Emirati Heritage

In stark contrast to my previous post (i.e., Ultramodern UAE), which exhibited modern air-conditioned malls with glass, cool metal, and clean lines, the following picture displays the rustic lifestyle in the Emirates, only decades ago. This was taken at the Abu Dhabi Heritage Village — an old lamp in the types of mud-brick shelters that Bedouins used to inhabit in the hot Arabian desert. Although it is quite simple, there is something more authentic about this sort of setting. Knowing how hot it gets in this country in the summer (e.g., often above 40 degrees Celsius or 104 degrees Fahrenheit), there is really something to admire about the stamina and resourcefulness of the Emirati people who lived in such conditions.

Here below is another picture that showcases the aesthetics of that traditional lifestyle – with handmade pottery and fabric. I took it about two years ago with my old point-and-shoot camera at the Souq Al Qattara Festival, in the oasis town of Al Ain; it was the only one that was not completely blurry and maybe acceptable to post :S Maybe I learned a thing or two about photography since then.