To coincide with the opening of Expo 2020 Dubai,  and as part of a new interactive initiative to enrich the knowledge of residents and visitors with Dubai’s cultural treasures, Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) launches a partnership with ‘Secret City Trails’ and the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing in Dubai (Dubai Tourism) to introduce an exploratory experience at Al Shindagha Museum that introduces the world to the emirate’s history and the rich cultural heritage of Dubai.

Under the partnership, Secret City Trails, a Lisbon-based start-up that specialises in designing fun games to inspire people to get out and explore their cities, will collaborate with Al Shindagha Museum’s team to create the Dubai Cultural Treasures Discovery Trails. It will be a coordinated and exciting interactive discovery experience that will have visitors solve puzzles, answer questions related to the site, and learn about unique stories about Emirati culture, following riddles from one secret place to another as they explore elements of the Historical Al Shindagha Neighbourhoodthey may have been unsuspectingly passing by or they had not explored yet.

Commenting on this project, Maryam Mudhaffar Ahli, Project Manager at the Museums Department at Dubai Culture, said: “At Dubai Culture, we are keen to engage with the public through exploring the rich cultural stories that Dubai holds among its neighbourhoods by stimulating the active participation of the general public and activating partnerships with the public and private sectors. As the Authority is the Official Culture Supporter of Expo 2020 Dubai, this initiative comes within the interactive events and activities that we have prepared to enrich the experience of Expo visitors in line with our vision to strengthen Dubai’s position as a global centre for culture, an incubator for creativity, and a thriving hub for talent.”

Ahli added: “Helping the community, to explore and connect with Emirati cultural heritage, and creating engaging interactive learning experiences is paramount. Al Shindagha Museum plays an important role in documenting this cultural heritage and is of great significance due to the fact that it is located in Al Shindagha Historical Neighbourhood, one of Dubai’s main historical neighbourhoods that witnessed the stages of the emirate’s emergence and prosperity. Through our partnership with Secret City Trails and Dubai Tourism, we will offer an engaging experience that will allow museum visitors to explore the area, its houses, and galleries in a fun and unforgettable way, deepening the understanding of the rising generations of the past and its relationship to the contemporary Emirati identity.”

Ahli explained: “We understand the importance of gamification as one of the most important ways of learning, and this initiative will provide an interactive platform to discover Al Shindagha Museum through a journey of discovery and exploration.”

Ahli stressed that the fun walking trails are a safe exploratory activity, and precautions can be maintained at all times. Anyone can access the experience through their smartphones, without having to engage with any other device, and the experience can either be enjoyed in groups of up to five people or individually.

Based on its cultural mission, Dubai Culture celebrates the emirate’s rich heritage and past and is committed to preserving, protecting and passing it on to generations to come, ensuring it is available everywhere and for everyone and stimulating feelings of pride and national belonging in them.