One of the most potent symbols of Abu Dhabi’s new prosperity in the age of oil was another liquid. Water. Before oil, water was a precious commodity, dredged from sandy wells or dispensed in cans and carried home to the family. Now it flowed freely. Down pipes into houses and apartment blocks, but also in public spaces, where it could be admired and appreciated by all. The abundance of water spoke to the country’s confidence in the future.
The pearl fountain, shown here, also paid tribute to the lives of the pearl fishers of the Arabian Gulf, the region’s main source of wealth before oil.
This fountain stood in a park on the Corniche in Al Markaziyah. In the background is the former headquarters of the BBC-Emirates Bank, a distinctive high rise office building that back in the 1980s was one of the tallest in the city.
Like the much-loved and missed volcano fountain, another spectacular water feature on the Corniche, the pearl fountain fell victim to progress, in the shape of road widening schemes.
Several fountains from this era survive though, as the city continues to make a splash.
* James Langton
