Other than the dust kicked up by the strolling figure’s footsteps, Alain Saint-Hilaire’s photograph from 1969 is a study in rural tranquility in which you can almost hear the sound of the women’s conversation and birdsong wafting from the palms.
The strong shadows suggest that the Canadian photographer might have found his subject at the end of a hard day’s work but we don’t know exactly in which of the Al Ain-Buraimi plantations he was exploring and we cannot even be certain which country he was in.
Until November 2006 when controls were introduced and a fence built, the border between Abu Dhabi and the Sultanate of Oman was open. And in the 1960s it was easy to walk between the villages controlled by Abu Dhabi – Al Ain, Al Jahili, Al Qattarah, Al Muwaiji, Al Masoudi and Al Mutaredh – and their Omani neighbours in Buraimi, Sa’ara and Hamasa.
What is certain is that if the image was taken in Al Ain, it also contains the potential to mislead. The men’s clothing and mud brick walls may suggest that the area was a timeless place untouched by modernity.
But the place we now know as the Garden City had been undergoing modernisation since the 1940s when Sheikh Zayed, the Founding President, began rebuilding Al Ain’s irrigation systems during his tenure as the ruler’s representative in the eastern region.
This was followed by the opening of the Oasis Hospital, Al Ain’s first, in 1960 and the first paved motorway between Abu Dhabi and Al Ain, now known as the E22.
Saint-Hilaire not only recorded the new road from the air but also captured the construction of the UAE’s first international hotel, the Al Ain Hilton, which was completed just after this picture was taken and is still welcoming guests.
* Nick Leech
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
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The biog
Favourite Quote: “Real victories are those that protect human life, not those that result from its destruction emerge from its ashes,” by The late king Hussain of Jordan.
Favourite Hobby: Writing and cooking
Favourite Book: The Prophet by Gibran Khalil Gibran
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million