When John Barrett Kelly arrived in Abu Dhabi in 1957, few could imagine what lay ahead. The emirate struck oil within a year and 10 years later Britain announced that it was leaving the Gulf.
Kelly was an expert on the frontiers of the Arabian Peninsula and Sheikh Zayed, when he became Ruler of Abu Dhabi in 1966, hired him to help map the boundaries of the emirate and what would become the UAE.
Kelly amassed a unique collection of rare images, maps and letters during his time in the region.
He took photographs of fishing towns, forts and the Liwa oasis, while his private papers provide a frank and lively perspective on the British withdrawal.
The photos depict the houses people lived in and they lived the same sort of life as those of their ancestors. That time is gone now
Saul Kelly
He also took several striking photographs of Sheikh Zayed, including one of him holding a desert majlis. He sits on a rug, coffee is poured and falcons are admired, while in the background is a classic car. New York University Abu Dhabi has now acquired the collection and made it accessible to all.
“The photos are important because they chronicle what life was like before the sudden influx of oil,” said Dr Saul Kelly, J B’s son and a history lecturer at King’s College London. “They depict the sort of houses people lived in and they lived the same sort of life as those of their ancestors. That time is gone now.”
J B Kelly was born in New Zealand in 1925 and of Irish heritage: his grandfather emigrated from there in the late 19th century. When the Second World War broke out, he helped to build aircraft hangars for the US forces.
Afterwards Kelly worked as a teacher, spending stints in England and Cairo. His talent as a scholar took him back to England where in the 1950s he earned a PhD on Britain and the Gulf.
He made his first trip to what was then the Trucial States in 1957. In Abu Dhabi he met the Ruler of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Shakhbut and his brother, Sheikh Zayed, who at the time was the Ruler's Representative in the Eastern Region. He forged strong friendships with both.
When Britain announced in 1968 that it would leave by 1971, Sheikh Zayed hired Kelly to assist with establishing the UAE’s frontiers. Sheikh Zayed would become President of the UAE on December 2, 1971.
"He had a lot of respect for Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Shakhbut," Dr Kelly said.
“They inherited oral traditions and here was a man who could add to that knowledge. He would have long discussions with them about family history. I think that was appreciated by the Rulers.”
His papers also offer an honest take on how he personally viewed the British withdrawal.
According to his son, J B Kelly was a "blunt speaking man … who didn't have a great deal of time for Foreign Office types in the Gulf" during his time there who he felt did not appreciate the responsibility they had. He compared those who moved to Abu Dhabi in the 1950s and 1960s for a posting of just two or three years unfavourably with the British personnel who served before 1947 when the Gulf was administered by Britain's India service.
"[The Foreign Office] came late to administration in the Gulf and didn't really have an affinity for it as they were diplomats and used to bargaining and bartering," Dr Kelly said. "This is essentially my father's criticisms of them. [He felt] most ... were out there to pay for the school fees back home."
After his work with Sheikh Zayed, he went on to advise the Omani government, worked in Washington and published several respected books. His early visits to Abu Dhabi laid the groundwork for his seminal 1964 book, Eastern Arabian Frontiers. He died in 2009 at the age of 84.
After Dr Kelly edited and completed his father's last book, Desert Dispute: the Diplomacy of Boundary-Making in South-Eastern Arabia, he felt the collection should rightfully find a home in Abu Dhabi. In 2019 NYUAD acquired the collection, which encompasses close to 50 archive boxes that each contain dozens of documents.
“What really appealed about the collection was knowing J B Kelly was a pioneering historian of eastern Arabia,” said Brad Bauer, head of archives and special collections at NYUAD Library.
"I felt it had a lot of research potential," Mr Bauer said.
“[These collections] can be mosaic stones to see a richer picture. It was important the collection be in Abu Dhabi and we are quite excited to have it.”
The archive has not been digitised yet but this could happen in the future, while a guide to the collection is online. Parts of it informed the recent exhibition at Dubai's Etihad Museum about UAE-UK relations.
"It is a unique collection and you won't find anything like that anywhere else in the world I don't think," Dr Kelly said. "I'm impressed by the job NYUAD has done. I'm grateful to them for that and to make it available to scholars and interested members of the public in Abu Dhabi."
