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Arts & Culture

Bait Al Banat Women's Museum

Celebrate the lives and achievements of women in the UAE
Tripadvisor48 Reviews
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Located near Deira's Gold Souk, Bait Al Banat Women's Museum is one of Dubai’s most fascinating cultural attractions – offering an insight into the history of Emirati women and their role in the country’s development.

Exhibits in the museum, whose Arabic name means "The Girls' House", cover the lives of individual women including artists, activists and scholars. These displays give a deep understanding of their subjects’ work, their outlooks and how they lived, via images, interviews, personal items, letters and diaries.

Alongside the museum’s historical focus, it also features the work of contemporary female artists from the UAE, with regularly updated exhibitions. These offer a great opportunity to see pieces by some of the country’s brightest artistic talents.

Discover the 'Girl of the Arabs' at Bait Al Banat Women’s Museum

Perhaps the museum’s most famous exhibit focuses on the life of Ousha Bint Khalifa, one of the most renowned Arabic poets of the last century. This is a chance to learn about a central figure in the UAE’s cultural establishment and her artistic achievements.

Born in 1920, Ousha Bint Khalifa became known as "Ousha the Poet" as well as "Girl of the Gulf" as she rose to prominence. She gained her most well-known nickname "Girl of the Arabs" in 1989, when His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, then Crown Prince of Dubai and now Ruler of Dubai and Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE, dedicated a poem from his first published collection to Ousha, using that title.

In addition to its artistic and historical exhibits, Bait Al Banat Women’s Museum hosts regular events including talks, presentations and special exhibitions. The museum also conducts research through the Women’s Studies Centre, located on the building’s second floor.

Opening hours and tickets

Tickets to Bait Al Banat Women’s Museum cost AED20 per person.

Normal opening hours are from 10am to 6pm, Saturday to Thursday – the museum is closed on Fridays. Please note these hours may change during Ramadan or public holidays. You should allow one to two hours for your visit.

If you would like to arrange a guided tour, or wish to visit the museum as a larger group, please email woman@womenmuseumuae.com.

Facilities at Bait Al Banat Women’s Museum

The museum is accessible to people of determination, but if you have any specific access requirements, please contact the museum before visiting. Families are welcome, and there is a children’s area plus a small café and gift shop – along with accessible bathrooms.

How to get there

By public transport: Take Dubai Metro’s Green line to the Gold Souk station, from where the museum is around a 10-minute walk. You can also get there by bus, on any of the routes that stop or call at the Gold Souk Bus Station. Check the RTA’s website for all routes and timetables.

By car: The museum is close to both Al Shindagha Tunnel/D92 and Infinity Bridge/D85, with Omar Bin Al Khattab Street/D88 also nearby. From any of these routes, head to Al Khaleej Street then Al Khor Street and you’ll find the museum just a few steps away. Preview your journey via Google Maps.

Please note that traffic in the area around Bait Al Banat Women’s Museum can get very busy. Parking is available at the Gold Souk Parking Building, which is very close to the museum.

Discover even more of Dubai’s heritage – and some fantastic, fun adventures – at some of the city’s other great museums.

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