Time Frame: A simple game of pool before all the waterparks

It’s finally here. After one of the most unsettled winters in recent memory, the early summer heat has hit.

It’s enough to make us copy these three men, enjoying a game of pool indoors from the heat, at Al Nasr Leisureland in Dubai in 1979.

Leisureland opened that year in Oud Metha and was the top entertainment centre in the country. It had amusements such as bowling alleys and even a wave pool. But its prized asset was an international-­size ice rink, which attracted visitors from across the Arabian Gulf.

The entertainment offerings in Dubai have developed somewhat since Al Nasr Leisureland opened. Dubai Parks and Resorts has Legoland Dubai, Bollywood Parks and Motiongate (as well as Legoland Water Park), while Six Flags Dubai is scheduled to open in 2019.

Al Nasr Leisureland, however, is still open for fun and remains an enduring symbol of simpler times.

* John Dennehy

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