Dubai Street Museum

The Dubai Street Museum is a government public-art initiative by Brand Dubai (the creative arm of the Government of Dubai Media Office) with Dubai Municipality, launched in November 2016. Its first phase transformed 2nd of December Street — formerly Al Diyafah Street — in the old quarter of Satwa into an open-air gallery of building-scale murals.

The street was chosen for its history: it is one of Dubai's oldest, and leads toward Dar Al Ittihad (Union House), where the UAE was declared on 2 December 1971. The first murals were unveiled to coincide with the country's 45th National Day on 2 December 2016. Working to the curated theme of 'The Past', sixteen mural and graffiti artists of different nationalities — including four Emiratis, alongside international names such as Lithuanian artist Ernest Zacharevic, Tunisian street artist The Inkman and Chinese artist Hua Tunan — painted sixteen buildings along the street.

The imagery draws on the UAE's heritage and identity: a man rowing a traditional abra across the Creek, the falcon that is the national bird, pearl divers, and a portrait paying homage to the nation's founders, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, based on a famous photograph by Noor Ali Rashid. Conceived as the first phase of a five-year, citywide programme to turn Dubai's walls into an open-air museum, the project revitalised the historic street while giving young Emirati artists a platform alongside established international muralists.

The murals run along 2nd of December Street (formerly Al Diyafah Street) in Satwa, on the stretch heading from the coast toward Sheikh Zayed Road, near the border with Jumeirah. Park at either end of the street and walk it — the building-sized murals line both sides, and walking is the only way to take them in properly. The street leads toward Union House, where the UAE was declared in 1971.