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