Sheikh Hamdan’s private photos to be exhibited in Dubai

The collection offers an often unseen insight into the Trucial States of the 1960s and 1970s, when the UAE officially formed.

One of Sheikh Hamdan’s photos on display at the ‘A Glimpse of the Past’ Dubai Photo Exhibition. Courtesy Oscar Mitri

ABU DHABI // Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, will share his private collection of photographs from the 1950s to the 1970s for the first time at the Dubai Photo Exhibition.

The collection offers an often unseen insight into the Trucial States during the 1960s, and the 1970s, when the UAE officially formed.

One photo shows the late Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, father of the current Ruler of Dubai and grandfather of the Crown Prince, speaking to a journalist about his aspirations and projects.

“Even though he was 50 years old in the 1960s, he was full of energy and vigour for raising the profile of Dubai,” a spokesperson for the exhibition said.

Another depicts a group from the Al Awamir tribe in Al Ain in the 1960s. It was customary for the women of the tribe to beautify their firstborn following several years of marriage using cosmetics, such as eyeliner and earrings, as an expression of long-awaited joy.

The exhibition will take place from March 16 to 19 at the purpose-built “temporary museum” in the Dubai Design District.

Organised by the Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award, and supported by the World Photography Organisation, the exhibition will bring together more than 700 artworks by 129 photographers.