Barrusti huts on the outskirts of Dera

Typical 'barrusti' huts on the outskirts of Dera In the early 1960s oil had not yet been discovered in Dubai, and what wealth there was had not trickled down to everyone. A large proportion of the population lived in these 'barrusti' huts which fringed Dera.

The word does not appear in any dictionary that I have consulted, but probably refers to the materials of construction. This may have been palm leaves, because not a lot else grew in Dubai.