Even the world’s biggest and most established cities had to start somewhere and the earliest hubs for places like New York, London and Sydney can be traced to the natural water inlets which continue to be very much at the heart of those cities today.

    Dubai is no different and the bustling Creek, which slices through the centre of the city, has become one of the best-known waterways in the world.

    Since earliest times, Dubai has been a meeting place, bringing together the Bedouin of the desert interior with the pearl diver, the merchant of the city with the sea-going fisherman.

    The Creek is the natural seawater inlet, which is the historic focal point of life in Dubai.

    While skyscrapers and billion dollar developments have kept Dubai on the move over the last 20 years, a stroll along the banks of the Creek will evoke memories of the city’s centuries-old trading traditions.

    Under the shadows of state-of-the-art skyscrapers, the banks of the Creek are a hive of colour and bustle from the loading and unloading of dhows that still ply ancient trade routes to places as distant as India and East Africa. New methods of cargo transport may have sprung up but the tried and tested dhows are still proving extremely popular to this day.

    Anything from cars and air conditioners to food and even kitchen sinks are loaded up by human chains onto these magnificent wooden vessels that are built to tackle the fiercest of conditions that the Arabian Sea can throw at them.

    A lot has changed on the Creek in the time that 54 year-old Imran Nazzir has been trudging along its banks but he believes the dhows will always play a part in its every day life.

    “When I first started coming down the Creek 25 years ago there were only a handful of buildings along its banks. Now it is like a modern city. You cannot compare it to what it was like just 10 years ago. It has changed so much. You cannot recognise it anymore,” said Nazzir, whose Iranian crew travels back and forth delivering cargo throughout the region.

    “Despite all these modern buildings, it has managed to keep a lot of tradition and I like coming into Dubai because I get to see so many of the friends I have made over the years. The Creek is a special trading place even today.”

    Redevelopment work has transformed the Creek’s banks. On the Deira side, a broad and well-lit, paved promenade extends from the corniche, which faces onto the Arabian Gulf, all the way to the attractive purpose-built dhow terminal constructed beside Maktoum Bridge.

   On the Bur Dubai side between Maktoum and Garhoud bridges, Creekside Park provides pleasant paved walks and extensive landscaped public gardens. A cable car route also provides an elevated view.

   At the inland end of the Creek is a large, shallow lagoon, now a wildlife sanctuary, which has become a haven for migrating shore birds. Some 27,000 birds have been counted here at one time during the autumn migration. The most spectacular are the many Greater Flamingos, which have made the Creek their permanent home.

    Having expanded along both banks, Dubai’s central business district is divided into both Deira and Bur Dubai, which are connected by a tunnel and two bridges. Each has its share of fine mosques and busy souks, of public buildings, shopping malls, hotels, office towers, banks, hospitals, schools, apartments and villas.

   At first glance, the shoreline these days presents a predominantly modern face; an ever-changing skyline of new developments, from striking glass and concrete towers to gracious modern buildings incorporating traditional Arabian architectural motifs and features.

   The most distinctive and remarkable buildings are ranged on the Deira side, including the Etisalat Tower, the Department of Economic Development, Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DTCM), The National Bank of Dubai headquarters and Dubai Creek Tower.

   The Etisalat Tower is topped by a telecommunications dome resembling a giant golf ball - particularly striking when illuminated at night.

    The Department of Economic Development is a five-storey building which features delicately designed window screens and massive decorated main doors.

    By contrast, the neighbouring Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry tower is a dramatic blue glass-faced structure, a symbol of the emirate’s prosperity and forward vision.

    Nearby is the municipality building, which manages to convey an impression of cool shade through the use of water and screens.

    The new headquarters of the National Bank of Dubai produces a shimmering reflection of the Creek through its striking use of polished steel and glass. This is also the DTCM’s head office in Dubai.

    But scratch the surface and underneath the visitor will find an area that still has its roots firmly set in a traditional past.

    The best way to view the Creek and the dhows is from an abra, one of the small water taxis which criss-cross the Creek from the souks of Deira to those on the Bur Dubai side.

    A crossing costs just 50fls but for around Dhs50, the boat is yours’ for an hour and boatmen take visitors on a fascinating trip from the abra embarkation points to the mouth of the Creek and inland to the Maktoum Bridge, passing on the way many of the city’s historic and modern landmarks.

    Rashid Mohammed has been taking travellers across the Creek on his abra for the last 14 years.

    “It is always a good way to travel,” said the 42 year-old: “Even with the modern roads and bridges, people still like to travel across on the abra. It is quicker because the roads are so busy now. I work 12 hours every day and it is busy all the time. Dubai is busier now with tourists and they keep us all busy too.”

