![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/ZODMFSBHXONV64ES3FGDBOS33U.jpg?smart=true&auth=fe8523e6496f512bca1222f09e3db76e1db005fdc30c728ae6d5bab274b51175&width=400&height=225)
A respect for nature governs everything he does.
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/FORAQLHI7WXZQ3XQUQJLTPL3SQ.jpg?smart=true&auth=6c8c2e7446dfa0bb4f51734f547bcc2a86d3f6f4cd0d857704198e3fc4fb9337&width=400&height=225)
Saeed Al Dhahoori at his farm in the mountain village of Shaam, Ras Al Khaimah. He grew up in the mountains. All photos by Reem Mohammed / The National
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/IJBQ6WXBZNBV4A2JC7HAVDYQA4.jpg?smart=true&auth=aa1de653f1389eeb2d71032f8b1ea4336a19b3a08eb31e04e2304ad38efa17ef&width=400&height=225)
He was born in 1966 and his was the last generation born at home, without hospital care, and the first to attend modern schools.
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/5ALTNDVWBMRGCSHB2WBFFOMB7I.jpg?smart=true&auth=158789c742122933f45edbb69479423e447770ac649d1a05ee8dadde900be551&width=400&height=225)
Saeed Al Dhuhoori as a young man. In those days, and after the rainy season, he would travel by camel to Fujairah for the date harvest.
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/WQOT746UNA3267YWJSCK2T3H7I.jpg?smart=true&auth=f9522adea553ea2f3e4ea930f5cf63b92e0cd395d51dbb307250f5294f92dd24&width=400&height=225)
Mr Al Dhahoori says unification in 1971 brought services and modernity to villages in the mountains.
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/F4H47JVTUBC5BLG2NYZ7WGYBDE.jpg?smart=true&auth=5db0252a8c0de44e85f76514705a51f9919f5e23234f7b2198a351fd5e79acca&width=400&height=225)
'Unification brought people together and we wanted for nothing,' he said.
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/QVYLNBCQSXMFDW46DBXV3Y4CAM.jpg?smart=true&auth=82af4d5081ceaa0842fc1ae7ae110b577f9da29c92b338f6f477daa3892f45c2&width=400&height=225)
But he also remembers a tough but rewarding life before unification when camel was the only means of transport.
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/TF6NDTDDY63IX63HP6P6EKMJDE.jpg?smart=true&auth=681597d08624df268768f4e031acca2fb01f8ac1852ae7257627334177aa5a11&width=400&height=225)
He wants to teach the younger generations about their elders and how they lived before the UAE was formed.
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/BEKY7HJIZUPBQE4BWIE647CRW4.jpg?smart=true&auth=8fcc7ff5a73000c40925a477cc4bd51dba7146a14e542ec822283951fc3bb273&width=400&height=225)
His Mohammed Bin Rashid Heritage Village in Wadi Shaam includes many old traditional UAE tools that the people of the mountain used in the past, and showcases customs, traditions and practices inherited from older generations.
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/Q77ATCO4HJXI3VDPKSWCAGY25E.jpg?smart=true&auth=bfb3731051fb9a3d8ada04b7bd9de0128fdc29c92ebfcb7626844a11aefd14e1&width=400&height=225)
His heritage village teaches the happiness and tensions of tribal living.
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/7GNXFLICJGZRNWR5H3JLFID6Y4.jpg?smart=true&auth=1924fadbb00173f4c340c5bc2d18fb5d4a15c8133b10e1c69121712c322c9097&width=400&height=225)
Coffee pots and hurricane lamps are among the artefacts on display at the heritage village.
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/OI3PMJLFKKAJBOGTB3YNKYMIJE.jpg?smart=true&auth=9cdd10539cce34120d786a5f1222a605c082c37b8befa08018bb0ff6e03d7127&width=400&height=225)
Traditional types of tableware are also on display.
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/KVV3KRM542P3MEJ7VPU3VFILZI.jpg?smart=true&auth=04b7792c9eceb19ad2ed84ee26f0055dd0d7f3b1e44dc1f71ccf3506fa320ecd&width=400&height=225)
He spends his days in the foothills of the Hajjar Mountains with his friends talking about times past and better ones to come.
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/23NZBDHGZQSC5ZRA5WEMHMNCG4.jpg?smart=true&auth=92675dc025eda353fc10ac9f3a5946a00206432072172e6804eecb0d5db1f0a8&width=400&height=225)
A watermelon grown on the farm.
