Abu Dhabi should continue building consensus between preservation and progress


Nick March
  • English
  • Arabic

This summer has been bookended by two “cliffhanger” heritage stories.

In April, improvement works began on Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street, one of Abu Dhabi's busiest urban avenues, and the associated pedestrian areas overlooking the mangroves. It was obvious from the outset that a major revamp of the 1990s era street furniture and landscaping was underway. Our reporting at the time noted: "Many of the car parks have now been closed off, roads dug up and some of the concrete canopies demolished."

The last two remaining pagodas were – at the time of writing – still in place, surrounded by diggers and workmen, representing in some small way the often tense balancing act between preservation and progress. The works continue and are due to be finished in a month.

The other "cliffhanger" was the fate of the Zaab Souq, a small cluster of shops and services in Khalidiyah that dates back to the 1970s.

It closed in midsummer to a fate unknown, although all the evidence on the site suggested that the strip mall was destined to be demolished. That fact was formally confirmed by Abu Dhabi Municipality last week, who described the former Commercial Market as old and dilapidated and unable to "meet the requirements of security, safety and public health" because of obvious structural defects.

The paper’s initial story on the souq prompted a wave of nostalgia from residents who remembered the buildings in their pomp. One observer said that it represented “a part of the history of the construction and development” of Abu Dhabi.

That is certainly true. At the same time, the Municipality has to act in Abu Dhabi’s interests and given the parlous state of the site, there was no other realistic option, save for demolition.

It is the same discussion with the concrete pagodas on Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street.

There is no doubt that they are a familiar site to anyone who regularly uses that dual carriageway or walks in that area of the city.

But does that make them worth saving? Of that I am not convinced.

In the balancing act between preservation and progress, the right battles have to be picked. We shouldn’t leave everything as it was for fear that removing it makes the city slighter by its absence, particularly if safety becomes an issue. Equally, we shouldn’t knock everything down to make way for bigger and better redevelopment.

There are, in truth, many ways to honour the past and respect a city’s heritage.

I have argued before for the introduction of an information plaque system, under which the authorities could put up signage on significant buildings, dwellings and around neighbourhoods to establish an informal tourist trail for inquisitive visitors and residents.

Such a project would help preserve the story of the city, while also flagging points of interest. In the case of the pedestrian areas next to the mangroves, the current round of improvements might be added to with information boards that could feature images of how the area used to look and potted histories for visitors to read about the mangroves and the walkways. In the example of Zaab Souq, perhaps one of the arches that make the structure so distinctive, or a mould of one, could be retained from the demolition and reinstated for display when the site is redeveloped.

A blue plaque system, like the UK's, would reveal the rich history of Abu Dhabi. Getty
A blue plaque system, like the UK's, would reveal the rich history of Abu Dhabi. Getty

A registered list of protected buildings would be a welcome and timely interjection, as would a discussion about the types of architecture that need preserving. Strides could be made to identify and retain examples of each phase of the city’s urban development. Such a list should include both the mundane and the magnificent.

What no one wants to happen – nor will it – is for the city’s charm to be somehow flattened by the march of progress. Equally, sentimentality should not blind us to matters of public safety nor stop the authorities from taking action where appropriate. Cities are living organisms. They need to grow and change, just as they need to pay homage to where they came from.

This week it was announced that Abu Dhabi will host the International Council on Archives Congress late next year. Thousands of archivists from around the world are expected to attend an event that will examine in detail effective ways to preserve and record history, culture and heritage. That is great news, because we know there is significant interest in the city's development at an official level and among the general public, and especially because this is the first time this quadrennial event will be hosted in the region.

So, let’s keep having those conversations about the way we were, but let’s be realistic about the way the city is now and what it is destined to become. In a perfect world, preservation and progress should not be competing forces, they should work together.

Nick March is an assistant editor-in-chief at The National

Company profile

Company name: Dharma

Date started: 2018

Founders: Charaf El Mansouri, Nisma Benani, Leah Howe

Based: Abu Dhabi

Sector: TravelTech

Funding stage: Pre-series A 

Investors: Convivialite Ventures, BY Partners, Shorooq Partners, L& Ventures, Flat6Labs

SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20SAMSUNG%20GALAXY%20S23%20ULTRA
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Getting there

The flights

Emirates and Etihad fly to Johannesburg or Cape Town daily. Flights cost from about Dh3,325, with a flying time of 8hours and 15 minutes. From there, fly South African Airlines or Air Namibia to Namibia’s Windhoek Hosea Kutako International Airport, for about Dh850. Flying time is 2 hours.

The stay

Wilderness Little Kulala offers stays from £460 (Dh2,135) per person, per night. It is one of seven Wilderness Safari lodges in Namibia; www.wilderness-safaris.com.

