Historically, the creek divided the city into two main sections –
Deira and
Bur Dubai. It was along the Bur Dubai creek area that members of the
Bani Yas tribe first settled in the 19th century, establishing the
Al Maktoum dynasty in the city. In the early 20th century, the creek, though incapable then of supporting large scale transportation, served as a minor port for
dhows coming from as far away as India or
East Africa. Although it impeded the entry of ships due to current flow, the creek remained an important element in establishing the commercial position of Dubai, being the only port or harbour in the city. Dubai's
pearling industry, which formed the main sector of the city's economy, was based primarily on expeditions in the creek, prior to the invention of
cultured pearls in the 1930s. Fishing, also an important industry at the time, was also based along the creek, whose warm and shallow waters supported a wide variety of marine life. Dhows used for purposes of fishing were also built on the
foreshore of the creek. The importance of the creek as a site of commercial activity was a justification to introduce improvements to allow larger vessels to transit, as well as to facilitate loading and unloading activities. This led, in 1955, to a plan to develop the creek, which involved dredging shallow areas, building of
breakwaters, and developing its beach to become a
quay suitable for loading and unloading of cargo. The creek was first
dredged in 1961 to permit draft
vessels to cross through the creek at all times. The creek was dredged again in the 1960s and 1970s so that it could offer
anchorage for local and coastal shipping of up to about 500 tons. The dredging opened up the creek to much more continuous traffic of merchandise, including the development of re-export, and gave Dubai an advantage over
Sharjah, the other dominant trading centre in the region at the time. The extension is part of the Dubai's
Business Bay development. Additionally, a new project consisting of seven islands known as Dubai Creek Harbour was proposed to be built on Dubai Creek. The centerpiece of this project would be the
Dubai Creek Tower, which is set to become the tallest building in the world. Three additional bridges are being planned for Dubai Creek, which are the Seventh Crossing, the Al Shindagha Bridge, and the Fifth Bridge. The
Dubai Festival City Mall on Dubai Creek opened in 2007.
Mohammed Bin Rashid Library is being built in the
Al Jaddaf area on the Creek.
Dhows are constructed in this area too on the bankside. The
Green Line of the
Dubai Metro terminates at the
Dubai Creek metro station. Close to this metro station is the
Al Jaddaf Marine Station, operating ferries on the Creek, including across the Creek to the Dubai Festival City Mall. == Route ==