    The souks on both sides of the Creek are attractive not just for their shopping bargains but also as places for the sightseer and photographer.

    A huddle of narrow alleyways has survived on the Deira side despite the intensive building in recent years. In the tiny lanes of the spice souk, the atmosphere and the scents of the past can be savoured. Bags of spices, incense, rose petals and traditional medicinal products are stacked outside each stall.

   Along the slightly larger lanes of the gold souk further inland, each shop window is crammed with gold necklaces, rings, bangles, earrings and brooches. In the evening the area is a hive of activity. Gold prices are among the lowest in the world.

    In other small streets, shops sell nargilehs (hookah or hubble-bubble pipes) and coffee pots, and nearby tea stalls where both of these items are in daily use.

    There are traditional bakeries where large flat loaves of delicious unleavened bread are baked to order inside a domed oven called tandoor. Small textile shops sell veils with decorated edges, pantaloons with embroidered anklets, and dress lengths with similarly embroidered necklines reminiscent of The Arabian Nights. On the Bur Dubai side of the Creek are lanes full of textile shops, where a blaze of colourful raw silks and cottons hang in profusion in shop windows.

    Needless to say, shopping has evolved with the skyline and this is best captured in Al Nasr Square. In the heart of Deira, the square is dominated by Deira Tower with its distinctive circular ‘cap’. An early example of the effort to blend modern architecture with the older surroundings, Deira Tower incorporates features designed to soften the impact of the harsh summer climate on the occupants of shops, offices and apartments within. The square is a magnet for shoppers looking to capitalize on the area’s wealth of bargains in the many electrical and clothes shops.

    The fish souk in Deira is an attraction in itself. Early in the morning and late at night, local fishermen unload mountains of fresh fish, which they sell in a frenzied bargaining session. Kingfish, red snapper, rock cod (the popular hammour), barracuda, tuna, lobster, crab, king prawn, sea bream, squid, pomfret, shark, mackerel, sardine and other species are available in abundance for most of the year.

    Life in Dubai has been inextricably linked with the sea. The aridity of the desert compelled early settlers to seek alternative occupations and fishing rapidly developed as an important economic activity. The birth of a fishing industry soon led to the development of boat building, net-making and pearl diving and Dubai’s enterprising traders sailed the oceans in search of markets for their products.

    Pearl divers risked life and limb to gather oysters from the seabed, often diving for more than two minutes at a time, with little more than a nose-clip and a heavy stone to weight them down. Such was the renown of Dubai’s pearls, that pearling continued to be the mainstay of the city’s prosperity, until the development of the cultured pearl in the 1940s led to the collapse in demand for the natural variety.

    The Creek was a place where the men returned home after months at sea to be reunited with their families and for the trading of their catches to begin.

    At Al Fahidi Fort in Bur Dubai, which houses the Dubai Museum, a throw back to yesteryear can be enjoyed. It once guarded the city’s landward approaches. Built around 1799, it has served variously as a palace, garrison and prison.

    It was renovated in 1970 for use as a museum; further restoration and the addition of galleries were completed in 1995. Colourful and evocative dioramas, complete with life-size figures and sound and lighting effects, vividly depict everyday life in pre-oil days. Galleries relive scenes from the Creek, evoking images of traditional Arab houses, mosques, the souk, date gardens, desert and marine life.

    A traditional heritage village is located near the mouth of the Creek, and has been created where potters and weavers display their crafts. Here the visitor can look back in time and capture the atmosphere of Dubai before billions of dollars were invested into its infrastructure.

    The Diving Village forms part of an ambitious plan to turn the entire Shindagha area into a cultural microcosm, recreating life in Dubai as it was in days gone by.

    The official residence of Sheikh Saeed Al Maktoum, Ruler of Dubai (1912-1958) and grandfather of the present Ruler, Sheikh Maktoum Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, has been restored to stand proud again and is also located in the Shindagah end of the Creek. The house, which dates from 1896, today houses a rare Collection of historic photographs, coins, stamps and documents that record Dubai’s history.

    Further downstream, Al Boom Tourist Village consists of a 2,000-seat banquet hall, a coffee shop, restaurant, amusement park, ornamental lake and a marina with five cruise boats. Its traditional architecture forms a stately city landmark. Further development is expected to include self-catering and fully serviced chalets and a five-star hotel built in the shape of a Gulf sailing dhow.

    And if all that’s not enough, one of the world’s best golf clubs sits opposite Creek Park and has hosted top-class tournaments while its Marina wouldn’t look out of place in Monaco.

    Dubai may have moved on at a breathtaking pace, but you can’t help but feel that one foot will always remain in history along this magical waterway.