F is for Al Fahidi Fort

Dubai does not rank among my favorite cities I have visited. Flashy superlatives (the first, the biggest, the tallest...) and frivolous are words that immediately come to mind.

Yet I did enjoy our stop at the oldest building in the city: Al Fahidi Fort.  Built in the last years of the 1700s (the history I read does not agree on one date),  about the time the settlement was established, it was originally used for sea defense. In later years it served as a jail, an ammunition store, an emir residence and the seat of government. 

Since 1970 the building has been a museum displaying an interesting range of cultural artifacts. I was most interested in the fort itself.

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 2005

my Chinese "brother" Tom - then business partner

This beautiful carved door is impressive, and I can only wonder where the wood came from in those days.

The many dioramas were effective in giving me a peek into the locals' past desert life - before oil was discovered. Sorry about the flash glare, but I did think this image showed something uncommon. Lots to look at here, like the gorgeous fabric of the woman's dress. This couple must have had a high social position.

This brief glimpse into the Al Fahidi Fort Museum is posted for ABC Wednesday where the letter F is the prompt. Follow the link for many more links to takes on this letter.

Tsinoy

Diorama at Bahay Tsinoy, Manila, 2009

For many hundreds of years, people of Chinese origin have played an important role in the Philippines. The national hero, Jose Rizal, had both Filipino and Chinese blood running in his veins. Several of today's Filipino mega-moguls found on Fortune's 500 list, as well as many more political and financial leaders, are wholly or partly of Chinese ancestry.

Nonetheless, the history of Chinese Filipinos - known as Tsinoys or Chinoys - is fraught with drama and difficulties. Up to this day, the relationship between Pinoys and Tsinoys, although peaceful, is complex and delicate.

If you live in the Manila area, or come here for a visit, I highly recommend taking a few hours to see the museum Bahay Tsinoy (The House of Tsinoy) to get a better glimpse of the cultural and historical legacy of the ethnic Chinese in Philippine life. The dioramas are fun and the displays interesting.