Dubai Creek Wharves in Old Dubai 1972

Dubai's Creekside cargo wharves disappeared to be replaced by the Diwan, Restuarants and a Creekside Walkway. These wharves played an important part in Dubai's development before they became redundant after Port Rashid opened.

All the Dubai Cargo Wharves and Storage Sheds have gone to be replaced by a Creekside walk, gardens and Cafes. Expensive Yachts and Tourist Boats now tie up where, for over 100 years, trading dhows used to unload.

Dubai Cargo Wharves were located adjacent to Bastakia where the Merchants and Traders used to live. The Wharves were equipped with sheds and open sand areas for cargo storage.

Barges and Dhows were loaded and unload by manual labour until Shiekh Rashid ordered a dockside crane to be installed. The crane was imported from Scotland. Although the Cargo Wharves have disappeared the crane has been restored and remains as a memorial to Dubai's past.

In later years, Coles Mobile Cranes were installed to improve cargo loading and unloading.

Most of Dubai's cargo arrived in deep sea Cargo Ships too big to enter the Creek. They anchored offshore and discharged their cargoes into barges. These barges were towed to Dubai's Wharves where they were unloaded. The Ruler's Office can be seen on the right of the photograph from where Shiekh Rashid conducted daily business and could watch the business activity on the Creek. Many of the buildings that can be seen in this photograph were demolished to make way for the Diwan Complex.

The white building is the Management Office for Dubai Wharves. Originally the Wharves were managed by the Dubai Customs Department. Later the office housed Port Rashid's first Port Manager Mr Arthur Jarman until Port Rashid's Management Offices were completed. The building was demolished as part of the development of the Diwan Complex.

Cargo arriving in Dubai was usually re-shipped to different parts of the Gulf Region, India and East Africa. The cargo was originally carried from Dubai in sailing Dhows but these gave way to motorised Dhows.

Dubai's Wharves were always busy. Merchants would take delivery of their goods from these sheds. These goods were usually moved to their own Storages Sheds (or Godowns) but before being sold and reshipped out of Dubai.

Although the Tug and Barge system made an important contribution to Dubai's trade activity it was slow and cumbersome. When oil was discovered Shiekh Rashid's first priority was to construct a deep sea Port.

Tugs and barges would have been a common sight on Dubai's Creek prior to 1972 as they made their way to and from the cargo ships anchored offshore. The opening of Port Rashid made the tug and barge operation redundant and they disappeared from the Creek.

Over 60% of Dubai's cargo import was re-exported to the Gulf States, India and East Africa. Almost all of those re-export cargoes were carried in Dhows.