Al-Tamimi took this photo while on a boat trip with his family from the city’s port to the former Hilton hotel. It pictures the city’s Volcano Fountain, a beloved monument on the Corniche.
One of the oldest images in the photographer’s collection, taken in 1978 from the rooftop of a centre where al-Tamimi was receiving his job training. “There are so many stories and changes in this one shot,” he said. The structure in the middle to the left was a police station, while the sandy plot before the sea would be the future site of the Volcano Fountain.
A photo taken in the early 1980s of the fish market at the intersection of Sheikh Rashid Street, the highway leading to the airport. The market used to be indoors, but there’d be an auction where sellers would display their catch on the street every day at 7AM.
The photographer posing at the Corniche in front of the Abu Dhabi National Insurance Company, one of the first glass buildings in Abu Dhabi. The photo was taken in 1980.
The photographer as an intern in 1978, posing in his dorm room with colleagues from Yemen, Oman and Zanzibar.
A photo of the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce, built in the early 1980s. The famous clock tower seen in this photo was demolished in 2004 as part of the ongoing project to modernise the corniche.
In 1978, when this photo was taken, most buildings in Abu Dhabi were five to seven storeys high, with the exception of those on the road to the airport which could reach 10 to 11 storeys.
The photographer’s daughter, Shaima, at the sea. “We used to go there to see the traditional sailboat races,” al-Tamimi said. “I'm happy they still take place to this day.”