A new programme to preserve the UAE’s modern architecture will enrich future generations' understanding of history, support economic growth and enhance community identity, experts have said.
The Cabinet last Wednesday approved the countrywide heritage drive that encompasses 130 sites and buildings.
It is being seen as a crucial development that can only enhance recognition of how far the country has come since its unification in 1971.
And while the initial list has not yet been revealed, there are plans to name 1,000 in the coming years under the “National Policy for Preserving the UAE’s Modern Architectural Heritage”, which was first launched in 2023 by the Ministry of Culture and Youth.
It is important that these buildings are repurposed so people can use them, experts told The National.
Abu Dhabi heritage buildings
“[The policy] is a crucial initiative that will safeguard modern architectural heritage for the coming generations who may only know the UAE through a glittering skyline and ultra-modern structures,” said Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi, founder of Barjeel Art Foundation.
“An appreciation of where we started from will only strengthen our collective sense of identity and respect for the UAE's achievements,” said Mr Al Qassemi, also a writer and researcher, who edited Building Sharjah, a work that highlighted the emirate’s architecture.
He said it was notable that the criteria extends beyond the aesthetic value of modern heritage and “considered the historic and cultural significance of lesser-known buildings”.
“It is also empowering the individual emirates to select and propose what they consider to be important modern heritage,” he said.
Abu Dhabi, for example, has its own modern heritage programme. Major buildings such as Al Manhal Palace, the headquarters of Adnoc, Zayed Sports City and Abu Dhabi’s Main Bus Terminal are included. But it also encompasses less-known sites including parks and even a water tank.
“These structures usually have urban presence full of memories and narratives,” said George Katodrytis, professor of architecture at American University of Sharjah. “A walk in Dubai’s Karama, is a reminder of the 1959 John Harris master plan of the urban grid," he added, referring to the British architect.
"A walk in downtown Abu Dhabi is a reminder of John Elliot's master plan, from 1961, of superblocks and urban squares," he said, recalling the planner who played a role in the capital's early development. "A drive through Sharjah’s industrial zone is a reminder of Halcrow’s [UK engineering company] industrial zone master plan of the same period.”
The new Gulf cities rose from the 1950s on. Abu Dhabi for example, transformed from mostly barasti huts around a stone fort to a modern city, while Dubai expanded from around Dubai Creek.
“While in the West, post-war 1950s and 1960s, architecture was dramatically erasing and transforming the urban landscape, in the Gulf modernity contributed to the creation of the new nation on empty land,” said Prof Katodrytis. “In most cases these buildings would stand isolated in the desert. They were true monuments and destinations.”
While we yet don’t know what buildings are on the UAE-wide list, the Dubai World Trade Centre is a promiment landmark. It towered over the landscape, acted a visual reference point and pointed to the city’s future development south away from the traditional Creek area. It was designed by Mr Harris and was officially opened in 1979 by Sheikh Rashid and the late Queen Elizabeth of Britain.
But what makes a building special and worth saving?
Prof Katodrytis said he would categorise the main two criteria and values in selecting these buildings to be their social (public and interactive urban buildings) and aesthetic impact.
“Modernity in the UAE is unique,” he said. “It is a hybrid of western modernist ideas but fused with local attributes such as formal traditional details, response to climate and large building mass. Preserving physicality of this recent history and preserving its architecture, points to ways we can project to the future.”
The question now remains about what the buildings are used for. Abu Dhabi’s Cultural Foundation, for example, went through a painstaking renovation before reopening in 2019. More recently, it was announced parts of the Abu Dhabi bus station would be revamped as a cafe, gallery and film screening area.
Apostolos Kyriazis, associate professor of architecture and urbanism at Abu Dhabi University, said these buildings from the early 60s to early 80s mark the foundation of contemporary cities in the UAE and it is “very important” to keep those that remain.
"The memory of a city or place revolves around buildings and memory and such initiatives keep identity alive,” he said. “All emirates went through the same story – this is very special.”
Prof Katodrytis said he would support the idea that any building in the UAE built prior to 1980s should be preserved and repurposed rather than being demolished.
Mr Al Qassemi said this move to safeguard heritage was “just the beginning”.
“The next step should be repurposing these buildings in an adequate manner in order for them to be living structures, to be used and frequented by citizens, residents and visitors alike," he said.
BlacKkKlansman
Director: Spike Lee
Starring: John David Washington; Adam Driver
Five stars
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The five pillars of Islam
Pathaan
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The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
The specs
Engine: 0.8-litre four cylinder
Power: 70bhp
Torque: 66Nm
Transmission: four-speed manual
Price: $1,075 new in 1967, now valued at $40,000
On sale: Models from 1966 to 1970
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The biog
Job: Fitness entrepreneur, body-builder and trainer
Favourite superhero: Batman
Favourite quote: We must become the change we want to see, by Mahatma Gandhi.
