UAE | General
Road to nostalgia: Quiet homely stretch
Gulf News delves deep into the heart of one of the most popular districts in Abu Dhabi.
- By Samihah Zaman, Staff Reporter
- Published: 00:00 March 4, 2011
- Image Credit: Alex Westcott/Gulf News
- The Future Stars Nursery offers day care to toddlers of parents living and working in the area around Falah Street, otherwise known as Old Passport Road, in Abu Dhabi
Walking down Al Falah Street in the capital does send you back in time. Located in the midst of a city experiencing massive changes to its landscape and living standards, Al Falah appears to be transfixed by a quieter time that is more reminiscent of the capital city of the 1990s.
Like the sense of old-worldliness which flavours the road, its name too indicates a connection to an earlier time. Known officially as Al Falah Street or 9th Street, long-time residents and even taxi drivers are more familiar with the sobriquet ‘Old Passport Road'. This popular name arose because the General Directorate for Residency and Foreign Affairs was housed on the street in the 1970s, and for visa renewal, expats had to deposit and collect their passports from the department.
Today, the stretch is much quieter than other areas of the capital, with buildings slightly older than in other parts of the city and fewer traffic jams in general. This is one of the major reasons why the road is a prime residential area for families.
In fact, on a winter afternoon, many parents can be seen waiting for their young ones to get back from school or even walking with their children.
Vincent Mano, 39, whose two young sons, aged four and six, were holding on to him, is one of these parents. He and his family have been living in a two-bedroom apartment on the street for the past seven years, and find the experience ‘superb'.
"Everything is close by, the rents are quite reasonable and there is a clear focus on family in this area," Mano told Gulf News.
Nathalie Mahmassani, a 32-year-old mother-of-two, echoed Mano's enthusiasm and said the whole area was very ‘family-oriented'. "This is a central location and it has all the facilities I need to raise my kids, including small clinics and a conveniently close shopping centre. In addition, whenever I need to step out, I can always find a taxi," Mahmassani said, as she unwrapped a chocolate bar for her four-year-old daughter.
Residents like Mahmassani are happiest about are the large number of public and private schools in the area, including the Abduallah Bin Otibah School, the Little Flower School and the Zayed Al Thani School. In addition, many small nurseries also cater to working parents, and add to the family-focussed theme of the area.
The Future Stars Nursery is one such institution which takes care of nearly 120 tiny tots while their parents are at work. Filled with the cries and laughter of children between the ages of one month and five years, the place is a veritable delight for the tired soul.
Eman Al Mugheer, general manager of the nursery, said the nursery had opened its colourful doors in 2004. "Parents from all over the city leave their young ones with us," she added.
Collection of bakeries
A variety of small medical centres and clinics are also available to take care of residents' medical needs, including the Taha Medical Centre, the Talat Medical Centre and other small private practices.
Other resident's needs are provided by an array of small stores which offer everything from repair services and herbal products to music classes and traditional Arabic food. These small to medium enterprises are actually what lends the street its timeless flavour.
One of the most interesting sights can be seen at a collection of bakeries spread across the street. Easily distinguishable by the men sitting on platforms and tossing what looks like pizza dough, these shops actually sell Afghani roti (bread). The rotis, which look like pizza crusts pierced with holes, are hand-tossed, baked in a cavernous stone oven in the middle of the platform, and stacked up for sale. All this activity occurs in plain view of the pedestrian, many of whom stop to take a look.
"We bake about 600 rotis daily, and sell them for Dh1 each," a baker at the Naser Bader Bakery said.
"Business is however much less now that when we opened 15 years ago, while the rent for the shop is much higher," he added with a touch of nostalgia.
A restaurant next door grills fresh chicken in front of customers, and another small dusty store sells a range of herbal products. Travel agencies are also aplenty along the road, as are small cafeterias, greengrocers, rent-a-car services, Internet cafes, photography studios, typing centres and hairdressers.
Narayanan Vijayan, a barber at the New Delux Saloon who was taking a break between customers, explained that business was good.
"We've been located here for about 11 years, and see more than 20 customers everyday," he said.
The main shopping centre along the road is the Al Falah Plaza, which sells a range of grocery and household items and also houses gift shops, mobile accessory stores, etc.
Fazna Cassiere, 28, a Sri Lankan banking industry professional hurrying into the store, said she shops for basic groceries and baby products at Al Falah Plaza almost on daily basis.
"The products are very reasonably priced, and it is easy for me to come down here because my workplace is nearby," Cassiere explained.
Because most of the road is dotted by small stores, many of the big ones act as identifying landmarks. For example, the Jumbo Electronics showroom and a branch of the Habib Bank AG Zurich, both of which lie on opposite sides of Al Falah Street's intersection with Muroor Road, are well-recognised features.
Similarly, the building which is located at the intersection with Old Airport Road and houses the International Gym, as well as 711 Furniture and Al Mawaweel Restaurant, is easily recognisable.
Also on this intersection with Old Airport Road is a massive grey structure surrounded by an imposing red brick wall. Although most residents will not be able to tell you that this is the Al Hussan Military Camp, almost everyone knows the red brick wall as a long-term feature of the city.
On the other end, the quiet Al Falah Street is blocked by the ongoing Al Salam Street reconstruction. Nearby, the buildings of the municipality and the Ministry of Finance, surrounded by gardens of green grass and pretty flowers, stand in quiet dignity. Almost hidden by the construction is also the Harley Davidson showroom, which still stops passersby in their tracks with their collection of exclusive motorbikes.
As the day wears on, Al Falah Street gets quieter still as resident children settle down to afternoon siestas or homework. While activity does pick up in the evening, it feels as if night comes early along the road as families retire to bed.
Anyone who spends time along the road — whether for dining, accommodation or to avail of the eclectic range of services along the road — is therefore bound to come away with a sense of calm.
For a street ensconced at the centre of a bustling city, this is indeed noteworthy.
FACILITIES
1 Restaurants: A large number of small shawarma shops, cafes and eateries are spread along the road. In addition, the Al Mawaweel Restaurant and Al Shater Hasan provide traditional Lebanese cuisine, while the Favourite Restaurant caters to those with a taste for Indian dishes.
2 Hospitals: The Taha Medical Centre and the Talat Medical Centre are some of the bigger medical facilities on the street, but a careful look also reveals many small private practices that are run in the neighbouring buildings.
3 Malls: The Al Falah Plaza is the primary shopping destination on the street, and although smaller in size compared to most malls in the capital, it provides a wide range of products on its three floors. In addition to groceries, household items and departmental store products are also available at the plaza.
4 Hotels: Because Al Falah Street is a purely residential area, no hotels are located on the road. However, hotels in the Tourist Club Area, Muroor Road and Airport Road are all easily accessible and only a short distance away from the street.
5 Grocery Stores: Like most other residential areas in the capital, grocery stores occupy several residential buildings along the road.
STREET SMART
Smack in the middle of the lively capital city lies Al Falah Street, a quiet road that still retains a feel of nostalgia. Lined by a row of tall residential buildings occupied by families, the street is known for its family-oriented theme, its mix of small and unique stores and the restaurants that serve a range of authentic international cuisines.
Have your say
Do you live in the Al Falah Street area and have a story to tell us? What is your opinion of the changes that took place in your area? Do you live in another neighbourhood and would like to tell us about it?
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