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.
The Clock Tower dominates its surroundings in the 1970s.
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.
Deira is also home to striking buildings with distinctive architecture, like Deira Tower.
The neighbourhood's famed gold souq attracts tourists from across the world.
Shoppers in a jewellery shop at the Gold Souq in Deira
The neighbourhood is also home to small shops and repair services such as Khan shoe shop.
The Deira Clock Tower has remained a much-loved feature of the area through the years.
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.
The roundabout at Deira Clock Tower was eerily empty during the stay-at-home order in April, 2020.
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.
But now life is returning to normal in Naif. Trader Fawaz Bello said in April 2021 that the situation had improved.
Major development now lines the Deira side of Dubai Creek with the distinctive circular top of Deira Tower visible at centre right.
But the past is never far behind, as this shot of an old water tank in Deira shows.
The Deira Clock Tower reminds Dubai of its past as it looks to the future.
