Residents of Dubai boast that their city has as many construction sites as buildings, so when they ache for a reminder of a time before oil wealth ruled, they head to Bastakiya, a cluster of century-old, traditional Emirati homes.
Twelve years ago, just when developers were ready to launch the wrecking ball, Bastakiya was deemed a historic site; soon after, once-uninhabited structures began filling with art galleries, museums and restaurants. To create the XVA Gallery, the compound's large exhibition space (and the biggest in all Dubai), owner and Arkansas native Mona Hauser situated a gallery, boutique hotel, café and gift shop around one historic sandstone building.
XVA now hosts art openings, film screenings and, most notably, the annual Creek Art Fair, the bolder satellite of Art Dubai. Hauser is quick to point out that in a place often defined by its flashy skyline, "Bastakiya is this city's soul." 011-971-4353-5383; xvagallery.com.
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