Deira Clocktower

Deira Clocktower is a small but prominent Dubai landmark, about 20 metres high, built in 1965 to a design by Otto Bullard and Ziki Homsi. The idea arose when Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed received a clock as a gift and decided to display it for the whole city. Designed in an Islamic style, the tower has four clock faces, a minaret-like silhouette and a fountain at its base. It was renovated in 2024 with coloured lighting, new fountains and surrounding lawns. Celebrations and public events take place nearby, and its central position in a busy roundabout makes it highly visible but difficult to reach on foot; the easiest approach is by metro via Al Rigga or City Centre Deira stations.

In November 2008, the clock face was replaced, with Roman numerals taking the place of Arabic ones. Before the clock was installed, the unusual Middle Eastern design had earned the structure the nickname “Bullard’s Folly.”