Before the oil: life in Abu Dhabi in the 1950s - in pictures

The National
  • Deborah Henley, daughter of Susan and Tim Hillyard, outside Qasr Al Hosn in the 1950s. The building had just undergone a massive expansion whereby a new fort encircled the old. Photo: Susan Hillyard
    Deborah Henley, daughter of Susan and Tim Hillyard, outside Qasr Al Hosn in the 1950s. The building had just undergone a massive expansion whereby a new fort encircled the old. Photo: Susan Hillyard
  • Mina Zayed in Abu Dhabi had not yet been built in the 1950s, and tins of petrol were unloaded on the beach where the Corniche is today. Photo: Tim Hillyard
    Mina Zayed in Abu Dhabi had not yet been built in the 1950s, and tins of petrol were unloaded on the beach where the Corniche is today. Photo: Tim Hillyard
  • The Customs House in Abu Dhabi, 1950s. The British Petroleum office was on the first floor. Photo: BP
    The Customs House in Abu Dhabi, 1950s. The British Petroleum office was on the first floor. Photo: BP
  • Fishing on board Faares, the wooden boat that the Hillyards used. Photo: Susan Hillyard
    Fishing on board Faares, the wooden boat that the Hillyards used. Photo: Susan Hillyard
  • Bayt Al Yard (how locals referred to the Hillyard home in Arabic) under construction. Photo: Tim Hillyard
    Bayt Al Yard (how locals referred to the Hillyard home in Arabic) under construction. Photo: Tim Hillyard
  • The Ruler of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Shakhbut, greets Susan Hillyard and her daughter Deborah in Abu Dhabi in the winter of 1957. Photo: Susan Hillyard
    The Ruler of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Shakhbut, greets Susan Hillyard and her daughter Deborah in Abu Dhabi in the winter of 1957. Photo: Susan Hillyard