Published with the support of

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 Published by Motivate Publishing

Dubai: PO Box 2331, Dubai, UAE

Tel: (+971 4) 282 4060, fax: (+971 4) 282 7898
e-mail: books@motivate.ae
www.booksarabia.com

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Tel: (+971 4) 390 3550, fax: (+971 4) 390 4845

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Directors: Obaid Humaid Al Tayer and

Ian Fairservice

Editors: Simona Cassano

Moushumi Nandy
Senior Designer: Cithadel Francisco
Designer: Charlie Banalo

General Manager Books: Jonathan Griffiths

Publishing Coordinator: Zelda Pinto

© Motivate Publishing 2010

© Photographs: Sankei Shimbun & Yoshio Kawashima 2010
© Text: Kimi Makishima-Akai 2010

ISBN: 978 186063 290 7

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form (including photocopying or
storing in any medium by electronic means) without the written permission of the copyright holders. Applications
for the copyright holders’ written permission to reproduce any part of this publication should be addressed to the
publishers. In accordance with the International Copyright Act 1956 and the UAE Federal Law No. (7) of 2002,
Concerning Copyrights and Neighboring Rights, any person acting in contravention of this will be liable to criminal
prosecution and civil claims for damages.

While every care has been taken to identify the people and places featured in the photographs of this book, it is
possible that readers may be able to provide further information. The publishers would be pleased to consider such
additional details for inclusion in future editions.

Printed and bound by Emirates Printing Press, Dubai

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 Yoshio Kawashima, Sankei Shimbun
Text by Kimi Makishima-Akai

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 Contents
06 Foreword by Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum
08 Introduction
12 Arrival in the Trucial States
18 The Creek, the Heart and Soul of Dubai
34 Ruler’s Majlis: Meeting with Sheikh Rashid
48 Souk, the Kaleidoscope of People and Goods
66 Wedding Celebration on Sands
74 Townscape and Scenes of Life
98 Mr Abdullah Kamal
104 Dubai Revisited
110 Dubai 1962: the Exhibition
114 Message from Kawashima
116 Dubai Chronicle
119 Acknowledgements and Photo Credits
120 Jebel Ali Free Zone (Jafza): an Insight

ドバイ１９６２年の一瞬。
グランド・
モスクの尖塔、ヤシの木、ウィンド
・タワー建築、
ヤシの葉
でできた家。
今日ドバイ博物館となったアル・
ファフィーディ砦の近くで。
A moment of Dubai in 1962. The Grand Mosque, a palm tree, windtowers and areesh
houses made of palm fronds, near Al Fahidi Fort, that today houses the Dubai Museum.

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D 1962 Prelims.indd 5 6/2/10 10:08 AM
 Foreword
It is with much pleasure that I take this opportunity to provide the
foreword to this remarkable book, Dubai 1962. Although the visit by
the photographer Kawashima to Dubai in that year was quite brief,
spanning only a week, the photographs he produced are some of
the most insightful and fascinating images of daily life in Dubai at
that time. From the activity around Dubai Creek, to the trade in the
souk and life around the local homes of residents, the activity and
dynamism of the city are evident and perfectly captured through
his lens.
D 1962 Prelims.indd 6
Of particular interest are the wonderful images of the Ruler’s majlis
which show the accessibilty of my brother Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al
Maktoum and his deep personal connection to the people of Dubai.
These, and all of the photographs, form a splendid record of the time
and demostrate the ability of the photographer to capture not only
the image, but also the mood of his subject.
The relationship and connection between Japan and Dubai as
friends and trading partners is a long and successful story. Indeed,
in some of the photographs by Kawashima you will see the names
6/2/10 10:08 AM
 of Japanese companies and products. This relationship has only familiar to anyone who knows Dubai. Kawashima has captured an
strengthened over time, so that now there are regular connections essence of Dubai which still remains and this book is a testament to
between the two to allow easy access for both business and tourism. his skill and insight into the subject.
This book, and the exhibition that inspired it, are a record of that
historical link and can only serve to further strengthen those ties.
So often we marvel at the many changes the last fifty years have
brought to our city that we can sometimes forget how much of our
culture and heritage still remains. Although the images here harken
back to another way of life, there is much that is recognizable and Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum

