Dubai's historic Clock Tower roundabout set for major renovation

Project includes modernised lighting, more greenery and a revamped water feature

A rendering of how the Deira Clock Tower roundabout will look after the upgrade. Photo: Wam

One of Dubai’s most cherished landmarks is set for a major refresh.

Dubai Municipality said the redevelopment of the 1960s-era Deira Clock Tower roundabout was already under way.

In a statement carried by Dubai Media Office on Saturday, the municipality said the three-month project to improve its visual appeal would include adding more greenery, modernised lighting and an upgrade of the water fountain.

Deira Clock Tower in the early 1970s. Photo: Peter Alvis

The Clock Tower dates to the 1960s and in the years before Burj Khalifa it was one of Dubai’s most recognisable landmarks.

It was designed by Syrian architect Zaki Al Hosmi, completed in the mid-1960s and is known for its swooping arches.

Deira was then the centre of the city and the Clock Tower was one of the first landmark seen by visitors arriving by boat or through the international airport in Al Garhoud.

It also marked the first major road that connected Bur Dubai and Deira through Al Maktoum Bridge.

Dawoud Al Hajri, director general of Dubai Municipality, said the authority had development plans for all the prominent landmarks across the emirate, including the Clock Tower.

“By maintaining Dubai’s historical and architectural landmarks, and safeguarding them for future generations, this project helps the municipality to achieve its objectives of implementing high-level, sustainable urban planning that will improve the city’s appeal,” he said.

The municipality added the project, which is in line with Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan, also aims to support sustainable development that meets Dubai’s development goals and plans.

Dubai's Deira through the years - in pictures

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  Dubai Creek in the early 1960s, with Deira on the left. Across the Creek at the top of the photo is Bur Dubai, with Shindagha on the right.

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  The Clock Tower dominates its surroundings in the 1970s.

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  Deira is one of Dubai's oldest neighbourhoods. The Omar Ali bin Haider mosque – with its striking minaret and white dome – has welcomed worshippers since 1952.

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  Deira is also home to striking buildings with distinctive architecture, like Deira Tower.

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  The neighbourhood's famed gold souq attracts tourists from across the world.

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  Shoppers in a jewellery shop at the Gold Souq in Deira

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  The neighbourhood is also home to small shops and repair services such as Khan shoe shop.

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  The Deira Clock Tower has remained a much-loved feature of the area through the years.

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  Deira is one of Dubai's most densely packed neighbourhoods. Authorities imposed a lockdown in April 2020 to curb the spread of Covid-19 and its normally busy roads fell quiet.

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  The roundabout at Deira Clock Tower was eerily empty during the stay-at-home order in April, 2020.

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  Health volunteers pass through a sterilisation chamber installed to disinfect residents entering and leaving the Naif area in Dubai's Deira during the Covid-19 outbreak, on April 15, 2020.

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  But now life is returning to normal in Naif. Trader Fawaz Bello said in April 2021 that the situation had improved.

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  Major development now lines the Deira side of Dubai Creek with the distinctive circular top of Deira Tower visible at centre right.

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  But the past is never far behind, as this shot of an old water tank in Deira shows.

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  The Deira Clock Tower reminds Dubai of its past as it looks to the future.