Results of behavioral mapping in Baniyas square, Dubai. Density analysis showing level of stationary activities (e.g. people standing, chatting, etc.) across a typical day (10am till 10pm) spatially distributed.
The store was filled with fur coats of varying size, shape and color. They were arranged on racks inside a neon-lit space. Customers were trying them on, and they seemed to envelop the person wearing them, making them almost disappear. These are clothes made for severe winters, obviously. And there wasn’t just one store but there were many, next to each other. They had signs in Cyrillic advertising their ware to passing customers.
Sellers were calling for shoppers, screaming “Meha, meha” (fur in Russian).
Welcome to the Fur district.
No, this is not Moscow, Russia. It is right here, in the heart of Dubai, Deira, near Bani Yas or Jamal Abd al Nasser Square.
The area has long been known as a center for selling fur coats, in addition to other items of course. That part of the city was the center of trade, sustained by the traffic of dhows on the creek.
The National in a piece on the district’s history notes that when fur coat retailers arrived in the 1970s and 1980s, they clustered around al Nasser square. The trade has grown since. Ten years ago there were 18 fur coat stores, now the number has reached around 140. This is evident in the district’s overall character which, as the newspaper put it, “has become more ‘slavic.’” Some of the main landmarks include the Moscow Hotel, Red Square Cafe and Bolshoi Restaurant. As The National points out, signs guiding buyers to fur stores are printed in Cyrillic, as are most of the store managers' business cards. Almost all of the sales assistants are Russian.
Curiously, the stores' managers are mostly Greek, and from a specific region the northern city of Kastoria, which has relied on the fur trade for centuries. And, the fur coats themselves are made of fur imported from Scandinavian countries and finished into coats in Kastoria.
So why do so many customers, particularly from Russia come to Dubai to buy coats in the first place? One would imagine that such items would be better to buy in one’s home country. The reason is of course economic. Given the UAE’s relaxed tax rules, fur coats are about five per cent cheaper than they are in Russia That can result in hundreds of dollars of savings.
Russian women constitute the dominant nationality purchasing these coats. The significance for such garments cannot be underestimated as they are considered a status symbol in Russia and as such are coveted by its burgeoning middle class. As one storeowner observes: "When you have a long, fur jacket it means you are from a wealthy family. It gives you status."
Some stores make sales of more than 300 coats per month, the exact amount depending on the weather in Russia.
And they do not come cheap. Prices start at Dh10,000 to Dh40,000 and higher. According to one shop owner as recounted in Emirates 24/7 "Our most expensive item is sold for Dh85,000 … it is made of mink."
Such high priced items can eventually lead to problems and undercover activities. As Emirates 24/7 observed many retailers cannot afford to rent a store on the street side and thus conduct their activities through various apartments surrounding al Nasser square and also along Maktoum street. In order to attract customers to such sites brokers are placed along the street calling for customers and leading them to these apartments. This has in some instances led to conflicts among brokers and also between customers and retailers.
So what should we make of all this? Is it perhaps appropriate to redevelop the area and move the fur trade to an outer location along Emirates Road? Kind of like Dragon Mart, but this time we can call it Bear Mart (referring here to the Russian Bear)? This would, I believe, be to the detriment of the district.
Indeed Al Nasser square is one of those areas than can be truly considered the heart of Dubai. Historically it has played a role in the city’s modern urban development. Witnessing a bit of a slowdown during the construction of Dubai Metro it has now regained its status as the prime commercial hub of Deira.
I was there during a recent Thursday evening, the start of the weekend, and spent some time across from the entrance to the Baniyas Metro Station which opens directly onto the square. Here you can observe a truly multi-cultural scene, with people hailing from various parts of the world interacting and conversing in peace. Baby pushcarts manned by Chinese women dominated one corner of the space, and they seem to be connected to an area nearby which is a China town of sorts. South Asians, Africans, and Arabs occupied the various benches placed throughout the meticulously landscaped park.
Link to video
Yet there are other sections, particularly those leading to the fur stores, located behind Bani Yas Towers, which were dark and gloomy. Obviously, in order to have a comprehensive vision, all parts need to be developed efficiently.
The very essence of Dubai is here: a vibrant China town, Arab markets, ethnic restaurants, and a fur district for good measure. For those describing Dubai as a city without a soul, I would suggest a visit to al Nasser square. You will change your mind in an instant!