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 Introduction
This collection of photographs of Dubai taken in 1962 would not have
seen the light of day had it not been for Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed
Al Maktoum. For over four decades, some hundred photos had been
buried in an archive in Japan, until one of them was brought over
to him in 2008. It is quite extraordinary how the collection survived
the time and made its way back to the place of origin for the first
public viewing nearly half a century later. Here is a brief account of
the “resurrection” of those pictures.
Yoshio Kawashima is today a retired photojournalist in Japan,
who has covered numerous countries during his stint spanning forty
years working for the Sankei Shimbun newspaper. His 1962 tour of
the Middle East together with Hiroshi Kato, a writer colleague, was a
memorable event, as it took them to the Trucial States – the British
protectorate that later became the United Arab Emirates. Dubai
D 1962 Prelims.indd 8
struck him as a unique place and has remained unforgettable, with
the vibrancy of its trading port and human activities. Kawashima
recalls that he could not have asked for a better subject, as the town
provided endless photo opportunities wherever he turned his camera.
As Kawashima recalls, this is possibly the reason why he kept the
Dubai photo negatives with him, rather than handing them over to
Sankei – which was a normal practice for newspaper staff. If he had
followed the normal procedure, the photos would have been discarded
after five years of storage as per the company regulation. Instead, the
collection was spared and survived with him.
Four decades passed, and as the name of Dubai started appearing
in various media in Japan, Kawashima and Kato were reminded of
their visit to the Trucial States. Amazed at the changes that had taken
place since their visit, and also being nostalgic about the place, the
6/2/10 10:08 AM
 pair of now retired journalists felt an urge to show the old photographs
to anyone who may appreciate them and share their experience.
This is how we met: they came over to the office of the Dubai
Government Department of Tourism & Commerce Marketing (DTCM)
in Tokyo, where I was working as Marketing Manager. It was
immediately apparent the collection was a treasure-trove of priceless
photo works with historical value. As I was utterly overwhelmed by
their sheer uniqueness and gasped at them, Kawashima thrust the old
prints towards me saying, “Nobody got so excited about these photos
like you do. Take them, these are yours.” Thus, some sepia-coloured
pictures came to my possession unexpectedly. Among them, there
was a photo of Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the former Ruler
of Dubai, that was the split image of his youngest brother, Sheikh
Ahmed. Besides their resemblance, the image presented the late ruler
D 1962 Prelims.indd 9
with a heart-warming smile, which is rather unusual in official photos,
making it all the more special. I hoped that one day I would be able to
show this to Sheikh Ahmed, the former Chairman of the DTCM.
It took several years, but finally in 2008, after our return to Dubai
from Japan, my husband Gota Akai and I presented the photo to
Sheikh Ahmed. Sheikh Ahmed was naturally impressed with the work,
and rather astonished that the journalists had come to Dubai all the
way from Japan so long ago, and that he had taken and kept those
photos of immense value. Once he found out Kawashima and Kato
are still alive (and fit!) and had not returned to Dubai since 1962, he
told us he would invite both of them to Dubai as his guests.
For Kawashima and Kato, both nearing eighty years of age, the
invitation came as a most wonderful surprise. The following remarks
summarized their delight: “We are the most fortunate of all journalists,
6/2/10 10:08 AM
 being invited back to the place by a brother of the ‘king’ whom we met
half a century ago. This is God’s gift. Life is full of wonders and worth
living at old age.” The journalists revisited the emirate in November
2008, exactly forty-six years later. Their trip to the new-age Dubai is
detailed on page 104.
It was this invitation by Sheikh Ahmed that prompted us –
Kawashima, Kato, Gota Akai and I – to bring the collection back to
Dubai for its first public viewing. Sheikh Ahmed’s gracious gesture
towards the old journalists moved us forward. Feeling compelled to
reciprocate his goodwill and share the photographic legacy with the
people in the UAE, we proceeded to organize the photo exhibition Dubai
1962 at the Dubai Community Theatre and Arts Centre (DUCTAC) in
May 2009, naturally under Sheikh Ahmed’s patronage. After waiting
for nearly half a century, the Kawashima collection thus made its return
to its origin. The event (accounted for on page 110) drew overwhelming
attention from a wide spectrum of the UAE residents as well as visitors,
culminating to the publication of this book.
D 1962 Prelims.indd 10
Nowhere in the world and in human history had a city achieved
such a dramatic transformation within such a short period of time as
Dubai. Kawashima, Sankei Shimbun and I hope these photographs
will provide a chance to reflect on the emirate’s great heritage. While
one must look up to the future, it is imperative that the past be learnt,
remembered and respected as a nation’s foundation and tribute to
those who have lived striving for a better future. We hope the readers
will enjoy these photographs, which may help rediscover Dubai
through its traditional past.
Kimi Makishima-Akai
Throughout the book the following Arabic words have been used: abaya
(black cloak worn by women), abra (water taxi), areesh (made of palm fronds),
dhow (the traditional Arab sailing vessel), kandoora (traditional robe for men),
khanjar (Arabic dagger), majlis (meeting place), shayla (headscarf worn by
women), shisha (tobacco water pipe), souk (market).
6/2/10 10:08 AM
 川島が撮った兄シェイク・ラーシッド首長の写真をいだくシェイク・アハメッド。撮影後４６年たって２００８年に著者によって贈呈された。王族兄弟の似ていること。
この一枚の写真
をきっかけに、
シェイク・アハメッドの招待によって川島らのドバイ再訪が実現、ひいてはドバイ１９６２コレクションが日の目をみることとなった。
Sheikh Ahmed holding the picture of his brother, Sheikh Rashid, taken by Kawashima in 1962. Note the resemblance between the royal brothers. It was through this
photo of the late ruler and the subsequent invitation by Sheikh Ahmed for the journalists’ revisit that the Dubai 1962 collection was resurrected.

