The start of something big: Jumeirah eight years ago

Back in 2002, Pete Egington stepped out of the Hilton Jumeirah and noticed a long stretch of fence being built along what was then little more than desert scrub. In his words, Mr Egington had "no clue what it was at the time but could see it was going to be something quite big". In fact, the fence, seen in his photograph above, was the first stage of the construction of Jumeirah Beach Residence and the Walk. The taxis seen parked at the side of the road are probably where Paul Cafe now stands, while the Sheraton, seen in the distance in both images, is now dwarfed by Dubai Marina. The towers in the distance belong to the water desalination plant, just eight years ago well outside the residential areas of Dubai.

Time frame is a series that opens a window into the nation's past. Each week it will feature an image from the archives of both prominent institutions and private collections. Readers are also invited to contribute and can submit ideas and photographs to yourpics@thenational.ae