Khor Dubai (Dubai Creek in English) is a natural seawater inlet of the Arabian Gulf located in the heart of Dubai with 14 kilometres length and between 100-500 meters width that runs South-East and ends at Ras Al-Khor wildlife Sanctuary. The creek divides the city into two parts: Bur Dubai and Deira, and has played a major role in the economic development of the region throughout history. The first recorded reference to Dubai dates back to 1587, when the Venetian pearl merchant Gaspero Balbi visited the area and wrote of Dubai’s pearling industry. However, the earliest known description of Dubai Creek is found in an 1822 report by a British Royal Navy officer. The creek was likely the actual raison d’être of Dubai’s creation and early development as a trading port; the start point for which could perhaps be taken as 1833, when some 800 members of the Bani Yas tribe, led by Sheikh Maktoum bin Buti Al-Falasi, settled in the Bur Dubai area, at the mouth of the creek.