Representing movement: Superimposed images of people exiting the metro station and traversing the plaza. Image represents a 1 minute sequence, with images placed on top of each other. The lower image represents an attempt to map intersecting paths as well as indicate the positioning/movement of subjects entering the space. Distinctions are made between stationary vs. moving subjects (red vs. green dots).
Most cities may be said to have a centre – a central square which lies at a city’s heart. Dubai at first glance lacks such a centre. Yet there is one – known officially as Baniyas Square, but by long-time residents referred to as Nasser Square. The square was described in a newspaper article titled ‘Baniyas Square – a testimony to early glory’. In it is a description of the extent to which this space is still representative of an ‘authentic’ Dubai. It is contrasted with new developments – ‘Manhattan-like’ skyscrapers along Sheikh Zayed Road. Retaining its small-scale character, variety of shops and most importantly its cosmopolitan flavour, the square is seen as a snapshot of the city. According to the article, for many residents changes within Baniyas express the changes which have happened in the city; they are representative of transformations which have moved Dubai from a small fishing village to a major global centre – an international city.
The square is in Deira, in what is now the city’s central business district. While originally the commercial heart, this changed recently with the emergence of new high-tech shopping centres and it now is undergoing a major transformation to make way for a Dubai Metro stop. Prior to its closure for construction work, the square was a major hangout for the lower- to middle-class shoppers facilitated by its central location and proximity to the Creek. Also a number of key markets were within easy reach, such as Dubai’s old souq, Naif Market (prior to its destruction in a fire, see chapter 7) and the Gold Souq. It is also surrounded by a variety of shops selling cheap merchandise, and a major bus stop.
The Square in 2001 (Photograph: Yasser Elsheshtawy)
Dubai does contain other nodes, centres, and shopping areas. Within Deira are two major enclosed shopping centres: Ghurair City, one of the city’s oldest shopping malls, and Deira City Center, a constantly growing shopping conglomeration. Both of these are, in addition to their retail function, considered a major hangout for city residents. Baniyas Square distinguished itself by being an outdoor setting and catering for a more low-income group than these two. This is evident in the presence of Asian labourers and East European tourists, for example.
The Origin of Baniyas Square
Baniyas Square was originally known as Jamal Abd El-Nasser Square, or as mentioned above, simply Nasser Square, after the late Egyptian president, considered at that time a hero in the Arab world. Leading a military overthrow in 1952 he became president in 1954. One can assume – no official accounts are available – that the name was given shortly afterwards (in the late 1950s or early 1960s). As noted above, the square does not appear as a clearly identifiable urban space except during that time, forming the centre of an expanding city. Historic photographs show that it was initially a cattle market with many images depicting cattle being led from the Creek. Small stores, constructed from fragile materials, appear at the square’s edge. Also, water-carriers can be observed. In the 1960s the space became more defined; small scale stores appeared – among them Jashanmal, now a major supermarket chain in Dubai and elsewhere in the region – and high-rise concrete structures appear paving the way for a major transformation. I should also note that the area is bordered by a cemetery which at present is enclosed by a fence, rendering it invisible to passers-by. However the location is interesting because it demonstrates that the space was originally on the city’s outskirts – a typical place for burial grounds.
Nasser Square. 1960
Nasser Square. 1962
It is worth noting that Baniyas was a major hangout for the engineers responsible for dredging the Creek in 1963. It also was the site of the first Arab Unity School founded in 1974. The association of the space with the city’s growth and emergence as a modern metropolis (through the dredging of the Creek), while it retained its intimate, commercial character, led many to believe that it has ‘essentially remained the same’. Yet with the city’s expansion in the 1960s and 1970s, the Deira district where the square is located essentially became a centre, or a Central Business District, housing banks and various commercial establishments – even becoming a centre for fur trade!46
Transformation
An examination of the city’s urban morphology using aerial photographs reveals some dramatic transformations. The earliest available photograph from 1935 shows a compact city consisting of three areas: Bur Dubai, Shindaghah and Deira. The last being the largest. At the eastern edge of Deira appears a widening, bordering the Creek – which roughly marks the current location of Baniyas Square. The water there appears to be shallow as suggested by changes in colour. The southern and northern edges of this widening will eventually form the two streets bordering the square. A 1960 photograph shows some changes, with the ‘widening’ becoming more clearly defined, although still irregular in shape. Also, a small strip of land appears, reclaimed from the Creek. The space is still at the edge of the city, located next to the cemetery. In 1965 the area acquires a clearly identifiable character: more land is reclaimed thus moving the square further away from the Creek; the southern and northern streets clearly define the space. 1968 does not witness any major changes except for a road network appearing on the newly reclaimed land. In 1976 the ‘modern’ image of the square is complete, with a defined road network, recognizable structures and it now forming the heart of the city (Deira) having been at the edge from 1930 until 1960. A 2003 satellite image shows the setting prior to its closure due to construction. On its southern edge are large, high-rise buildings, consisting of commercial and office complexes. Its northern edge consists of low-rise structures. It is worth noting that buildings on the southern edge were all built on reclaimed land, whereas the northern edge and beyond was part of ‘old’ Dubai.
