When the Dh2 billion Dubai Canal project was announced a few years ago, some people were concerned that it would take away from one of their favourite green spots in the city, Safa Park.
It’s an area with an interesting history. In the 1960s, it was at the very edge of Dubai and was inhabited mainly by Asian workers. During the 1990s, there was an amusement arcade, artificial lake and sports facilities.
In this photo from 2014, we can see construction for the canal taking place along Al Wasl Road, with Safa Park and its long-defunct ferris wheel on the left. Only a few days ago, water was released into the length of the 3.2 kilometre canal, which links Business Bay with the Arabian Gulf via Sheikh Zayed Road and down past Safa Park.
Vehicles now travel this same way down Al Wasl Road on a flyover, while water flows underneath part of it – meaning this two-year-old photo already looks much older.
The canal has turned Bur Dubai, Downtown and Satwa into a man-made island and is set to be finished by the end of the year, while a revamped Safa Park will once again welcome people from across the city.
* John Dennehy
