Time Frame: Digging deep to build a city


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Mina Zayed, or Port Zayed, was opened in 1972 after four years of construction.

Its first day of operation marked a transformation in the economy of Abu Dhabi.

Until then, everything that arrived by sea was transferred from ships moored in the deeper waters off the city and brought ashore in smaller barges and dhows to a 50s-era concrete pier near where Airport Road now meets the Corniche.

This photograph, from our sister paper Al Ittihad, shows construction at Mina Zayed, which involved both land reclamation and dredging to create the emirate’s first deepwater port.

Literally overnight, goods could be imported quickly and easily, to fuel Abu Dhabi’s fast-growing oil economy. Cars, electrical goods and imported foods filled the new shops and supermarkets.

Mina Zayed is now one of four ports in the emirate, and while it has been overtaken by Khalifa Port at Taweelah in economic importance, it is an important terminal for cruise ships. For visitors to the city, it still remains the first port of call.

* James Langton

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- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France