Dubai’s oldest building to reopen to the public after five-year closure

Dubai’s oldest building is set to reopen to the public after five years of closure during a major restoration project.

Al Fahidi Fort, the city’s oldest existing building near the banks of Dubai Creek, was built in 1787 when the area made its money from the pearl fishing trade.

The fort was constructed for the defence of the city, and later served as the residence of the settlement’s ruler, as well as a prison, an arsenal for weaponry and a governing centre, before opening to the public as Dubai’s first museum in 1971.

The building has been closed since 2021 as part of a restoration project, but half a decade later, plans are in place to reopen it to the public by the end of this year.

Ayisha Khansaheb, director of Al Fahidi Fort and specialised museums at the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority, told Euronews the building is set to welcome back visitors “in the coming weeks or months”.

The building will reopen with a revitalised museum experience that Ms Khansaheb described as a “gateway into the story of Dubai itself”.

“I think cultural heritage is important as an ecosystem for cultural tourism, but also for residents, for locals, and for schools to educate the students on the cultural history and heritage of the city itself,” said Ms Khansaheb.

“I think we need to have offerings for everyone, and I think this is something that you've been seeing more of in Dubai and in the wider region as well. It addresses a growing need to emphasise that there is a soul, there is a culture, and there is history here.”

The museum will include artefact exhibitions and displays on the site’s evolution, as well as new interactive experiences in an underground extension that shows off Dubai’s “defence capabilities,” Euronews reports.

Visitors will also have the opportunity to walk round the historic walls of Al Fahidi Fort and explore its watchtowers, gates and courtyard.

The revamped attraction in Dubai’s Old Town stands in contrast to the glitzy skyscrapers, luxury hotels, high-end restaurants and larger-than-life spectacles that the emirate is known for.

Dubai’s tourism industry has taken a hit since conflict in the Middle East broke out earlier this year, as missiles and drones were launched towards the UAE, causing the UK’s Foreign Office to advise against all but essential travel to the country for several months.

After the travel advisory was lifted and airlines restarted flights to the Gulf hub, the Dubai department of economy and tourism (DET) said its tourism industry is continuing to show signs of recovery.

Hotel occupancy reached 66 per cent in August, a steep climb from 36 per cent occupancy in March 2026.

DET also said it welcomed approximately 869,000 international overnight visitors in August 2026, building on month-on-month, double-digit growth since March.

This represented its strongest monthly volume since February 2026, taking total international visitation to 6.97 million across the first eight months of the year.

This is still more five million visitors less than the 12.24 million it received in the first eight months of 2025.

The Independent has contacted DET for comment.

Read more: Tourists turn to the Balkans and Brazil - how the Middle East conflict has redrawn our holiday map