Introduction

This paper reflects on the rapid evolution of Al Ain, a city of 300,000 people superimposed on a scattered group of seven ancient oases, 160km inland from Abu Dhabi.

In 1962, oil wealth abruptly ended a slow evolutionary process, inevitably and irrevocably changing the Bedouin people and their landscape.

I dwell on the present phase of refinement of Al Ain’s urban character, a phase when the complex issues of western influence and economic globalisation threaten to compromise its unique qualities.

The people and the pre 1930’s economy

Long before the United Arab Emirates formed (1971), the Islamic world was in the forefront of design. The Moors and the Moghuls in particular adapted ideas from countries they conquered and sought architects from Persia to help develop an exceptional style of building and landscape.

Sadly, the Arabs on northern shores of the Arabian Peninsula were unable to share in this development. Prior to the 1960’s they had few riches, apart from pearls, their physical environment was hostile and water resources meagre. From the 1930’s, to the 1960’s, the tribes occupying coastal towns were mainly sedentary. They fished, dived for pearls and traded with other Gulf ports, Persia, Indus Valley, East Africa and India. The main centers were Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah and Ras Al Kaimah. Tribes known to be ruthless pirates controlled the latter.

Inland, were the semi nomadic Bedouin tribes who farmed, grazed animals, carried goods and people on camel caravans, including pilgrims to Mecca via the Empty Quarter. During the cooler months of the year, the Bedu took to the desert where there was browsing for their camels goats, and sheep. The Bedu farmed at Liwa and Al Ain where there was good water from aquifers recharged by runoff from the Hajar Mountains. In small pockets there were alluvial soils able to support crops. Water was skillfully distributed via underground man made channels linking springs and wadis to the oases. They grew dates and under their shade, citrus, mango, vegetables, banana, pomegranate, figs, papaya and animal fodder were commonplace.

Apart from the merchants of Abu Dhabi who benefited from the pearl trade, the Bedouin tribes could do little more than survive. In the 1930’s there was a dramatic decline of the pearl industry due to cheaper pearls from Japan.
Nonetheless, the people had extraordinary resilience, an ethic of family unity, of hospitality toward visitors and a tribal structure, which gave a degree of security and shared resources.

Oil and Sh Zayed

It is within this context of abject poverty that great material wealth quite suddenly presented itself in the 1960’s. After more than twenty years of exploration and drilling, the first oil was exported in 1962. From that time onward, the economic strength of Abu Dhabi grew dramatically. Sh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan became president in 1966. He is a philanthropist and through his selfless caring for his people and his great wisdom he guided development of his country. Sh Zayed also initiated a truce between the often-warring tribes of the region and by 1971 had formed the United Arab Emirates.

Now, 36 years later, Abu Dhabi Emirate presents an extraordinary example of rapid and largely controlled development.
Income from oil now represents one third of GDP, which may surprise those who believed it all comes from oil.

Al Ain, the place, its history and culture

Al Ain is on the edge of Rhub Al Khali, the Empty Quarter, one of the most hostile environments on earth. It is a dramatic natural landscape with towering red sand dunes to the west and north; to the south, the stark mountainous ridge of Jebel Hafeet and to the east, the gravel plains leading to the Hajar Mountains. It is a formidable landscape that appears to defy man’s capacity to adapt and live comfortably.

Within this area, once known as Tawam, there is evidence of at least 6000 years of settlement from the early Bronze Age period. Around 3000BC, the Magam civilisation began. They farmed using an underground network of irrigation channels, believed to be the oldest in the world, and grew barley, sorghum, possibly dates and animal fodder. They also domesticated the camel, kept sheep, goats and donkeys.

The Magam also mined and smelted copper and traded with Mesopotamia, Persia and the Indus Valley for more than 1000 years. With the coming of the Iron Age, the demand for copper waned and during the same period, rainfall decreased markedly, forcing the Magam into a nomadic existence. They became the first of the Bedouin (wanderers of the desert) tribes in the Al Ain region. Later waves of migration brought other Bedouin tribes from southern Oman and from the Najd, now Saudi Arabia. These tribes kept their independence and controlled separate oases in the Buraimi (Al Ain) area, often disputing ownership of animals and feuded over family matters and access to grazing.

Nonetheless, the Bedu survived, along with their rich traditions of family, animal husbandry, date farming and exceptional hospitality. The Bedu also had extraordinary skills and discipline for navigation and survival in the desert.

Al Ain, a simple life; suddenly…….Oil and modern development

The oases of Al Ain took several thousand years to develop to their present size, as did the villages of adobe and barasti (date fronds) construction. Transport was by donkey and camel, which followed irregular pathways between villages or through the oases. Forts sheltered the local tribes during attacks by other tribes. Watchtowers gave security for their falaj system and advanced warning of strangers.

Within the oasis, each plot owner maintained adobe walls to separate his holding from his neighbours and from public routes. From the latter part of the first millennia AD, Islam entered the life of the Bedu and mosques became the centre of village activity. Suqs or market places of adobe and barasti were nearby. Most dwellings, of similar materials, were sited and designed to respect privacy, ensuring no overlooking, imposing a height limit and determining window and entry positions.