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/D7ZPN6CQOBF552I456WNXOEZIM.jpg?smart=true&auth=859e9f38deeb3c78138633002773202b36b0eaaa4ce4ed8972c725f647c83aa2&width=400&height=225)
Traditional style hurricane lamps guide the path.
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/KQLOIMVEMDQI76OU4SVBVFQJSU.jpg?smart=true&auth=8eb9af4b30ea1694c5bb23511a8a799c455d5a2dc7d90e8ea5f363f080b84daf&width=400&height=225)
And the walls of the village are built in a traditional way.
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/ODQQ7DNUSH2WOOODUFGSRBIPLA.jpg?smart=true&auth=9f5e5eb484eabc988ebe3c51c7f59d7035192b6ad774bd7fb435ca98a25febe8&width=400&height=225)
Saeed Al Dhahoori points at a mural on the walls of a majlis in his heritage village. He commissioned a South Asian artist who resides in RAK for this mural.
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/YYEKKMXGBUBUZRMNKACAV7K2XA.jpg?smart=true&auth=6a2b5e0a0e77d81c0da24b168997a50262369e3751662d92cbb61159318c97b7&width=400&height=225)
Gardens and palm trees in the shadow of the Hajjar Mountains.
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/6CCQ5THT2ZQPZS47TSW2X3XJAA.jpg?smart=true&auth=3746da8c31cd51dd48e4ca77d7c8a5464c2960b4a22093e8470a8c3a7ab09e07&width=400&height=225)
A traditional jirz axe popular in Ras Al Khaimah.
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/IEL2LABW4HPUHFUGYK35OCIX7U.jpg?smart=true&auth=5e54016fd3007ecf492324230720448500ca93a4ae6d5baa3ebbc18c92beb1be&width=400&height=225)
He has transformed his farm into a heritage village since 1995.
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/ZODMFSBHXONV64ES3FGDBOS33U.jpg?smart=true&auth=fe8523e6496f512bca1222f09e3db76e1db005fdc30c728ae6d5bab274b51175&width=400&height=225)
A respect for nature governs everything he does.
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/FORAQLHI7WXZQ3XQUQJLTPL3SQ.jpg?smart=true&auth=6c8c2e7446dfa0bb4f51734f547bcc2a86d3f6f4cd0d857704198e3fc4fb9337&width=400&height=225)
Saeed Al Dhahoori at his farm in the mountain village of Shaam, Ras Al Khaimah. He grew up in the mountains. All photos by Reem Mohammed / The National
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/IJBQ6WXBZNBV4A2JC7HAVDYQA4.jpg?smart=true&auth=aa1de653f1389eeb2d71032f8b1ea4336a19b3a08eb31e04e2304ad38efa17ef&width=400&height=225)
He was born in 1966 and his was the last generation born at home, without hospital care, and the first to attend modern schools.
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/5ALTNDVWBMRGCSHB2WBFFOMB7I.jpg?smart=true&auth=158789c742122933f45edbb69479423e447770ac649d1a05ee8dadde900be551&width=400&height=225)
Saeed Al Dhuhoori as a young man. In those days, and after the rainy season, he would travel by camel to Fujairah for the date harvest.
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/WQOT746UNA3267YWJSCK2T3H7I.jpg?smart=true&auth=f9522adea553ea2f3e4ea930f5cf63b92e0cd395d51dbb307250f5294f92dd24&width=400&height=225)
Mr Al Dhahoori says unification in 1971 brought services and modernity to villages in the mountains.
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/F4H47JVTUBC5BLG2NYZ7WGYBDE.jpg?smart=true&auth=5db0252a8c0de44e85f76514705a51f9919f5e23234f7b2198a351fd5e79acca&width=400&height=225)
'Unification brought people together and we wanted for nothing,' he said.
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/QVYLNBCQSXMFDW46DBXV3Y4CAM.jpg?smart=true&auth=82af4d5081ceaa0842fc1ae7ae110b577f9da29c92b338f6f477daa3892f45c2&width=400&height=225)
But he also remembers a tough but rewarding life before unification when camel was the only means of transport.