Close-up aerial photographs illustrate how the square came to be associated with the growth of Dubai itself and its transformation into a modern city. As early as 1950, modern four-storey concrete buildings appear. Subsequent images show a flurry of construction activities, clearances which in some images show Baniyas as an empty space used primarily as a parking lot. Water-fountains and landscaping elements begin to appear in the late 1960s. All existing structures, with a few exceptions, were eventually removed, and replaced by large office complexes (Baniyas Tower). The space itself retained some of its original character (the water fountains) while the eastern corner was occupied by a Tourist Information Center (replacing a Jashanmal store which had been there since the 1950s). In its current transformation it is set to morph into a new kind of centre anchored by a Metro Station – appropriately named Baniyas. At the time of writing the area is for the most part closed off; the green lawns and Tourist Information Center are gone and people are relegated to walking around its edges. Given its central location and the presence of large number of low-income workers it will be interesting to see how they will eventually interact with this newest addition.
Nasser Square. 1956 (Photograph: Ramesh Shukla)
Nasser Square. 1956 (Photograph: Ramesh Shukla)
A Great Centre Lost
For many people the essence of being Parisian is in the Left Bank, or the ultimate New York experience is in Times Square. London has Trafalgar Square (or Picadilly Circus), Rome the Spanish Steps, Berlin has the Gedächtnis-Kirche Plaza. The Middle East has its share of these centres as well such as the Tahrir Square in Cairo, a vibrant urban space overlooked by the Egyptian Museum and the Hilton Hotel (Cairo’s first modern 5-star hotel). It is telling that in an era of globalization in which the relevance of place is questioned, and in which such constructs as ‘space of flows’ are introduced signifying the linkages between global cities that such centres are becoming increasingly visible and acquire an almost mythical status – talked about in revered tones, signifying an authenticity which one can reclaim by simply ‘being there’.
Dubai has such places as well – although they are somewhat hidden. In support of this I would like to recall two encounters. One was with a taxi driver on my way to the square, and the other on a plane. Hailing a taxi, I asked the driver to take me to Maydan Jamal Abd El-Nasser; he objected to the name noting that this is not how it is called, rather it is Baniyas. Then he said: ‘Why do you want to go there? It’s just a lot of Indians’. I then discovered that he was from Northern Yemen, and objected strongly to Nasser’s policies in the 1960s vis-à-vis Yemen. The second encounter was on my way to the UAE in 1996 – my first visit to the country. On the plane a fellow Egyptian offered me a few tips and noted that if I were to look for some fun, I should go to Maydan Nasser, since ‘this is where all the action happens’. The meaning was, of course, clear and confirmed by subsequent visits and observations in the square. The significance of these two encounters is that they highlight the extent to which a physical setting, the square, figures prominently in people’s consciousness, whether in its association with Pan-Arab politics, ethnic views regarding Indians, or leisure and entertainment. In a discussion about a city’s history – manifested in settings of memory – such spaces play an important role. Whether it is Nasser Square, Special Ustadi Restaurant, the Bastakiy’ya district or the souq, all are anchors for the city’s long-time residents offering them a place of refuge from sweeping modernization encountered all over the city. And it is quite telling that in a city with seemingly marginal historical settings the removal of trivial items such as a long-standing TV antenna in Jumeirah, or the Hard Rock Café on Sheikh Zayed Road (about 10 years old), receives massive resistance from a transient population whose experience of the city is limited. This shows the city’s dilemma in articulating a clearly definable identity.
[Source: Dubai: Behind an Urban Spectacle. by Yasser Elsheshtawy. London: Routledge. 2010]
Baniyas Square — aka Jamal Abd el Nasser — is located in the heart of Deira. Surrounded by high-rise buildings from all sides it is one of the few public spaces in this highly dense part of the city. A recently opened Metro station occupies the edge of the space.
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