The new museum of the United Arab Emirates presents the perfumery heritage of the Dubai ruling family.
The house of the late Sheikh Bint Saeed Al-Maktoum donated by her brother, the late Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Ruler of Dubai and vice president of the UAE until 1990, was turned into a perfume museum. Sheikh was an expert in perfumery, and the legacy left after her will now be stored in a new museum, where visitors can immerse themselves in the history of perfumery in Dubai.
On March 6, Dawood Al-Hajiri, Director General of Dubai Municipality, unveiled two new museums - the Perfume House and the Dubai Creek House. Together they form the first phase of the Shindagha Museums project, the purpose of which is to open about 25 museums as part of a plan to revive and develop the historic district of Dubai.
The Perfume House, the first of its kind in the Middle East, gives visitors the opportunity to literally smell the centuries-old history of the emirate. One of the main attractions of the museum is a piece of oud (perfume ingredient) from the collection of Sheikh Al-Maktoum. Its height is 1.2 meters, and weight - 28 kg. It is valued at 200 million dirhams ($ US 54 million).
The late Sheikh made perfumes on her own in her bedroom and kept them under her bed for several months.
“The Perfume House” is a tribute to her craft and her love for traditional handmade emirate perfumes, ”said Shata Al Mullah, Head of Research and Development, Department of Architectural Heritage and Antiques, Dubai Municipality.
The museum features over 60 archaeological and historical artifacts related to perfumery. Rare perfumes are exhibited here, such as powdered perfumes that are no longer in use.
The second museum sheds light on the history of Dubai Creek with more than 150 historical artifacts, photographs and films about Dubai.
Ahmad Muhammad Abdul Karim from the municipality of Dubai, said that the organization of the two museums used the most modern interactive technologies. The Shindagha Museum project is being implemented jointly with the Dubai Office of Culture and Art and the Department of Tourism and Commercial Marketing.
The Dubai Municipality has restored and reconstructed more than 150 historic buildings for the megaproject, which should be completed before Expo 2020 begins.