MATCH INFO
New Zealand 176-8 (20 ovs)
England 155 (19.5 ovs)
New Zealand win by 21 runs
RACE CARD
4pm Al Bastakiya – Listed (TB) $150,000 (Dirt) 1,900m
4.35pm Dubai City Of Gold – Group 2 (TB) $228,000 (Turf) 2,410m
5.10pm Mahab Al Shimaal – Group 3 (TB) $228,000 (D) 1,200m
5.45pm Burj Nahaar – Group 3 (TB) $228,000 (D) 1,600m
6.20pm Jebel Hatta – Group 1 (TB) $260,000 (T) 1,800m
6.55pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 – Group 1 (TB) $390,000 (D) 2,000m
7.30pm Nad Al Sheba – Group 3 (TB) $228,000 (T) 1,200m
Dubai World Cup prize money
Group 1 (Purebred Arabian) 2000m Dubai Kahayla Classic - $750,000
Group 2 1,600m(Dirt) Godolphin Mile - $750,000
Group 2 3,200m (Turf) Dubai Gold Cup – $750,000
Group 1 1,200m (Turf) Al Quoz Sprint – $1,000,000
Group 2 1,900m(Dirt) UAE Derby – $750,000
Group 1 1,200m (Dirt) Dubai Golden Shaheen – $1,500,000
Group 1 1,800m (Turf) Dubai Turf – $4,000,000
Group 1 2,410m (Turf) Dubai Sheema Classic – $5,000,000
Group 1 2,000m (Dirt) Dubai World Cup– $12,000,000
RESULTS
5pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000, 2,400m
Winner: Recordman, Richard Mullen (jockey), Satish Seemar (trainer)
5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000, 2,200m
Winner: AF Taraha, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Abu Dhabi Fillies Classic Prestige (PA) Dh110,000, 1,400m
Winner: Dhafra, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Colts Classic Prestige (PA) Dh110,000, 1,400m
Winner: Maqam, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
7pm: Handicap (PA) Dh85,000, 1,600m
Winner: AF Momtaz, Fernando Jara, Musabah Al Muhairi
7.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000, 1,600m
Winner: Optimizm, Patrick Cosgrave, Abdallah Al Hammadi
UAE cricketers abroad
Sid Jhurani is not the first cricketer from the UAE to go to the UK to try his luck.
Rameez Shahzad Played alongside Ben Stokes and Liam Plunkett in Durham while he was studying there. He also played club cricket as an overseas professional, but his time in the UK stunted his UAE career. The batsman went a decade without playing for the national team.
Yodhin Punja The seam bowler was named in the UAE’s extended World Cup squad in 2015 despite being just 15 at the time. He made his senior UAE debut aged 16, and subsequently took up a scholarship at Claremont High School in the south of England.
MATCH INFO
Liverpool 3
Sadio Man 28'
Andrew Robertson 34'
Diogo Jota 88'
Arsenal 1
Lacazette 25'
Man of the match
Sadio Mane (Liverpool)
The specs
Engine: 5.0-litre V8
Power: 480hp at 7,250rpm
Torque: 566Nm at 4,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: L/100km
Price: Dh306,495
On sale: now
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20SAMSUNG%20GALAXY%20S24%20ULTRA
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Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre V6
Power: 295hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 355Nm at 5,200rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.7L/100km
Price: Dh179,999-plus
On sale: now
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
The%20Emperor%20and%20the%20Elephant
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Results
2.30pm Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 1,200m
Winner Lamia, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel.
3pm Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 1,000m
Winner Jap Al Afreet, Elione Chaves, Irfan Ellahi.
3.30pm Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 1,700m
Winner MH Tawag, Bernardo Pinheiro, Elise Jeanne.
4pm Handicap (TB) Dh40,000 2,000m
Winner Skygazer, Sandro Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
4.30pm The Ruler of Sharjah Cup Prestige (PA) Dh250,000 1,700m
Winner AF Kal Noor, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel.
5pm Sharjah Marathon (PA) Dh70,000 2,700m
Winner RB Grynade, Bernardo Pinheiro, Eric Lemartinel.
The Orwell Prize for Political Writing
Twelve books were longlisted for The Orwell Prize for Political Writing. The non-fiction works cover various themes from education, gender bias, and the environment to surveillance and political power. Some of the books that made it to the non-fiction longlist include:
- Appeasing Hitler: Chamberlain, Churchill and the Road to War by Tim Bouverie
- Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me by Kate Clanchy
- Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez
- Follow Me, Akhi: The Online World of British Muslims by Hussein Kesvani
- Guest House for Young Widows: Among the Women of ISIS by Azadeh Moaveni
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
Drishyam 2
Directed by: Jeethu Joseph
Starring: Mohanlal, Meena, Ansiba, Murali Gopy
Rating: 4 stars
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
