These three young men would now be in the their mid-50s. In a country that has changed so much, it is impossible but intriguing to wonder about their fortunes. What we do know is that this photo was taken in 1963 by Guy Gravett, a British photographer working for BP who visited what were then the Trucial States several times.
His mission was to capture the growing oil industry, but Gravett, who loved portraiture and was a skilled artist, could not resist a side trip to the old Abu Dhabi Souq.
Here in this image are all the elements of an Abu Dhabi childhood 50 years ago. There are no expensive toys or electronic gadgets, just impish grins of delight at a snack of biscuits perhaps provided by the photographer, with an old crate for a table.
This was an age of struggle for all, where despite the coming bounty of oil, only the very youngest could not remember a time when a meal was not something to be taken for granted – or wasted.
Times of hardship, perhaps, but not of unhappiness, as these faces show.
* James Langton
