shops, galleries and restaurants.

Dubai does not just preserve its past: it reinvents it too, sometimes a few metres from the world’s tallest building.

Its terraces offer one of the best views of the fountain, and the bridge linking it to The Dubai Mall is one of the busiest spots when the show begins.

3What to look for

• The large pointed-arch gateway facing the lake.
• The arches and crenellations that imitate the architecture of forts.
• The pierced metal lanterns in the interior corridors.