This patient, simple life style was in for a shock.

Oil funded development suddenly rolled in like a tidal wave.

During the period from 1966 to early 1980’s rapid development provided for the practical needs of a people eager to enjoy the trappings of the modern world. These activities also attracted many expatriate workers who quickly outnumbered the locals and brought with them a different life style. Infrastructure, housing, commercial development, institutional development grew at a fantastic pace and could easily have shown little respect for heritage, but it did not.
Sh Zayed and the government agencies of Al Ain determined that:

Nonetheless, the new urban fabric quickly absorbed the shapes of original settlements and their links.
Despite the enormity of this change, the visual strength of the vast oases prevailed. Sh Zayed’s decree that all oases and historic buildings be protected and that major roads be planted with Date Palms ensured the ‘feel’ of the oases would unite the new city.

36 years later

In recent years, Al Ain has entered the IFPRA sponsored Nations in Bloom competition which is like a Nobel prize for city environment. On two occasions, Al Ain came runner up in its division, to the City of Westminster, the core of London. Such an achievement was due to Al Ain’s extraordinary richness of character, as well as environmental measures concerning water management, recycling of waste and environmental education. Most remarkable is that nowhere else in the world are most of the street trees producing edible fruit available to all, or, oases maintained as public open space within the city centre.

Despite world recognition, what do the people of Al Ain think about their city and its future?

I often talk with young university graduates and undergraduates about the attitudes of their grandparents and parents. They tell me their grandparents, while expressing great pride in the development of Al Ain, still find most comforts in the home, sitting in majlis with friends or chatting with acquaintances at the local mosque. Highlights are trips to the desert, camel races, tending a few animals and crops, occasionally visiting the old market places. Changes have been so fast that they can no longer trace old routes or many of the places they once knew. It is extraordinary that there are many people still living who remember this earlier life, who remember slaves being sold, camel caravans arriving, no electricity, no schools or hospitals, the first car arriving.

The children of this older generation were the first to receive a modern, western style education. They understood the changes and were excited by them, few lamented what was abandoned for the new ways. The ‘kids’ I am talking with do whatever is ‘cool’, watch movies, hang out at coffee shops, eat take away food, cruise in big 4 wheel drives. Western TV culture is quickly replacing their moral standards and cultural traditions.

Some young people are conscious of their culture but only a few care enough to want to do something about its conservation. In most households, the Bedu culture still lives on in some form, because grandparents and most parents insist on it. The culture is sustained by the need for family to discuss everything in the lives of all its members, to eat together, to share their wealth, influence and knowledge and to put the interests of family ahead of everything else except the worship of God. How long this will last is unclear but the ruler, Sh Zayed uses every opportunity to remind his people of their past.

The next 20 years…… in search of style

Al Ain spreads over 150 sq. kilometers. It retains a distinctly Arab character throughout, with minarets punctuating the sky above the date palms and between other buildings. In a period when globalisation threatens to deregionalize urban form there needs to be a determination to sustain not only its Arab character but also that of the oases and traditional architecture.

The forthcoming review of the 1987 Master Plan gives us a forum for establishing a new policy framework. Contemplating a future, perhaps the next 20 years at best, there needs to be development policies aimed at perpetuating a clear regionalised urban form. Above all else, we must assume that religious culture and residential privacy, remain as first priorities. Refinement of built form, especially replacement of redundant buildings and road infrastructure demands tighter policies and guidelines and possibly a stronger role for the Islamic Design Committee.

Where do we go for inspiration?

By 1966 when Abu Dhabi and Al Ain started the process of ‘modernisation ’ there were few solid buildings. These were forts, watch towers, modest palaces and mosques plus merchant’s houses, some displaying fenestration and decoration of entries, doors and mushrabia. The basic architecture derived from climate, tradition and religion whereas the decorative expressions such as floral motifs and abstract patterns originated in Persia and were adopted as part of the Arabic architecture style.
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The dominance of landscape leaves no doubt in the minds of visitors that its mosaic of parts are clearly those of a city inspired by its oases. The spaciousness of the boulevards and roundabouts with their date palms, and other trees, grasses, ground cover, hedges, shrubs and flowers are the strongest element of the city. Most often, buildings are hidden behind or partly obscured by a filter of foliage.

What is the vision?

It remains clear that modern Al Ain was spawned by a philosophic ideal to create a fine city without burying its past.
Now we must tenaciously hold on to evidence of the past and use it as inspiration for the future. The implication of drawing on the old to create the new need not imply a repetition of original building form and style, rather, it means honoring the roots of traditional architecture and landscape and maintaining a design ethic which supports regionality.

By observing the homogenous, organic simplicity of traditional architecture there are clear parameters able to influence the style of contemporary architecture. From the street view, the walls of traditional residential buildings are simple and largely unadorned, entries are prominent with dressed and decorated doors, windows are small and screened or shuttered, all aimed to achieve privacy and protection from the harsh climate. The interior spaces open to breezeways or loggias (liwan). A tree, often a date palm or a Sidr (Zizyphus spina christi) shades the open courtyard.

