The sands of time

Features A generation of expatriates who watched Abu Dhabi evolve talk about the city before the skyscrapers and resort hotels.

Undated handout image (circa 1970) showing the Abu Dhabi seafront (modern day Corniche). Courtesy Al Ittihad REF al06AU-cover 06/08/08

For people of a certain age, as well as anyone who has arrived recently on the shores of Abu Dhabi, it can be hard to imagine that not so long ago the capital of the United Arab Emirates was little more than a small village in the desert. The city, now a bustling metropolis of diverse nationalities and equally diverse neighbourhoods, boasts all the accoutrements normally associated with a modern metropolitan city: petroleum plants, construction materials, handicrafts and textiles. Arts and leisure are also well represented, with museums, art galleries and restaurants in abundance. Often, we take the progress for granted. We forget there is a generation of people who have watched and nurtured the village which evolved into a 21st century city. What follows are some of the stories of the eyewitnesses who witnessed Abu Dhabi's transformation.

Dr Frauke Heard-Bey accompanied her husband David Heard to Abu Dhabi in 1967, thinking that she would stay for two years. Forty years later, she is one of the foremost experts on the local tribes and their pre-Union history, the vice president of the Documentation Centre and the author of From Trucial States to United Arab Emirates. She received the Abu Dhabi Award in 2007. "Through the 1960s, laws were introduced as the need for them came up. I used to drive on the left side of the road until one day Sheikh Zayed decided to change the rule and we all moved to the right. There were no shopping malls: and only potatoes, onions and watermelons were available in the souq. Later on, a small Spinneys arrived. Jashanmal was the place where everybody went for the newspaper, which arrived by plane six days a week. There were no paved roads or parking. Only three banks existed at the time, all by the Corniche - Grendy's, Autumn and Eastern - and when people went to them they would simply pull over in the sand.

"There were a few initiatives in the time of Sheikh Shakbout bin Sultan, Sheikh Zayed's brother, but in Sheikh Zayed's period things really became visible: infrastructure, water, electricity, desalination plants, and schools. Development peaked from 1967-69, when everything sort of happened at the same time. And wherever work was taking place you could never tell when the ruler would turn up in his car to check the progress. Sheikh Zayed took a day-to-day interest in everything and understood the needs of the tribes, paying attention not only to low-cost housing, for example, but also to its geographic position and its proximity to mosques and schools. Today, Abu Dhabi is in the last phase of the project he started, and if not for his vision it would not be exploring the future with such confidence. Those 40 years in Abu Dhabi were remarkable for the transformation that took place in them. To be here as a trained historian and political scientist and to witness and comment on all that development really made our stay worthwhile."

Jocelyn Henderson arrived at Abu Dhabi in 1968 with her late husband Edward Henderson, who worked for oil companies in the 1940s, and later became a prominent diplomat. She now lives as a guest of the Al Nahyan family in the Al Mushref area of Abu Dhabi. "I have lived here for so long that it feels like home. I remember the days when a barrel of petrol cost only $11. For the women of expatriate communities there were not many jobs then, unless you were a nurse. Women could be put into three categories: there were women who worked, women who played golf and bridge, and women who enjoyed coffee mornings. As a foreign diplomat's wife, I was not allowed to work, so I started volunteering in 1978 at The Daly Community Library at the St. Andrew's Center. In those days people read more because there was not a lot to do, so there was a big demand for a library. In early 1968, there were no bookshops except for Jashanmal, which stocked mainly dictionaries. We had a lot of books on the Middle East, fiction and non-fiction books, and a children's section.

"Interaction between the us and local women started a long time ago. We went to call on and meet them, and Emirati ladies were very pleased to see us because they were interested in our way of life and we were in theirs. I used to speak a little bit of Arabic but now all of them speak English and travel around the globe. I love being with UAE students who come to my house and ask me questions about the past. I think the biggest change here is the separation between expatriates and nationals that has occurred over the years."

Jane Abdu Ali accompanied her husband Sultan Abdu Ali to Abu Dhabi in 1977. She has been working in Al Corniche Hospital for more than 20 years and is now the deputy director of nursing. "Cars used to be a lot cheaper than they are today, and they were really rusty and did not last. I think one of the reasons was that we parked our cars on the sand where it was salty. Unlike now, it was all roundabouts, but no traffic lights.

"Once I arrived in Abu Dhabi, I got a job as a general nurse in the Defense Hospital, and later in Al Corniche Hospital. I have been working there for more than 20 years. You start off as a midwife and then I was a labour ward sister, and then in charge of a ward. Later I was nurse manager and now deputy director. "There is a huge difference between now and 30 years ago, especially for women. Young girls now are much more educated, they all know how to surf the internet, and many of them speak English. When I first came here women had huge number of children. It was normal to be delivering a woman's 12th baby. Now most young local women do not want too many kids because they have other things to do. Even fashion has changed a lot. Ladies used to wear the golden masks, and they had a lot of purple marks on their faces because of it. Women wore more chadors and burqas and their abayas had no details on them, they were just plain. The difference between the olden days and today are truly amazing. It gives locals a whole lot more options."

Zaki Anwar Nusseibah started his career as a journalist in the UAE in 1967. He became the interpreter for the late Sheikh Zayed from 1968 and until Nov 2004. Now he is the deputy chairman of the Abu Dhabi Culture and Heritage Authority. He received the Abu Dhabi Award in 2007. "Abu Dhabi in the Sixties was a very small village by the sea, with the Al Husen Fort and a few buildings around it in a deserted area. The old souq was behind the banks on the Corniche, but the Corniche was not there of course. There were no roads, no electricity, no water supplies; people lived in small camps around the industrial area, which is now the Tourist Club Area. Those were the early days when Sheikh Zayed was ruler and then president. The first few years saw the establishment of the infrastructure of the country, the building of roads, harbours, airports, houses, schools, and hospitals. Despite all of the changes, many things are still with us. The Emirates have always been welcoming to the international community. Nationals have always travelled the seas, either for pearling or for trading. The characteristics that make the tribes of the UAE special, like the emphasis on family life and the respect for elders, are also still there, although in a different way. Working so closely with Sheikh Zayed was the greatest gift that was given to me in my life. He was one of the fortunate leaders who believed in his vision and had the ability to attract people to him to make it happen. He had deep understanding of people around him and he wanted to bring prosperity and comfort to his people after all the times of hardships they went through. He believed that you not only judge people on what religion they are from or what colour they are but on how good they have been to other people. He always said, 'God created this world so people could develop it and people could live in prosperity and understanding together.' Today we are living a new era, which is taking Abu Dhabi into a new level of development."