The Deira-side entrance to Al Maktoum Bridge was once a landscape of blue-littered toll tickets.
For a decade after it opened in 1963, a toll was required to cross, particularly for vehicles travelling from that side. However, few were upset at the charge.
The bridge was pivotal for Dubai, presenting the first physical connection between Deira and Bur Dubai. People no longer had to use an abra to cross the waters or drive around the S-shaped inlet to get from one side of the bank to another. The bridge streamlined mobility and was revolutionary in Dubai's daily life. A toll was a small price to pay. After all, it contributed to the bridge's financing.
Plans for the bridge were unveiled as early as 1960, when British architect John Harris devised a town plan for Dubai, on the behest of Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, who was ruler of the emirate at the time. Harris saw the necessity of conceiving a bridge to connect the two shores and, within a few years, the bridge was built almost precisely where he suggested.
It's unclear how much the bridge cost, but various reports estimate it at $1.2 million. It may not seem like much, especially considering the large-scale projects that Dubai became known for in the following decades. But it was a pretty penny then. The bridge’s construction was initially financed by Sheikh Ahmed bin Ali Al Thani, the former ruler of Qatar, who was also Sheikh Rashid’s son-in-law. The Dubai ruler then raised the money by introducing the toll system.
According to a blog run by Len Chapman, who came to Dubai in 1971 and stayed for 30 years, toll tickets were “printed on blue paper” and sold as tear-off booklets.
Tolls were collected near the bridge entrance on the Deira side. “As vehicles approached the booth from Deira, their drivers waved a toll ticket out of the driver's window. They made no effort to slow down!” Chapman writes. “They simply judged when best to let go of their toll ticket so it floated in the wind and landed somewhere near the toll collector's booth. The toll collector rarely bothered to collect these scattered toll tickets. Just letting a toll ticket loose from a vehicle window was enough for the toll collector to know you had bought a ticket.”
This haphazard system resulted in the Deira-side entrance to the bridge turning “blue with the mass of littered toll tickets".
The tolls were collected until 1973 when the construction of Al Maktoum Bridge was paid for. Since then, the bridge has been expanded and modernised to keep up with the growing traffic needs in Dubai. New lanes were added in 2007, while the roads leading up to the bridge were also refurbished and widened. In 2008, a Salik toll gate was introduced on the bridge.
During Ramadan last year, the Roads and Transport Authority announced that Al Maktoum Bridge would be closed for five hours at night, six days a week. The move was part of maintenance work.
Since opening, Al Maktoum Bridge has been closed several times as part of maintenance and expansion projects.
And it's no longer the only bridge in Dubai. Though still a vital artery of traffic flow, it has been joined by four other bridges including Al Garhoud Bridge, Business Bay Crossing, Floating Bridge and, most recently, Infinity Bridge as part of the city's Al Shindagha Corridor Project.
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
INVESTMENT PLEDGES
Cartlow: $13.4m
Rabbitmart: $14m
Smileneo: $5.8m
Soum: $4m
imVentures: $100m
Plug and Play: $25m
heading
Iran has sent five planeloads of food to Qatar, which is suffering shortages amid a regional blockade.
A number of nations, including Iran's major rival Saudi Arabia, last week cut ties with Qatar, accusing it of funding terrorism, charges it denies.
The land border with Saudi Arabia, through which 40% of Qatar's food comes, has been closed.
Meanwhile, mediators Kuwait said that Qatar was ready to listen to the "qualms" of its neighbours.
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
La Mer lowdown
La Mer beach is open from 10am until midnight, daily, and is located in Jumeirah 1, well after Kite Beach. Some restaurants, like Cupagahwa, are open from 8am for breakfast; most others start at noon. At the time of writing, we noticed that signs for Vicolo, an Italian eatery, and Kaftan, a Turkish restaurant, indicated that these two restaurants will be open soon, most likely this month. Parking is available, as well as a Dh100 all-day valet option or a Dh50 valet service if you’re just stopping by for a few hours.
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
Company%20Profile
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Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
Disability on screen
Empire — neuromuscular disease myasthenia gravis; bipolar disorder; post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Rosewood and Transparent — heart issues
24: Legacy — PTSD;
Superstore and NCIS: New Orleans — wheelchair-bound
Taken and This Is Us — cancer
Trial & Error — cognitive disorder prosopagnosia (facial blindness and dyslexia)
Grey’s Anatomy — prosthetic leg
Scorpion — obsessive compulsive disorder and anxiety
Switched at Birth — deafness
One Mississippi, Wentworth and Transparent — double mastectomy
Dragons — double amputee
Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
