Timeframe: Abu Dhabi’s Special Cafés remembered

There was once three along the waterfront but they closed last year

Special Café shut its three branches on Abu Dhabi Corniche in early 2017 Ravindranath K / The National

The cafe was a popular spot among Emiratis and expats. Ravindranath K / The National

A spate of openings, often chains, in other cases hotels, left Special struggling to compete. Christopher Pike / The National

The café was open 24 hours and catered to all ages and palates Pawan Singh / The National

It was a very popular place for people to gather and watch football. Pawan Singh / The National

The Special Café shuttered its three branches on the Abu Dhabi Corniche in 2017 and moved into the Al Bateen Marina area. Christopher Pike / The National

The charcoal embers are long dulled, the shisha men departed and overgrown bushes obscure the views of the Corniche. This photograph shows what remains of one of the Special Cafés in Abu Dhabi.

This spot, beside Spinneys supermarket in Khalidiya, was once a favourite hangout for a languid late-night shisha. The first opened at some point in the 1990s, and three of them once dotted the Corniche. For a time they were open 24 hours a day. But they closed suddenly last year and in their place, a new "Special Marine" opened in Bateen Marina.

The three Specials have sat dormant since. It's still unclear what's going to happen at the old sites, but hoardings have been erected in recent weeks and construction workers have been spotted there – another enduring sign of the relentless pace of change in the city.

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