D 1962 Prelims.indd 11 6/2/10 10:08 AM

 Arrival in the Trucial States
Two young Japanese journalists set foot in Dubai, the then Trucial
States, in 1962. It was before the dawn of the modernization era
ignited by the discovery of oil and the emirate’s subsequent wealth.
While oil export had begun some twenty years earlier in the region –
namely Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar – and in the neighbouring emirate
of Abu Dhabi, the year 1962 marked the first shipment of “black
gold”, Dubai was yet to wait for its exploration efforts to yield results
until 1966 for the first discovery of oil and further to the 1970s for
the revenue flow. Thus the sheikhdom was then only a small obscure
town with trade activities serving mainly oil-rich nations in the region,
without any significance worthy of international attention.
One may wonder what brought from Japan to Dubai the two media
professionals, Yoshio Kawashima, the photographer, and Hiroshi Kato,
D 1962 Book.indd 12
the reporter. As the industrial development in the post-war Japan had
gathered pace, procurement of energy, namely crude oil, became
a national priority. This led to the first exploration by Japan’s
Arabian Oil Company in Khafji, located in the neutral zone between
Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. With the first shipment of Khafji oil delivered
to Japan in 1961, the nation’s interest in the Middle East by the
industry soared. This prompted the Sankei Shimbun, one of the
major quality daily newspapers, to dispatch special correspondents
to the region, the pair of Kawashima and Kato. While the
newspaper’s initial purpose was to report on Khafji and other oil
producers in the Gulf, they decided to cover the wider Middle East
from the established nations to the totally unknown land of the
Trucial States.
ドバイは当時トルーシャル・ステーツと呼ばれていた地域の一部。隣の首長国シャージャ
にあった英国空軍の空港が空の玄関で、川島・加藤はそこ降り立つ。　さえぎるものの
ない地平線と見わたすかぎりの砂漠につながる砂で固めた滑走路。今日ガルフ・エアー
航空の前身、バハレーンのガルフ・エビエーションが、地域の空を運航していた。
Arriving in the Trucial States at Sharjah’s RAF airport, the main gateway, before
heading to Dubai. It was a landing on a compacted sand airstrip in the vast expanse
of desert with an almost uninterrupted horizon. Gulf Aviation, the forerunner of
today’s Gulf Air – based in Bahrain – was serving the region at the time.
5/27/10 10:58 AM
D 1962 Book.indd 13 5/27/10 10:58 AM
 英国製４輪駆動ランドローバーによるタクシー・サービスが空港から
利用できた。
ドライバーは地元民が中心。
A taxi service by Land Rover was available at the airport by local drivers.

