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Naif Museum
History of Dubai's police force and justice system — housed in the original 1939 Naif Fort
About
Built from clay in 1939, used as a jail, now a museum — and still an active police station.
Built in 1939 almost entirely from clay, Naif Fort served as Dubai's police headquarters, prison and courthouse until the 1970s. Converted into a museum in 1997 by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, it remains part of the operational Naif Police Station — making it one of the few functioning police stations in the world that doubles as a heritage museum. Two showrooms house life-size models of police officers in historic and contemporary uniforms, vintage weapons, interactive exhibits, historic photographs, archives on police operations, and a dedicated exhibit on Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum — the man behind the fort's construction and Dubai's police force. The museum also hosts rotating exhibitions on Dubai's history.
Why this museum matters
Exhibo editorial
Naif Fort was built in 1939 from clay — a material chosen because that is what was available — in the heart of what was then the commercial centre of Dubai, near the creek and the old souk. It served simultaneously as police headquarters, prison and courthouse. When the city grew and the police moved to larger premises in the 1970s, the fort stayed. Sheikh Mohammed converted it into a museum in 1997. It is still, technically, part of an active police station. That last detail is the one that stays with you. You walk through a 1939 clay fort in the middle of Deira, look at life-size models of officers in historic uniforms, read about major criminal cases and drug busts, see the evolution of Dubai's justice system from its earliest days — and outside the door, the station continues to operate. The museum is free, the hours are generous, and it is one of the more genuinely atmospheric places in old Dubai. The Gold Souk and Spice Souk are a short walk away.
Visit
Hours, tickets, and directions for Naif Museum.
Address
Sikkath Al Khail Road, Naif, opposite Hyatt Regency Hotel, Deira, Dubai
Admission
Free