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While Dubai continues to spread out, studded with skyscrapers and gated communities, many residents have made Deira, the heart of the city, their home for generations.

A number of these long-time residents of the district spoke to Gulf News about what has kept them nestled there for decades.

Read the full story here: https://gulfnews.com/uae/people/video-home-for-decades---why-these-expats-in-uae-love-dubais-deira-district-1.97359852

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Transcript
00:00Hi, my name is Farida Ahmed. Sitting next to me is my nani, my maternal grandmother, and
00:25her name is Maryam Dargawala. We both, along with my family, have been long-time DARA residents.
00:31My grandmom has been living in this building for the past 23 years, and for me it's been
00:36approximately 34 years. The apartment we're sitting in right now, incidentally, is my
00:42parents' apartment. They have been in this apartment since 1989. This is the apartment
00:46that I grew up in. Interestingly, my sister and my four-year-old niece, Yara, are their
00:51next-door neighbors. Two of my maternal uncles also live in this building. They've got apartments
00:58in the same building, and I have an apartment here as well. So, the entire maternal side
01:04of my family, we've been based in DARA for a very, very long time.
01:12I was born here in DARA, Dubai, on 21st February 1982. I've lived for 41 years in DARA, Dubai.
01:18I really enjoy staying in DARA, Dubai, since my university work is all based in DARA. DARA
01:25is the most convenient place in Dubai. It's the central hub of Dubai. We call it as the
01:29mainland of Dubai. I think one of the main reasons that we love
01:35living in DARA is accessibility. There is easy access to the metro. I can literally
01:41dive into the Riga metro from my balcony. Malls are everywhere, supermarkets, the airport
01:48is not too far away. But most importantly, I think it is the food that anchors us here.
01:55We've got these amazing restaurants, great food at pocket-friendly prices. So, I don't
02:00think my family and I are going to be moving out of here anytime soon.
02:04The choice of food, my God! As many countries are there, the food stalls are there. In fact,
02:11it is a mini market area. Everywhere you get food as delicious as your home-made food.
02:18Or in case you prefer something better than that, yes, you have snacks of all the varieties.
02:24I enjoy going to places like DARA city centre for shopping. I also stay nearby Holland's
02:29which has a lot of activities nearby. Supermarkets, restaurants and shops are open till late hours.
02:36And there's lots to see and do in DARA. There's a nice waterfront, creek area in DARA which
02:42has got a nice view of the sea. It's a great place to jog and watch. In the good old days,
02:48if you did not have a watch in your hand and you wanted to see the time, you would always
02:51have to look up to clock tower because that was the only building in those days, around
02:5740 years back. And that had the time. And till today, this building still stands strong
03:01and persistent.
03:02So in all my time living here in DARA, of course, I have witnessed a myriad of changes.
03:08I remember when the Dubai Shopping Festival was first launched, I think I was in 10th
03:12grade, and Rigga Road was the street, was the road to be. Rigga Road and Muraqabah,
03:18this is where the Harley Davidson Club would have their parade, the vintage cars. I remember
03:22the roads being expanded, the pavements being expanded, just to accommodate all the kiosks
03:29for the Shopping Festival. I was also around when the Metro was under construction. That
03:34was a big change. I remember when we moved here in the summer of 1989, this building
03:39was one of the few buildings on Rigga Road. The only other older building was Al Gorer
03:45Centre. Throughout the years, we just saw buildings popping up, just like mushrooming
03:51up and DARA or Rigga is what it is today. While of course, I have a lot of memories
03:58and milestone achievements to do with my entire family being in DARA, I think for me
04:04personally, my most favourite moment is the time that's happening now, the present,
04:07because my four-year-old niece actually gets to grow up and play in the same apartment
04:13that my sister and I did. She's surrounded by three generations of women, well actually
04:19four generations of women living in this building.
04:28For more UN videos visit www.un.org
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