左が管制塔をようする空港ビルの一部。７０年代から使われなくなった古い
空港ビルは、現在アル・マハッタ空港博物館としてよみがえり興味深い展示を
している。砂の滑走路は今日、近代的なシャージャの街中心部、買い物客や車
でにぎわうキング・アブドゥルアジーズ通りに変貌した。
A part of the airport building housing the air control tower is seen on
the left. The building now has been converted into the interesting Al
Mahatta Airport Museum, while the runway has become today’s King
Abdul Aziz Street in Sharjah town-centre, busy with traffic and shoppers.

D 1962 Book.indd 14 5/27/10 10:58 AM

 The Sankei journalists had to travel first to London to obtain visas
to their destinations, which were under the British protectorate, before
heading to the Middle East. After visiting Egypt, the then United Arab
Republic, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and Bahrain, they finally made their way
to the Trucial States, arriving in Sharjah at the British Royal Air Force air
station (they then recall departing from the airport in Dubai, which had
already been constructed two years earlier in the present-day site with
runways of compacted sand). Three hours’ journey on a Land Rover taxi
over rough terrain (the road was not paved until 1966) brought them to
the neighbouring sheikdom of Dubai to the south side of the Creek, Bur
Dubai. The drive today takes a mere twenty minutes on a dual-carriage
motorway – that is, if one is not caught in traffic congestion.
D 1962 Book.indd 15
Naturally, there was no choice accommodation back in the 1960s
and it was not until the late 1970s that five-star hotels of international
brands opened. The journalists had got a name recommended by
an Indian merchant whom they had met prior to their arrival. They
checked in a small two-storied establishment called Airlines Hotel with
just eight rooms on today’s Al Fahidi Street, close to where the Astoria
Hotel is now. It is a short stroll away from the Creek and the souk,
the centre of activities, thus making it an ideal location. There was a
provision for electricity and piped water much to their relief, though
amenities of luxury were still unheard of in those pre-modern days of
the sheikhdom.
15
5/27/10 10:58 AM
D 1962 Book.indd 16 5/27/10 10:58 AM
 エアラインズ・ホテル：川島たちが５日間滞在したホテルは１９５８年開業、
ドバイ初の宿泊施設。今日では電気製品などのショップでにぎわうアルファヒ
ディ通りにあった。８室という小さいながら当時では先端モダンなこのホテル
は、ドバイを訪れるビジネスマンや航空会社のクルーで繁盛していた。 17
Airlines Hotel, the journalists’ accommodation for their five-day stay in
Dubai in 1962, was one of the first hotels in Dubai built in 1958. It was
located on today’s Al Fahidi Street in Bur Dubai, and had only eight
rooms. The very “modern” establishment was in good demand among
visiting businessmen and airline crew (see map). Photograph provided
by Astoria and Ambassador Group of Hotels, Dubai.

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