Shaping modern style buildings

Contemporary buildings can be designed to express the principles of this simple vernacular and still utilise modern materials. The Medical School building pictured is a good illustration of the above ideals, with its loggias and date palm inspired patterning. Clever use of tented dune like forms to shade walkways, walls and windows and to enclose public spaces, already distinguish other new projects, such as the town square. The colour and form of date fronds and fruit and simple artifacts such as coffee pots inspire the design of balustrades and window grills, stained glass work, doorways, relief on buildings, pavements and entries, motifs and murals.

Shaping the landscape..an oasis style

The strongest element of Al Ain is its landscape and the key element is the date palm, the symbol of the oasis. Date palms are already wide spread throughout the city and should continue to be, but their use needs to be more intricately woven with buildings, and urban spaces, not as an infill, more a symbiotic link with interiors.

Under the shade of the date palm, many other plants thrive and people enjoy protection from the scorching sun. Date palms unify most streets, but there needs to be a more varied treatment under them in response to the use and importance of each city space. Pavements should be more elegant and patterned where an important building faces the street, borrowing pattern from Islamic culture, inviting the shade of palms to play with that pattern. Flowers should similarly be richly presented in keeping with the colour and style of Oriental carpets.

This refinement will strengthen the peculiar feel of Al Ain’s traditional character and promote a greater sense of urban hierarchy. By knowing and seeing the life of the oasis we can extend its more subtle visual details into the city. The patterns of light and shade dancing on water as it gently ripples through the falaj can also benefit urban spaces and gardens. Shaded water is much cooler to the eye than water scalding in the harsh sunshine. The tapestry of oasis sub flora suggests ‘garden’ not a bold landscape patterning, but the mixture of plant forms and colours that typify gardens.

Al Ain’s roadscapes and its parks need to emphasise this sense of garden and avoid the appearance of “ big city” landscape.

Implementing a refinement of style

The rapid development of Al Ain, shielded the ancient oases and many historic buildings from public view. They were hidden behind new walls and new roadside planting or merely lost to view by downgrading of old routes.

Now, the process is being reversed, where possible, revealing the traditional buildings, opening vistas to the oases and devising ways to draw people into the oases as recreation places. The oases continue as productive farms producing thousands of tons of dates each year. They also function as public open space, where visitors can walk amongst the palms and restored heritage buildings, sit at restaurants, watch the daily routine of tending to the palms and enjoy the ambiance of a real oasis.

The desert remains just beyond the urban edge, it occasionally reminds us of its power when shamal winds dump sand and dust through every opening in our houses. The desert near to Al Ain has however, suffered from visual compromise. Power lines occupy the foreground of views of the dunes from major roads. Farms and tree plantations, as important as they are, screen views of the desert and the 4 wheel drives leave their imprint everywhere. There is a clear need to rescue substantial areas of desert from the ravages of man. In some places this is happening, with extensive areas being fenced to deny grazing animals allowing habitat regeneration. There are also plans for protection of Jebel Hafeet as a national park.

The town centre has been redeveloped to allow better, more comfortable places for pedestrians. The style of the redevelopment is largely in keeping with a scale of space and architectural vernacular appropriate to Al Ain. There is an emphasis on shade, displays of water and flowers. Time will allow the newly planted date palms to impose themselves on city spaces but other soft landscaping already works. Replacement and renovation of commercial buildings continues, at least honoring an Islamic style and on occasion honoring a style that is ‘of Al Ain’. Entries to oases have been visually strengthened and the oases themselves are being restored in a traditional idiom.

The political desire for a distinctive urban form is still strong and growing, not only for the psychological comfort of its people but also to meet the burgeoning demands of the tourist. Tourists world wide are looking for somewhere else that is special and different. Economic globalisation is not a catalyst for world sameness of urban form or loss of cultural tradition, it is not and should not be justification for a laissez-faire attitude to planning and urban design. There are still many imponderables but at least, through appreciation and conservation of an ancient culture, through tolerance, perceptiveness and imagination, we can make places and create forms that each contribute to fashioning a city of the Bedu.

References:
Dr. Amal Al Qbaisi, (2000) The Architectural Heritage of the U.A.E., Meaning and Influencing Factors. UAE University.

Peter Hellyer (2001) Early Days in Abu Dhabi – The origins of ADCO 1936-1971. Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Oil Operations (ADCO)

Dr. Frank Heard (1978). The People of the United Arab Emirates. Emirates Natural History Group Bulletin 5, July 1978

Sheikha Al Maskery.(1989) Bedouin Youth, Past and Present. Emirates Natural History Group Bulletin 37, March 1989

Wilfred Thesiger (1959). Arabian Sands. Motivate Publishing 1994, first published Longman, Green Co. Ltd., 1959.

J.B. Kelly (1964). Eastern Arabian Frontiers. Faber and Faber, 1964

Acknowledgments:

My gratitude for help from good friends, Brien Holmes, Dr. Brigitte Howarth, Dr. Marijcke Joengbloed and Phil Iddison; insight from Hessa Al Mamari, Miriam Al Daheri, Khalid Weston and Talal Abdulla; inspiration from Dr. Amal Al Qbaisi.