Dubai in 1962: Look how houses were made of palm fronds, pickup trucks served as school buses

Have you wondered what Dubai looked like in the 1960s? A new photo exhibition in the city captures the daily life in the emirate in 1962 — before the emergence of oil.

From students being transported to school in pickup trucks to shops displaying jewellery in a simple box, Dubai has indeed come a long way.

One of the photos displayed at the exhibition shows ‘areesh’ houses, made of palm tree fronds, which, according to the caption of the image, were “common dwellings” at the time:

Today, Dubai has a manmade island shaped like the palm tree! The photograph above also shows American-made Dodge and Chevrolet cars parked on a sandy road.

The photo is part of 25 taken by Yoshio Kawashima, a Japanese photojournalist from the Sankei Shimbun Newspaper, during his visit to the Middle East, accompanied by his colleague, Hiroshi Kato.

Fresh water was a luxury back then. The photo below captures the “happy faces” of people on getting their fill:

The photo exhibition, titled ‘Dubai in the Year 1962’, highlights the population around Al Fahidi Fort — which today houses the Dubai Museum — as well as the creek banks, and the vitality of trade in the popular markets.

The photo below shows people crossing the creek in an abra towards Bur Dubai — a mode of transport that has survived the test of time:

Seen in the photo is a skyline dominated by wind towers — a traditional architectural structure.

Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), in cooperation with the Consulate General of Japan in Dubai, is organising the exhibition at Al Safa Art and Design Library till March 17. It celebrates the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the UAE and Japan.

The collection of black and white photographs showcases Dubai's heritage and the strong relationship that brought together the late Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum and the people of Dubai, and his daily meetings with them at his majilis. The caption of this photo calls the then Dubai ruler a man of true wisdom and vision:

In the two photos below, a jewellery shop is seen displaying a portrait of the late Sheikh Rashid; and another using a simple box to showcase jewels:

Hala Badri, director-general of the Dubai Culture, said the exhibition provides a special insight into Dubai's history, heritage, and the customs and traditions of its society. It includes a collection of “exceptional photographs documenting various scenes in the emirate”, she added.

The photo below shows brothers going to play near a mosque:

Kawashima’s photos reemerged in 2008, when one of them was gifted to Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Supreme President and CEO of Emirates Airlines and Group.

The photo below shows the plane carrying Kawashima that arrived in the Trucial States at Sharjah's RAF airport:

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