Today, life in the Emirates moves in the fast lane. In a regular series to mark the 50th anniversary of the UAE, we take a little trip back in time and see how much the country has changed.
The older photograph was taken close to sunset in the late 1970s or early 1980s when Abu Dhabi was expanding on the back of the oil boom. A six-lane motorway guides motorists down the Corniche and past one of the capital’s most distinctive early towers.
This building can be seen in the middle of the older photograph, with a distinctive white concrete cap and glass panels. It became the headquarters of the BCCI-Emirates Bank. Mina Zayed can be seen in the distance.
It was a time when new buildings, roads and even radio stations were established at a rapid pace. Beside the transmission mast were the studios of Capital Radio – Abu Dhabi’s first attempt at a pop music station. Singers such as Tina Turner and Shirley Bassey visited the studios on their way through the city.
Several decades on, we see a Corniche that has changed utterly. Despite the hazy evening weather, the skyscrapers of Burj Mohammed bin Rashid and Landmark Tower loom in the distance, while cutting into the photograph on the right is Nation Towers. Land reclamation has also meant more development on the Corniche, with public beaches, hotel clubs and restaurants added.
The old tower block, now home to the Corniche branch of Union National Bank, is still there, but is surrounded by the high rises. Capital Radio’s transmission mast and original studios survive but are obscured by Nation Towers.
This series is called “then and now”. But the “then” photograph was actually taken in 2018 and for a reason. Both images were shot on the roof of one of the oldest hotels in the city – Radisson Blu Abu Dhabi. The hotel is still widely referred to as Hilton Abu Dhabi and was opened in 1973 by Sheikh Zayed, the Founding Father.
Photographs from the 1970s show it standing alone at the end of the Corniche and surrounded by nothing but sand. It was the first five-star brand in the city and introduced new foods such as smoked salmon, avocado and foie gras that had to flown in from London once a week.
But the only certainty in Abu Dhabi is change. It was announced in 2018 that the hotel would no longer carry the Hilton name. The historic Hilton signs were removed from the roof, around the time the photograph was taken, and from the following January it became a Radisson Blu and the city's skyline changed once again.
Brief scoreline:
Liverpool 2
Keita 5', Firmino 26'
Porto 0
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
'The Batman'
Stars:Robert Pattinson
Director:Matt Reeves
Rating: 5/5
Ready Player One
Dir: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn, Mark Rylance
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylturbo
Transmission: seven-speed DSG automatic
Power: 242bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Price: Dh136,814
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Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
FIXTURES
UAE’s remaining fixtures in World Cup qualification R2
Oct 8: Malaysia (h)
Oct 13: Indonesia (a)
Nov 12: Thailand (h)
Nov 17: Vietnam (h)
LAST-16 FIXTURES
Sunday, January 20
3pm: Jordan v Vietnam at Al Maktoum Stadium, Dubai
6pm: Thailand v China at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
9pm: Iran v Oman at Mohamed bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Monday, January 21
3pm: Japan v Saudi Arabia at Sharjah Stadium
6pm: Australia v Uzbekistan at Khalifa bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
9pm: UAE v Kyrgyzstan at Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Tuesday, January 22
5pm: South Korea v Bahrain at Rashid Stadium, Dubai
8pm: Qatar v Iraq at Al Nahyan Stadium, Abu Dhabi
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Cultural fiesta
What: The Al Burda Festival
When: November 14 (from 10am)
Where: Warehouse421, Abu Dhabi
The Al Burda Festival is a celebration of Islamic art and culture, featuring talks, performances and exhibitions. Organised by the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development, this one-day event opens with a session on the future of Islamic art. With this in mind, it is followed by a number of workshops and “masterclass” sessions in everything from calligraphy and typography to geometry and the origins of Islamic design. There will also be discussions on subjects including ‘Who is the Audience for Islamic Art?’ and ‘New Markets for Islamic Design.’ A live performance from Kuwaiti guitarist Yousif Yaseen should be one of the highlights of the day.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
