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MEMORIES FOR FREEDOM

A collector is auctioning his private collection of never-seen-before material including documentaries and photographs on the emirate of Dubai so that he can get himself and a friend released from jail.

Zuzane Nahed, a representative of T Johann Bulart, says that the collection is rare and includes documentaries on Dubai and its surroundings during the time of Shaikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum — from January 1958 to December 1968 — and is filmed in Kodak Colour.

“It is unfortunate that 70-year-old Bulart, a person who helped build Dubai is in jail, and he has to sell his personal collection so that he can get himself released from jail,” says Zuzane. Hans Bulart, as he is famously known, is the person who built the Dubai Zoo. He and his father, Otto Bulart, were the ones who built the Creek, Al Garhoud Bridge, Clock Tower at Deira at several other important landmarks.

Says Zuzane: “We have unsuccessfully tried to get in touch with the high-ups in Dubai Municipality and even His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice-President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai regarding this material but to no avail.”

In a letter addressed to Shaikh Mohammed, Bulart wrote: “We arrived to this country with a vision in which some dreams became a reality, and some of them are still a vision, and part of them, a nightmare. All the vision that became a reality are documented by a cine colour film material approximately 10 hours movie documentation and photographs of which some are part of my books. Because we are in dire need of money, so we decided to offer this historical and unique matrial to you so that we can return to our original mission.”

Among the major film scenes and photographs that Bulart claims he has include: The return of Shaikh Rashid from Great Britain, inauguration of the first Dubai Police Force and music band by the ruler; inauguration of first Christian church (St Mary’s); scenes of tsunami in Dubai in December 1963; mystery rock of Wadi Ham; construction and excavation scenes of Dubai Creek and Clock Tower. It also includes inauguration of Dubai Zoo by Shaikh Rashid; underwater movies of Khorfakkan, Island of Abu Musa and shipwreck of Dara in Umm Al Quwwain — scenes before and after the catastrophe; visit of Shaikh Rashid to Ajman; construction scenes of the first new palace of Shaikh Rashid in Zabeel. Zuzane says the material is kept in a safe place while Bulart gives a go ahead from Jumierah jail.