A mystery fort and a quick bite in Muteena

An evening errand took me deep into the bowels of Deira this week. I figured that since I had a couple of hours to pass, I might as well take a walk around.

On my way back, I came across this fort tower on Omar bin al Khattab road, sitting between Muteena and Rasheed streets. I had passed this construction once before, many years ago, but at night. A nice little park has been built around it, but I could find no plaque or nav info telling me what exactly it is.

It's a few stories tall, and would have towered over contemporaneous housing, so I guess it would have been used by the local security force to watch for raiders, fires or disorder.

Back when I lived here, I used to love coming to Muteena street for a walk in the park and a snack at one of the many eateries that line the street. The park between the roads is wide enough for a fair bit of landscaping and a winding path for jogging or cycling among the numerous palm trees. It runs the entire length of the street, and sees plenty of footfall. A huge and diverse selection of restaurants also lines the street on either side, including some great Pakistani and Persian places.

And just as I was looking for a quick bite before heading back, I come across this place to stop for a chaat and chai.

Eid al Adha 2009

We got an extended break (26th - 29th Nov) for Eid al Adha, thanks to the festival falling on a Friday. I decided to spend the whole first day ambling around Dubai. With the weather cooling down from a sweltering summer to a pleasant and breezy winter, it was a perfect day for a stroll about my 'hood in Deira (*flashes east coast gang sign*). After a morning walk and shower, I went back to the creek for an everything-in-it "dynamite sandwich" (I love how Dubai's small cafeterias come up with these names) at the wharf customs gate. The winter landscaping had just been completed, and the fresh flower beds were beautiful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The weather was wonderful and the city was glittering in the late morning sun.

 

 

After a long walk, napped under a tree near the NBD building, headed to Salahuddin street and then walked to Muraqqabat for a lunch of falafel, ful and tabbouleh, followed by a cheesy dessert of nablus and sfouf.

 

 

After a couple of hours back at home, I travelled down to the Muteena and Naif communities for an evening stroll. These are areas where a lot of low-wage workers gather on weekends and holidays. Many garment outlets, barbershops and eateries were bustling on Eid's eve. There are also some nice parks in this area, and even an old fort that I did not previously know of [EDIT: "watchtower" would be the more appropriate word].

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After some shopping and people-watching, I hopped into a South Indian restaurant for the house special Red Pepper mutton curry. Gosh, that curry was so delicious - and so HOT that I needed an extra vellappam to finish it, and had to follow it up with two scoops of ice cream.

 

 

Good I had that day of quiet, because the next two days were spent partying at the Flamingo Beach resort in Umm al Quwain with nearly 40 extended family members.

 

 

There was no dearth of ruckus - but for the morning in between, when I got up early for sunrise and coffee.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ah, the simple pleasures.