A photographer shared a stunning time lapse of fog rolling into Abu Dhabi city.
Cataloguing the arrival of the gloomy early morning weather into the capital was a career highlight, Zohaib Anjum said. Last year, he captured the perfect shot of lightning striking the Burj Khalifa.
He had countless shots of Dubai covered in fog, but none of Abu Dhabi.
So when he heard fog was expected to form one morning there last week, the Dubai resident arranged to take a DPI test to enter the city.
A friend gave him access to a rooftop, where he set up his camera, setting it to take pictures every two seconds over a period of six hours.
“I know someone in Abu Dhabi, so I called him in the night and asked can you please arrange for me to go up to the top of the building? He said no problem.
“Usually I take all of my pictures from the rooftop,” said Mr Anjum, who works as a real estate photographer in Dubai, where he was born and raised.
So at 3am, he took a lift 70 floors up.
"I could see the fog when I got up there," said Mr Anjum, who shares his pictures on his Instagram page.
“It was amazing. I was very happy. It was my first fog time lapse in Abu Dhabi. I have tonnes of pictures in Dubai. But in Abu Dhabi it was my first time.”
He found fame last January, after sharing an image of lightning striking the Burj from his vantage point at Ras Al Khor Sanctuary.
That shot also took some patience, he said.
“I used to come here often to capture the shot but there was always some problem. Sometimes the lightning would fall on one side of the tower and sometimes on the other side," Mr Anjum said.
"It would never hit [the] Burj Khalifa."
“Immediately after I captured the shot, I bowed on the ground, thanking God."
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Serene beauty: 50 of the best images of the UAE under fog
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Reem Island in Abu Dhabi is covered in 2018. Emmanuel Samoglou / The National -
Miguel Angel Jimenez and other golfers on the fog covered range at the Dubai Desert Classic in 2011. Mike Young / The National -
Dense fog engulfs Abu Dhabi's Al Maryah Island in December 2017. Ravindranath K / The National -
Towers in Dubai Media City during the early morning fog in Dubai in April 2020. Pawan Singh / The National -
The Fairmont Marina peeks through the fog on the Corniche, Abu Dhabi, on a sunny morning. Victor Besa / The National -
Morning fog descends over Dubai Marina in 2013. Sarah Dea / The National -
The ground below is swallowed up by fog in Dubai. Antonie Robertson / The National -
Only the tallest buildings in Dubai sometimes escape the blanket. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Window cleaners work on Al Ain Tower with view of Etihad Towers in the background in Al Khalidiyah, Abu Dhabi. Erica ElKhershi / The National -
A variety of light captured during fog in Abu Dhabi. Ravindranath K / The National -
A fisherman on a misty morning in 2016. Rich-Joseph Facun / The National -
Morning fog burns off near Electra Street in Abu Dhabi on December 31, 2008. Rich-Joseph Facun / The National -
Fog in Abu Dhabi seen from The Gate Towers on Reem Island in 2015. Irene García León for The National -
A light fog covers the Dubai skyline in 2015. Sarah Dea / The National -
Cars drive through the morning fog on 24th street in Abu Dhabi in 2009. Galen Clarke / The National -
Gate Towers on Abu Dhabi's Reem Island in 2013. Silvia Razgova / The National -
Fog over Dubai Marina in 2013. Sarah Dea / The National -
Sheikh Zayed bridge engulfed in fog in 2017. Ravindranath K / The National. -
Abu Dhabi city on Christmas morning, 2017. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
Fog in the city of Abu Dhabi on Christmas morning, 2017. Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
The UAE flag stands in the clear against a misty backdrop in Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National -
A lady takes her morning walk amid the fog at the Khalifa City A in 2018. Victor Besa / The National -
Fog engulfed with high humidity in Abu Dhabi. Rajesh Korde / The National -
The Sheikh Zayed Bridge in Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National -
A man goes for an early morning cycle as fog covers Dubai on September 21, 2020. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Misty conditions around JBR in Dubai. Sarah Dea / The National -
A worker walks through Khalifa City in Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National -
Fog over Dubai Marina. Courtesy Ollie Maher -
Towers in JLT in Dubai in April 2020. Pawan Singh / The National -
Cars emerge from early morning fog on Muroor Road in Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National -
Dense fog blankets the Abu Dhabi skyline with Etihad Towers visible. Erica ElKhershi / The National -
Workers during early morning fog in the Discovery Gardens area in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National -
Dense fog engulfs Abu Dhabi's Al Maryah Island in December 2017. Ravindranath K / The National -
Early morning fog in the Discovery Gardens area in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National -
The sun tries to break through a foggy sky in Dubai. Rajesh Korde / The National -
The Corniche in Abu Dhabi in February 2018. Victor Besa / The National -
The Dubai high rises peek out above the fog. Sarah Dea / The National -
Fog hovers in Ras Al Khaimah. Jeffrey E Biteng / The National -
A gloomy start to a day in Abu Dhabi in 2013. Delores Johnson / The National -
A morning fog rolls in over Abu Dhabi at the public beach in Al Bateen on October 28, 2009. Rich-Joseph Facun / The National -
Buildings on Al Maryah Island, Abu Dhabi wrapped in fog in 2013. Brian Kerrigan / The National -
Thick morning fog over Dubai Marina. Mark Asquith / The National -
Early morning fog around the Dubai Marina area. Antonie Robertson / The National -
Dubai Marina has almost vanished in the fog with just the walkway visible in 2014. Jaime Puebla / The National -
Dubai Marina in a mix of sunshine and fog in 2014. Jaime Puebla / The National -
Fog reported in areas of Dubai, the Northern Emirates and Al Dhafra on Tuesday. Pawan Singh / The National -
The seaside takes on a calm serenity in 2017. Ravindranath K / The National -
Fog during the morning in the Tecom area in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National -
Reem Island's Gate Towers stand tall above the cloud line in Abu Dhabi. Thamer Al Subaihi / The National -
Despite heavy fog in Abu Dhabi, a woman spends the morning along the shore in January 2011. Rich-Joseph Facun / The National
