Dubai's population is now more than 3.65 million, driven by the emirate's position as a leading global destination.
But for anyone arriving in the city in 2024 it is hard to believe only several decades ago Dubai was a small town centred around the Creek.
These photographs, taken when Dubai was part of the Trucial States, underline the transformation that has taken place since the 1960s.
Shot by British resident David Riley, they show a world lost to time.
An aerial shot of Dubai Creek, photographed by Mr Riley from a Gulf Aviation plane arriving from Abu Dhabi, is particularly striking as it shows the original historic settlement.
Under the wing tip is Deira, then the main business area.
Across the Creek is Bur Dubai and to the right is Al Shindagha, which was often cut off from the mainland at high tide.
Al Shindagha is where the Al Maktoum family settled and it is from here Dubai began its journey to the metropolis it is today.
The photographs also show the bustling trade on Dubai Creek with traditional wooden abras sweeping across the busy artery. One shows a captain using large wooden oars to row across the water with the old wind towers, once so common on the Creek, visible in the background. Many have since been demolished.
Many people lived in barasti huts made of palm fronds, still used paraffin lamps and drank water taken from wells. Wealthier people lived in coral stone houses with barjeels, or wind towers, on the sides of the Creek.
Mr Riley was a young English banker who spent about two years in Abu Dhabi from 1962 to 1964.
He had been working in the UK when he heard the British Bank of the Middle East needed staff.
"It just appealed to me,” said Mr Riley of his decision to apply. “It was the right time and I hadn't gone to university."
He took a series of remarkable photographs during his journeys across the Trucial States to capture the way of life about to be swept away forever. But the images he took on a 35 millimetre German Voigtlander show that even then Dubai was on the path to modernisation.
For example, the aerial shot of the Creek shows the new sea walls erected at the its mouth.
This project began in the late 1950s, aimed at preventing silt building up in the Creek. This had prevented boats from entering and, in turn, disrupted vital trade. It was the original Dubai mega-project.
Another shows construction on the banks of the Creek with a new water tower in the background.
Some of Mr Riley's images taken in the souq show the new goods reaching the city, as Dubai even then was focused on trade.
Several shots show traders selling everything from tinned goods, fruit and vegetables and even Kent cigarettes.
Some were grown locally but many other goods were imported as Dubai built a name for itself as a trading centre.
Today the Creek remains as busy as ever. But the abras are no longer powered by oars; Al Shindagha has been turned into a museum; and a rejuvenation project is bringing new spirit to Deira.
And instead of the vast expanses of sand and open beaches visible from the plane's window in the 1960s, today is a sea of high-rises, hotels and luxury villas.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Your Guide to the Home
- Level 1 has a valet service if you choose not to park in the basement level. This level houses all the kitchenware, including covetable brand French Bull, along with a wide array of outdoor furnishings, lamps and lighting solutions, textiles like curtains, towels, cushions and bedding, and plenty of other home accessories.
- Level 2 features curated inspiration zones and solutions for bedrooms, living rooms and dining spaces. This is also where you’d go to customise your sofas and beds, and pick and choose from more than a dozen mattress options.
- Level 3 features The Home’s “man cave” set-up and a display of industrial and rustic furnishings. This level also has a mother’s room, a play area for children with staff to watch over the kids, furniture for nurseries and children’s rooms, and the store’s design studio.
Scores in brief:
Boost Defenders 205-5 in 20 overs
(Colin Ingram 84 not out, Cameron Delport 36, William Somerville 2-28)
bt Auckland Aces 170 for 5 in 20 overs
(Rob O’Donnell 67 not out, Kyle Abbott 3-21).
2024%20Dubai%20Marathon%20Results
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Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
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Company%20Profile
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New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
Company Profile:
Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
SPECS
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Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
Tips for used car buyers
- Choose cars with GCC specifications
- Get a service history for cars less than five years old
- Don’t go cheap on the inspection
- Check for oil leaks
- Do a Google search on the standard problems for your car model
- Do your due diligence. Get a transfer of ownership done at an official RTA centre
- Check the vehicle’s condition. You don’t want to buy a car that’s a good deal but ends up costing you Dh10,000 in repairs every month
- Validate warranty and service contracts with the relevant agency and and make sure they are valid when ownership is transferred
- If you are planning to sell the car soon, buy one with a good resale value. The two most popular cars in the UAE are black or white in colour and other colours are harder to sell
Tarek Kabrit, chief executive of Seez, and Imad Hammad, chief executive and co-founder of CarSwitch.com
Players Selected for La Liga Trials
U18 Age Group
Name: Ahmed Salam (Malaga)
Position: Right Wing
Nationality: Jordanian
Name: Yahia Iraqi (Malaga)
Position: Left Wing
Nationality: Morocco
Name: Mohammed Bouherrafa (Almeria)
Position: Centre-Midfield
Nationality: French
Name: Mohammed Rajeh (Cadiz)
Position: Striker
Nationality: Jordanian
U16 Age Group
Name: Mehdi Elkhamlichi (Malaga)
Position: Lead Striker
Nationality: Morocco
The Vile
Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah
Director: Majid Al Ansari
Rating: 4/5
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
