SHARJAH // Peeling facades and crumbling masonry bear witness to more than 30 years of merciless heat, overcrowding and frequent neglect, but nevertheless for some the buildings are like old friends and the prospect of wholesale demolition is not entirely welcome.
Dating back to the early 1970s, the maze of narrow one-way streets that is Sharjah's business district has helped the emirate through its economic development.
Tens of thousands of people have lived and worked in the cramped and sometimes dingy mix of low- and high-rise buildings.
Some have stood the test of time well and been given facelifts and renovations, while others are victims of poor maintenance and overcrowding.
Either way, they stand condemned under plans by the Sharjah Government to demolish large tracts of the area and put up "shiny towers" instead.
Although some people argue that the old buildings are what makes Sharjah's city centre a unique urban environment, surrounded by cities witnessing unprecedented growth, the emirate feels it has outgrown the need for them.
This summer, it will send in the bulldozers to clear hundreds of buildings at the start of a massive redevelopment project.
The news came as a surprise to residents and businesses in districts marked for redevelopment, who said they knew nothing of the proposal and feared that the logistical challenge of relocating tens of thousands of people could mean chaos and years of delay.
"We have not heard a thing regarding this. At least we should have a notice informing us months, even a year in advance," said Mohammed Tareq, a shift manager at Kanoo's, a shipping company which owns its three-storey offices in the Al Marrijah area.
Although the building has problems with its plumbing, and with some of the entrance tiling, he described the prospect of uprooting as "nightmarish".
"People who live in the city should be consulted and given choices to where to move to."
Praveen Singh, a leather and textile store manager in the 20-year-old Souk al Waqaf was also unaware of the plans. He has worked in the store for over 10 years.
"I don't really know what this would mean for business, but where will we all go to when they start?" he said.
Fraz Mohsin, an Indian expatriate who has lived in Sharjah for two years, believes moving could be financially disastrous.
"I share a modest one-bedroom shack with four other guys and we all work as helpers in the area locally and save money this way," he sighed.
"What do we do I have no idea. I hope it is not true."
The Al Hadi building was built in the 1960s, its once-white colour now grey and even dark green in some sections. Like most in the Al Ghuwair district, its decay is accelerating. However, Mohammed Hadi, the owner of the nine-floor structure, is not keen to lose it.
"The buildings are old and I understand the need to redevelop the land and improve the traffic," he said, "but we don't know anything about the proposal and what is in place."
There were those, however, who said the redevelopment might be just what the city centre needs.
"This way we can really put Sharjah on the map," said Ali Anjam Mohammed, who has lived and worked for 20 years in a three-story building that he owns in the Umm Tarrafa area.
He felt parts of the city needed to be "bulldozed" and rebuilt from scratch. "We have the traffic issue, health and safety and sanitary issues that affect some of these areas seriously."
shafez@thenational.ae
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
What is dialysis?
Dialysis is a way of cleaning your blood when your kidneys fail and can no longer do the job.
It gets rid of your body's wastes, extra salt and water, and helps to control your blood pressure. The main cause of kidney failure is diabetes and hypertension.
There are two kinds of dialysis — haemodialysis and peritoneal.
In haemodialysis, blood is pumped out of your body to an artificial kidney machine that filter your blood and returns it to your body by tubes.
In peritoneal dialysis, the inside lining of your own belly acts as a natural filter. Wastes are taken out by means of a cleansing fluid which is washed in and out of your belly in cycles.
It isn’t an option for everyone but if eligible, can be done at home by the patient or caregiver. This, as opposed to home haemodialysis, is covered by insurance in the UAE.
In numbers
- Number of children under five will fall from 681 million in 2017 to 401m in 2100
- Over-80s will rise from 141m in 2017 to 866m in 2100
- Nigeria will become the world’s second most populous country with 791m by 2100, behind India
- China will fall dramatically from a peak of 2.4 billion in 2024 to 732 million by 2100
- an average of 2.1 children per woman is required to sustain population growth
A State of Passion
Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi
Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah
Rating: 4/5
How does ToTok work?
The calling app is available to download on Google Play and Apple App Store
To successfully install ToTok, users are asked to enter their phone number and then create a nickname.
The app then gives users the option add their existing phone contacts, allowing them to immediately contact people also using the application by video or voice call or via message.
Users can also invite other contacts to download ToTok to allow them to make contact through the app.
Hotel Data Cloud profile
Date started: June 2016
Founders: Gregor Amon and Kevin Czok
Based: Dubai
Sector: Travel Tech
Size: 10 employees
Funding: $350,000 (Dh1.3 million)
Investors: five angel investors (undisclosed except for Amar Shubar)
The%20specs
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Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
MO
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