Favourite car: Lamborghini
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
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Tightening the screw on rogue recruiters
The UAE overhauled the procedure to recruit housemaids and domestic workers with a law in 2017 to protect low-income labour from being exploited.
Only recruitment companies authorised by the government are permitted as part of Tadbeer, a network of labour ministry-regulated centres.
A contract must be drawn up for domestic workers, the wages and job offer clearly stating the nature of work.
The contract stating the wages, work entailed and accommodation must be sent to the employee in their home country before they depart for the UAE.
The contract will be signed by the employer and employee when the domestic worker arrives in the UAE.
Only recruitment agencies registered with the ministry can undertake recruitment and employment applications for domestic workers.
Penalties for illegal recruitment in the UAE include fines of up to Dh100,000 and imprisonment
But agents not authorised by the government sidestep the law by illegally getting women into the country on visit visas.
The specs
Engine: 1.6-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 217hp at 5,750rpm
Torque: 300Nm at 1,900rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh130,000
On sale: now
The five pillars of Islam
Abu Dhabi GP Saturday schedule
12.30pm GP3 race (18 laps)
2pm Formula One final practice
5pm Formula One qualifying
6.40pm Formula 2 race (31 laps)
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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Uefa Champions League quarter-final (first-leg score):
Juventus (1) v Ajax (1), Tuesday, 11pm UAE
Match will be shown on BeIN Sports
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Salah in numbers
€39 million: Liverpool agreed a fee, including add-ons, in the region of €39m (nearly Dh176m) to sign Salah from Roma last year. The exchange rate at the time meant that cost the Reds £34.3m - a bargain given his performances since.
13: The 25-year-old player was not a complete stranger to the Premier League when he arrived at Liverpool this summer. However, during his previous stint at Chelsea, he made just 13 Premier League appearances, seven of which were off the bench, and scored only twice.
57: It was in the 57th minute of his Liverpool bow when Salah opened his account for the Reds in the 3-3 draw with Watford back in August. The Egyptian prodded the ball over the line from close range after latching onto Roberto Firmino's attempted lob.
7: Salah's best scoring streak of the season occurred between an FA Cup tie against West Brom on January 27 and a Premier League win over Newcastle on March 3. He scored for seven games running in all competitions and struck twice against Tottenham.
3: This season Salah became the first player in Premier League history to win the player of the month award three times during a term. He was voted as the division's best player in November, February and March.
40: Salah joined Roger Hunt and Ian Rush as the only players in Liverpool's history to have scored 40 times in a single season when he headed home against Bournemouth at Anfield earlier this month.
30: The goal against Bournemouth ensured the Egyptian achieved another milestone in becoming the first African player to score 30 times across one Premier League campaign.
8: As well as his fine form in England, Salah has also scored eight times in the tournament phase of this season's Champions League. Only Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo, with 15 to his credit, has found the net more often in the group stages and knockout rounds of Europe's premier club competition.
Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
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Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
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MATCH INFO
Manchester United v Manchester City, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Match is on BeIN Sports
Warlight,
Michael Ondaatje, Knopf
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
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MATCH SCHEDULE
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Tuesday, April 24 (10.45pm)
Liverpool v Roma
Wednesday, April 25
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid (10.45pm)
Europa League semi-final, first leg
Thursday, April 26
Arsenal v Atletico Madrid (11.05pm)
Marseille v Salzburg (11.05pm)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO
Chelsea 1 (Hudson-Odoi 90 1')
Manchester City 3 (Gundogan 18', Foden 21', De Bruyne 34')
Man of the match: Ilkay Gundogan (Man City)
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
The years Ramadan fell in May
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
Biog:
Age: 34
Favourite superhero: Batman
Favourite sport: anything extreme
Favourite person: Muhammad Ali
MATCH INFO
West Ham United 2 (Antonio 73', Ogbonna 90 5')
Tottenham Hotspur 3 (Son 36', Moura 42', Kane 49')
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
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ENGLAND SQUAD
Joe Root (captain), Dom Sibley, Rory Burns, Dan Lawrence, Ben Stokes, Ollie Pope, Ben Foakes (wicketkeeper), Moeen Ali, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes, Jack Leach, Stuart Broad
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The biog
Favourite film: Motorcycle Dairies, Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday, Kagemusha
Favourite book: One Hundred Years of Solitude
Holiday destination: Sri Lanka
First car: VW Golf
Proudest achievement: Building Robotics Labs at Khalifa University and King’s College London, Daughters
Driverless cars or drones: Driverless Cars
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Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
