Historic Dubai landmark waits to be rebuilt

The Umm Royal guard tower, one of Dubai's most significant historical landmarks, is awaiting the completion of the Metro so it can be rebuilt.

The Umm Royool guard tower – meaning the one with legs – was built atop seven 4m-high stilts.

DUBAI // One of the emirate's most significant historical landmarks is lying in pieces in storage, waiting for the completion of the Metro so it can be rebuilt.
In the 1900s, those who wished to enter the walled trading port of Dubai had to first pass beneath the city's guard towers.
One of the most memorable was the 9-metre Umm Royool tower.
Umm Royool - meaning the one with legs - was built on seven 4m stilts.
"It was used as a security point. Those who wanted to enter the city had to leave their weapons at the tower," said Rahsad Bukhash, the director of the historic architecture department at Dubai Municipality.
From about 1939, Umm Royool stood at what is now the middle of the junction of Al Maktoum and Omar Bin Al Khattab roads in Deira.
It was demolished in 1961 to make way for the modernisation of the emirate.
"Dubai was a walled city in the early 1800s - we have a map dating to 1822 by a British sailor, which shows the city was walled and fortified," Mr Bukhash said.
The wall on the Bur Dubai side was from Bastakiya through Al Fahidi fort and ended at the Old Souq. On the Deira side, Al Ras area was walled.
"The towers, of course, were outside the city. There were no defences on the creek because it was considered too shallow for any warship to enter," Mr Bukhash said.
Guard towers dotted the surrounding area outside the city. They were the first line of defence for Dubai, but none stood out more for design and function than Umm Royool.
When a municipal restoration team decided to resurrect the tower, they were unable to find any documents about the building's architecture. Instead, they based their plans on the memories of those who saw the original tower.
"We sat with some elderly people who still remembered the tower and, with the help of a sketch artist, we were able to put together a detailed drawing of what the tower looked like," Mr Bukhash said. "We were lucky enough to find one of the guards who was stationed at Umm Royool until it was demolished."
It was a long process, Mr Bukhash said.
"There was some confusion as to how many legs the tower had -some said five, others said nine - but the majority said seven, so that's what we went with."
The restoration project began in May 2002. Original materials such as gypsum, mangrove wood and coral stones were used. The new Umm Royool was completed in March 2003, a few metres away from its original site, in the middle of Union Square Park.
"It wasn't until after we completed the project that we finally found a picture of Umm Royool [dated 1950]," Mr Bukhash said. "We were surprised to see just how accurately we were able to rebuild it."
But Union Square Park and the historic tower standing in it had to make way for progress once again, when the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) decided to build its main Metro station in the area.
"We demolished the tower by hand to preserve the building materials. These buildings are made from coral stones which are protected and difficult to replace," Mr Bukhash said.
"We have an understanding with the RTA that once the construction of the station is completed, Umm Royool will be rebuilt in the same location," Mr Bukhash said.
At the moment, the site of the tower is occupied by one of the companies that constructed the Metro and built temporary offices on the spot.
"We will rebuild Umm Royool and it has to be in that location to keep its historical accuracy," Mr Bukhash said. "The contract for the company's offices expires in 2014, and that is when we will rebuild the tower."
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