Last month, a fire ripped through the Abu Dhabi fruit and vegetable market. The blaze gutted 16 stalls and caused millions of dirhams worth of damage. Some vendors lost everything.
But, as this photo from 2009 shows, it was not the first fire to erupt at the Mina Zayed facility. Here, we can witness the aftermath of that huge blaze, which gutted 12 shops. Thankfully, no one was hurt in either blaze.
In 2012, despite rumours the area was set for redevelopment, the market underwent an overdue and substantial overhaul: refrigeration facilities were added; a shading area was constructed over the stalls to protect workers and produce; and rules were introduced to ensure that more local produce was sold.
Along with the plant and carpet souq, the Mina Zayed market is popular and is frequented by Emiratis and other residents. Tourists have even got in on the act – on a visit there last month, a busload of visitors were sampling dates from Al Ain. So despite the setback suffered last month, the market remains as a vital, authentic and resilient part of our city.
* John Dennehy