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/TF6NDTDDY63IX63HP6P6EKMJDE.jpg?smart=true&auth=681597d08624df268768f4e031acca2fb01f8ac1852ae7257627334177aa5a11&width=400&height=225)
He wants to teach the younger generations about their elders and how they lived before the UAE was formed.
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/BEKY7HJIZUPBQE4BWIE647CRW4.jpg?smart=true&auth=8fcc7ff5a73000c40925a477cc4bd51dba7146a14e542ec822283951fc3bb273&width=400&height=225)
His Mohammed Bin Rashid Heritage Village in Wadi Shaam includes many old traditional UAE tools that the people of the mountain used in the past, and showcases customs, traditions and practices inherited from older generations.
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/Q77ATCO4HJXI3VDPKSWCAGY25E.jpg?smart=true&auth=bfb3731051fb9a3d8ada04b7bd9de0128fdc29c92ebfcb7626844a11aefd14e1&width=400&height=225)
His heritage village teaches the happiness and tensions of tribal living.
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/7GNXFLICJGZRNWR5H3JLFID6Y4.jpg?smart=true&auth=1924fadbb00173f4c340c5bc2d18fb5d4a15c8133b10e1c69121712c322c9097&width=400&height=225)
Coffee pots and hurricane lamps are among the artefacts on display at the heritage village.
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/OI3PMJLFKKAJBOGTB3YNKYMIJE.jpg?smart=true&auth=9cdd10539cce34120d786a5f1222a605c082c37b8befa08018bb0ff6e03d7127&width=400&height=225)
Traditional types of tableware are also on display.
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/KVV3KRM542P3MEJ7VPU3VFILZI.jpg?smart=true&auth=04b7792c9eceb19ad2ed84ee26f0055dd0d7f3b1e44dc1f71ccf3506fa320ecd&width=400&height=225)
He spends his days in the foothills of the Hajjar Mountains with his friends talking about times past and better ones to come.
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/23NZBDHGZQSC5ZRA5WEMHMNCG4.jpg?smart=true&auth=92675dc025eda353fc10ac9f3a5946a00206432072172e6804eecb0d5db1f0a8&width=400&height=225)
A watermelon grown on the farm.
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/D7ZPN6CQOBF552I456WNXOEZIM.jpg?smart=true&auth=859e9f38deeb3c78138633002773202b36b0eaaa4ce4ed8972c725f647c83aa2&width=400&height=225)
Traditional style hurricane lamps guide the path.
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/KQLOIMVEMDQI76OU4SVBVFQJSU.jpg?smart=true&auth=8eb9af4b30ea1694c5bb23511a8a799c455d5a2dc7d90e8ea5f363f080b84daf&width=400&height=225)
And the walls of the village are built in a traditional way.
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/ODQQ7DNUSH2WOOODUFGSRBIPLA.jpg?smart=true&auth=9f5e5eb484eabc988ebe3c51c7f59d7035192b6ad774bd7fb435ca98a25febe8&width=400&height=225)
Saeed Al Dhahoori points at a mural on the walls of a majlis in his heritage village. He commissioned a South Asian artist who resides in RAK for this mural.
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/YYEKKMXGBUBUZRMNKACAV7K2XA.jpg?smart=true&auth=6a2b5e0a0e77d81c0da24b168997a50262369e3751662d92cbb61159318c97b7&width=400&height=225)
Gardens and palm trees in the shadow of the Hajjar Mountains.
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/6CCQ5THT2ZQPZS47TSW2X3XJAA.jpg?smart=true&auth=3746da8c31cd51dd48e4ca77d7c8a5464c2960b4a22093e8470a8c3a7ab09e07&width=400&height=225)
A traditional jirz axe popular in Ras Al Khaimah.
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/IEL2LABW4HPUHFUGYK35OCIX7U.jpg?smart=true&auth=5e54016fd3007ecf492324230720448500ca93a4ae6d5baa3ebbc18c92beb1be&width=400&height=225)
He has transformed his farm into a heritage village since 1995.
![](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/ZODMFSBHXONV64ES3FGDBOS33U.jpg?smart=true&auth=fe8523e6496f512bca1222f09e3db76e1db005fdc30c728ae6d5bab274b51175&width=400&height=225)
A respect for nature governs everything he does.
Memories of '71: UAE’s mountain men tell of life before running water
Water cisterns once sustained life in the Hajjar Mountains – but then came change
Anna Zacharias
01 December, 2020
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