Dubai in 1950

DUBAI IN 1950

Dubai Police: Controlling Dubai's Traffic 1960s style

Doesn't appear to be too much traffic - non existent in fact! Must have been a major road junction in Old Dubai to have a Traffic Policeman on duty.

Dubai Police: Are you insured? This photo must be from the late 1960s given the model and age of the car (an Austin A55). Dubai Police were busy with road accidents long before the Sheikh Zayed Road was built;-) Dubai Police: Traffic Jam 1960s style? Two Landrovers, two cars and a motorcycle were enough to give the Traffic Policeman a headache in the 1960s!   Dubai Police: Stopping Landrovers speeding in 1960s Dubai Police were always keen to use technology to help their cause. Drivers had to keep a look out for VW Combi Vans parked on the side of the road!  Dubai Clock Tower 1965: Aerial View This photo is taken after the completion of Al Maktoum Bridge and shows the Clock Tower Roundabout completed. Dubai's roads were not busy in 1965! The buildings on the left are:- (front) Dubai Trade School established by Sheikh Rashid to teach National boys trade skills. (behind) Dubai Industrial Gases and Oxygen Company where industrial gases were manufactured for local use and export. (back) Dubai Municipality Fire Brigade Station. (top right) Tanks are part of Shell Oil Company's Bitumen Plant where bitumen was manufactured and stored for local use and export. Small bitumen tanker ships berthed alongside the tanks to load their cargoes. Bitumen was in demand in the region for the road construction.   Dubai Clock Tower 1967: As seen from the Carlton Hotel Taken from the roof of the Carlton Hotel in Diera in 1967. Clock Tower can be seen in the distance (arrow). In the centre of the photo is the old Dubai Municipality Building. Behind that is the Dubai Electricty Company's Power Station that supplied Dubai's electricity. All the buildings in the foreground have been demolished. Dubai Clock Tower 1971:Aerial View Behind the Clock Tower is one of the first "high rise" buildings in Dubai. It was known as the Phillips Building because of a large advertisement on the top of the building for Phillips Electrical of Holland. In 1971 the facade on one side of the building collapsed crushing a number of cars but without injury to any people. The building was subsequently demolished.  Dubai Airport: 1960 Airport facilities were minimal. A compacted sand runway, a small terminal building and a service building formed Dubai's Airport in the 1960s.  Dubai Airport: Immigration and Customs 1960s Style! Dubai Airport: Check In 1960s Style!  Dubai Airport: 1960 Facilities were minimal with hard packed sand forming the runway and apron.  Dubai Airport: 1965 Dubai Airport opened in 1960. Sheikh Rashid decided to build the Airport after the British Government funded an Airport at nearby Sharjah. He believed an Airport was crucial to Dubai's future. Dubai Airport: 1965 Al Ghusais was chosen as the location for the new Airport because it was close the Dubai City and easy to get to. Jebel Ali was the preferred site but was further from Dubai than Sharjah. Sheikh Rashid thought people would still prefer to use Sharjah Airport. Dubai Airport: 1965 Al Ghusais had been used as a landing strip by Frank Blumford, the Founder of Gulf Aviation. Frank often flew Gold Bullion into Dubai, landing on the sand at Al Ghusais. He advised Sheikh Rashid Al Ghusais was suitable for an Airport. Dubai's first runway was made from compacted sand. An MEA Heron was the first flight to land on the runway. MEA declared the runway safe after a series of test landings. Dubai Airport: 1965 When four engined Vickers Viscounts came into service they caused damage to the runway frequently blowing the holes in the runway's compacted sand. Sheikh Rashid ordered the runaway be rebuilt using concrete. Dubai Airport: 1965 International Travellers usually flew into Bahrain and then to Dubai by Gulf Aviation. Regional services were provided by Kuwait Air and MEA. Dubai Airport: HH Sheikh Rashid greets King Hussein of Jordan Dubai Airport: 1970s A new Terminal Building and a hard surfaced runway had been built by the mid 1970s Al Maktoum Bridge 1960 July 1962. Start of building Al Maktoum Bridge Road Ramp being reclaimed with dredged material from Dubai Creek.Al Maktoum Bridge was built by Overseas AST. They were an Austrian Engineering and Construction Company who established in Dubai in 1959.Overseas AST were responsible for constructing many of Dubai's first projects. Sir William Halcrow and Partners were Consultants for Al Maktoum Bridge. Al Maktoum Bridge 1960s Building the steel reinforcing framework before concreting a support pillar. Al Maktoum Bridge 1960s: Oversea AST Site Works Shows Overseas AST's Site Works on the Deira side of Dubai Creek. This area had been reclaimed with dredged material. Site was later developed into Dubai's Oilfields Supplies Centre which supplied oil field materials and equipment to the offshore oil industry. Oilfields Supplies Centre later relocated to Jebel Ali Free Zone. This Site is now under development. The completed Al Maktoum Bridge can be seen, also Cement Storage Sheds and loading Jetties on Dubai side of the Creek.

Dubai Creek Dredging: 1950s

In the mid 1950s Dubai's Creek filled with sand becoming very shallow and difficult to navigate. Dubai's trade was affected. Diera's coastline was eroding and buildings and roads along the coast were threatened. Dubai's Merchants and People were complaining. Sheikh Mohammed’s Wedding (1979) Some more of Dubai