Skeleton Coast Safaris’ four-day adventure involves joining a very small group in a private plane, flying to some of the remotest areas in the world, with each night spent at a different camp. It costs from US$8,335.30 (Dh30,611); www.skeletoncoastsafaris.com

Company profile

Name: Steppi

Founders: Joe Franklin and Milos Savic

Launched: February 2020

Size: 10,000 users by the end of July and a goal of 200,000 users by the end of the year

Employees: Five

Based: Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai

Financing stage: Two seed rounds – the first sourced from angel investors and the founders' personal savings

Second round raised Dh720,000 from silent investors in June this year

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

Company profile

Company: Verity

Date started: May 2021

Founders: Kamal Al-Samarrai, Dina Shoman and Omar Al Sharif

Based: Dubai

Sector: FinTech

Size: four team members

Stage: Intially bootstrapped but recently closed its first pre-seed round of $800,000

Investors: Wamda, VentureSouq, Beyond Capital and regional angel investors

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

Manchester City 4
Otamendi (52) Sterling (59) Stones (67) Brahim Diaz (81)

Real Madrid 1
Oscar (90)

Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
  • Flexible payment plans from developers
  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
  • DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The Bio

Favourite place in UAE: Al Rams pearling village

What one book should everyone read: Any book written before electricity was invented. When a writer willingly worked under candlelight, you know he/she had a real passion for their craft

Your favourite type of pearl: All of them. No pearl looks the same and each carries its own unique characteristics, like humans

Best time to swim in the sea: When there is enough light to see beneath the surface

Karwaan

Producer: Ronnie Screwvala

Director: Akarsh Khurana

Starring: Irrfan Khan, Dulquer Salmaan, Mithila Palkar

Rating: 4/5

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
F1 The Movie

Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Rating: 4/5

Who are the Sacklers?

The Sackler family is a transatlantic dynasty that owns Purdue Pharma, which manufactures and markets OxyContin, one of the drugs at the centre of America's opioids crisis. The family is well known for their generous philanthropy towards the world's top cultural institutions, including Guggenheim Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, Tate in Britain, Yale University and the Serpentine Gallery, to name a few. Two branches of the family control Purdue Pharma.

Isaac Sackler and Sophie Greenberg were Jewish immigrants who arrived in New York before the First World War. They had three sons. The first, Arthur, died before OxyContin was invented. The second, Mortimer, who died aged 93 in 2010, was a former chief executive of Purdue Pharma. The third, Raymond, died aged 97 in 2017 and was also a former chief executive of Purdue Pharma. 

It was Arthur, a psychiatrist and pharmaceutical marketeer, who started the family business dynasty. He and his brothers bought a small company called Purdue Frederick; among their first products were laxatives and prescription earwax remover.

Arthur's branch of the family has not been involved in Purdue for many years and his daughter, Elizabeth, has spoken out against it, saying the company's role in America's drugs crisis is "morally abhorrent".

The lawsuits that were brought by the attorneys general of New York and Massachussetts named eight Sacklers. This includes Kathe, Mortimer, Richard, Jonathan and Ilene Sackler Lefcourt, who are all the children of either Mortimer or Raymond. Then there's Theresa Sackler, who is Mortimer senior's widow; Beverly, Raymond's widow; and David Sackler, Raymond's grandson.

Members of the Sackler family are rarely seen in public.

Company%C2%A0profile
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Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What can victims do?

Always use only regulated platforms

Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion

Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

THE BIO

Ambition: To create awareness among young about people with disabilities and make the world a more inclusive place

Job Title: Human resources administrator, Expo 2020 Dubai

First jobs: Co-ordinator with Magrudy Enterprises; HR coordinator at Jumeirah Group

Entrepreneur: Started his own graphic design business

Favourite singer: Avril Lavigne

Favourite travel destination: Germany and Saudi Arabia

Family: Six sisters

How to report a beggar

Abu Dhabi – Call 999 or 8002626 (Aman Service)

Dubai – Call 800243

Sharjah – Call 065632222

Ras Al Khaimah - Call 072053372

Ajman – Call 067401616

Umm Al Quwain – Call 999

Fujairah - Call 092051100 or 092224411

The stats

Ship name: MSC Bellissima

Ship class: Meraviglia Class

Delivery date: February 27, 2019

Gross tonnage: 171,598 GT

Passenger capacity: 5,686

Crew members: 1,536

Number of cabins: 2,217

Length: 315.3 metres

Maximum speed: 22.7 knots (42kph)

Museum of the Future in numbers
  •  78 metres is the height of the museum
  •  30,000 square metres is its total area
  •  17,000 square metres is the length of the stainless steel facade
  •  14 kilometres is the length of LED lights used on the facade
  •  1,024 individual pieces make up the exterior 
  •  7 floors in all, with one for administrative offices
  •  2,400 diagonally intersecting steel members frame the torus shape
  •  100 species of trees and plants dot the gardens
  •  Dh145 is the price of a ticket