The Humans of #BaniyasSquare in Deira #Dubai (courtesy of the Urban Research Lab @ UAEU)

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@baniyas-square
The Humans of #BaniyasSquare in Deira #Dubai (courtesy of the Urban Research Lab @ UAEU)
Baniyas Square, Dubai. Deira. November 16, 2013. 20:20:12. #Dubai #BaniyasSquareProject #URL
A performance in 3-minutes. Baniyas Square. #Dubai
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.
A Day in the Life of Maidan Gamal Abd el Nasser, Deira. Dubai.
Full time-lapse video from 9am till 10pm; March/April 2013.
With soundtrack and annotations!
Anatomy of a Scene: a 4-min performance in Baniyas Square, #Dubai
Chinese users in Baniyas Square
Figure-Ground analysis of Deira, Dubai. Based on most recent satellite data . Courtesy of the Urban Research Lab.
The Furs of Baniyas
(originally written in November, 2012)
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.
Flow
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).
Baniyas Square in 2004
© yasser elsheshtawy
Timelapse Video of Baniyas Square. Shot over a period of 3 weeks in April/May 2013. Covered timeframe is from 9AM till 8PM
A Newspaper article from 2003
Baniyas Square: A Concise History
[originally written in 2004]
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)
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.