Heavy rain is falling across the UAE. Roads are waterlogged, the seas are rough and more downpours are forecast.
But if you think the conditions today are inclement, then let’s go back to the 1960s.
This photograph was taken in 1963 by David Riley, a British resident who lived in Abu Dhabi then, and worked for the British Bank of the Middle East (now HSBC).
It shows a group of officials from the bank, and its company Land Rover, caught out by a sudden storm surge on Abu Dhabi’s waterfront. It happened when high winds forced the sea on to the shore. Dark skies brood overhead, the churning surf can be seen in the background and the waters worryingly rise around the Land Rover.
“Even so, there is still time to stop and pose for a photo,” Mr Riley wrote about the episode.
Abu Dhabi’s Corniche as we know it today, with its modern roads and port, did not exist then. The sea often surged onshore and caused floods, frequently inundating cargo stacked on the waterfront.
This photograph of the storm is part of a collection Mr Riley took chronicling his time in Abu Dhabi. Taken on a 35 millimetre German Voigtländer camera, they show souqs, airfields and the early oil explorations camps.
Mr Riley left Abu Dhabi in August 1964, after deciding to return to the UK permanently. As for the Land Rover, its fate remains unknown.
Abu Dhabi through the years — in pictures
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Abu Dhabi in the late 1950s or early 1960s. Photo: BP Archive -
An aerial shot of Abu Dhabi from the early 1960s. Oil had been discovered in 1958 and the town was already expanding. Photo: David Riley -
The Arid Lands Research Centre greenhouses on Saadiyat taken at some point during the 1970s. Photo: Merle Jensen / University of Arizona -
The greenhouses on Saadiyat in the 1970s when the island was largely open sand. Photo: Merle Jensen / University of Arizona -
Reclaimed land, such as Marina Mall and the breakwater, has reshaped Abu Dhabi. Sarah Dea / The National -
The view of Abu Dhabi from the reclaimed Lulu Island. Nicole Hill / The National -
Reem Island takes shape in 2012. Ravindranath K / The National -
The Louvre Abu Dhabi construction site in 2013 with Sheikh Khalifa Bridge and Reem Island in the background. Silvia Razgova / The National -
Yas Island under construction in 2009. Ryan Carter / The National -
Abu Dhabi island today.
