Like many people who moved to the UAE for work, Mel Stewart only planned to stay for a few years.
But life had a different plan for the British engineer.
Mr Stewart, 80, has spent more than four decades in Sharjah, working on some of the emirate's megaprojects.
Mr Stewart worked first as an engineer and then as trusted adviser to Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Ruler of Sharjah, and had a front-row seat to the emirate's dizzying rise.
Now one of the few people to have been granted permanent residency, Mr Stewart reflected on a lifetime of working with the Ruler.
They just seem to have this knack, this foresight of doing things and getting it right
"They just seem to have this knack, this foresight of doing things and getting it right," he told The National.
"When I came here the population was about 40,000. Look at it now. Dubai was maybe a little bit more, and look at it now. Look at the infrastructure that's been developed.
"It's in their blood. That's the way they are – incredible. There's nowhere else in the world that has achieved what they have achieved in one lifetime."
Mr Stewart first moved to Sharjah in 1974 with British engineering company Halcrow, to work as an engineer on Port Khalid in Sharjah, intending to stay for only two years.
The city was then concentrated on the seafront Al Mujarrah district, with little development inland.
Parties were held at the old Royal Air Force base, which stretched from the old Al Mahatta Fort airport to the Flying Saucer building, as well as a smattering of hotels – including the Marbella Resort (opened by Spain's Prince Alfonso von Hohenlohe, with Sean Connery as guest of honour) and the Sharjah Carlton, with its lively nightclub.
But it was not all play. When he first began working with Sheikh Dr Sultan, Mr Stewart was impressed by the Ruler's hands-on approach. The Ruler would often visit the Port Khalid project and make suggestions. He understood technical drawings because he had a degree in agricultural engineering.
"He would be checking things, getting out the drawings and saying 'can we take out the breakwater and squeeze another berth in there?'. You couldn't believe it. You had to keep pinching yourself," Mr Stewart said.
Mr Stewart also describes a Ruler with a poetic streak. On one occasion in the 1970s, he took him on a hike up a mountain in Khor Fakkan to survey the area for a new port. Sheikh Dr Sultan picked up a stone and threw it towards the ocean, saying: "That's where I want the breakwater to go.”
"And he was right, Because of the wind and sea conditions. And we started building Khor Fakkan port," Mr Stewart said.
Mr Stewart also remembered that in 1975 the Ruler even sketched by hand the famous three-domed design for the new Sharjah airport that would open only two years later.
After work on Port Khalid finished in 1976, the Sharjah manager for Halcrow retired.
The company put forward several senior engineers as potential replacements. But Sheikh Dr Sultan stepped in and requested that Mr Stewart, "the man in the port", who was only 36 at the time, take the role.
In 1991, Mr Stewart was awarded an order of the British Empire, or OBE, for services to British commercial interests in the UAE.
Sheikh Dr Sultan learnt about the accolade and before Mr Stewart received it, the Ruler surprised him with a ceremony of his own – presenting him with a solid-gold "key to the city of Sharjah".
"It was a very moving occasion," Mr Stewart said. "His highness gazumped her highness and got in first. That was the pinnacle of my career."
When it came time for Mr Stewart to retire in 1998, Sheikh Dr Sultan requested he join him as an adviser.
He worked in the Ruler's office for another decade and when Mr Stewart retired he was granted permanent residency. His two children are now grown up and he lives in Sharjah to this day.
"It was such an interesting job – being responsible for implementation of all infrastructure projects in Sharjah and having a one-to-one relationship with his highness," Mr Stewart said.
One memorable project was assisting the Ruler as he improved the living conditions of a small mountain community of farmers in Wadi Hilu, near Kalba. The low-lying wadi would become sweltering in the summer, with no breeze. But the Ruler commissioned a Swedish mining company to remove parts of a nearby mountain, creating a level area, and constructing new housing where residents could feel the summer breeze.
In another expedition, he and a colleague walked for kilometres to reach the remote town of Nahwa to survey the area for a new road that would link it to the rest of the country. They told one of the residents, who was "over the moon".
"He explained that not so long ago, one of their people was ill and the only way they could get him to hospital was to take a door off and use it as a stretcher," Mr Stewart said.
Mr Stewart was instrumental in his work on Sharjah’s urban and desert road network, including the Sharjah to Kalba and Sharjah to Khor Fakkan motorways, and designing infrastructure for the University City of Sharjah.
He was involved in the development of Sharjah Creek, Khalid Lagoon and Al Khan and Al Mamzar lagoons. He was also involved in work on Hamriyah Port.
Mr Stewart is now semi-retired, working as a special adviser to Halcrow (now Jacobs) in the mornings, while his afternoons are spent on the golf course or in the gym.
His legacy lives on in the major projects that have taken Sharjah to new heights.
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
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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
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Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
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Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
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Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
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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.
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Company name: Big Farm Brothers
Started: September 2020
Founders: Vishal Mahajan and Navneet Kaur
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Industry: food and agriculture
Initial investment: $205,000
Current staff: eight to 10
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- 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
Company%20profile
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
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HWJN
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MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Ajax v Juventus, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Match on BeIN Sports
