A solar saga

As the cultural spokesperson on the UAE's culture and heritage for many years, Abdullah Hamdan Bin Dalmook, the former director of Shindagha Heritage Village, has educated both tourists and residents. And why not? He has a graduate degree in political science from the University of Tacoma in Seattle, the US and belongs to a family which has been directly involved in the business of education. His grandfather, Shaikh Ahmad Bin Dalmook, established the Ahmadiyya School that takes its name after him. His father, Hamdan Bin Ahmad Bin Dalmook, who diversified into pearl trading, continued to carry the torch of cultural education and he has gleaned a lot about the UAE's heritage from them. Born in Bastakiya, Abdullah has spent his entire life around Shindagha and Bastakiya. Today he is the manager of Dubai's heritage racing events under the aegis of the Fazza Championships that include saluki and camel racing, events that keep the UAE's heritage alive. So when Friday asked him to talk about the manner in which the people of the UAE harnessed the energy of the sun to sustain life, Abdullah immediately fell into a reverie as he recollected the practices of the past - some of which he was a witness to and others which he has heard or read about.

Sun as a life-giving source

"The sun was a vital life force for the people of the Gulf. I was born in 1969 and my recollections are roughly from the age of seven. One thing that is clear to me is that the sun was not as hot as it is now. The heat was milder and not so relentless.

"In fact, people came to Dubai because it was known to be cooler than other places in the region. In the evening, even during the peak of summer, the sea breeze cooled the steaming land and the palm trees shaded us well from the direct heat of the sun.

"To me, the sun stands for power, energy and sustenance. The Bedouins in the deserts have not only survived in the heat but been able to prosper because we have used the sun's heat as a sustainable life force.

"Right up to the mid-20th century there was no electricity here. Like everybody else in similar conditions around the world our lives too revolved around the sun. If we are to go further back in time to understand how the Bedouins lived in the desert, we can see that their entire rhythm of life was organised around the rising and setting of the sun. I am talking about the time of my great grandfather. Back then people's days began with the rising of the sun. They divided the day into morning, afternoon or evening and night according to the movement of the sun and told the time observing the shadows cast by the sun as it made its way across the sky. Come sundown, it was time to call it a day.

"If they had to move the caravan to a new oasis, they would wait until sundown as it was easier to make the long arduous journeys in cooler temperatures. The sun, moon and stars were important points of navigation across the desert sands. While the moon and stars were used to navigate the caravan trail which usually moved at night, the sun was our guide to the seasons, to our prayer times throughout the day and was important in pointing out the direction of the Qiblah. We turned towards the East to pray and this was similar for many countries of the region such as Oman, Bahrain and Qatar. Our community prayers and our faith have always been a binding factor.

Sun as a rejuvenator

"When building our homes in the desert it was extremely important for us to know the East-West directional axis so we could build away from the direction of the treacherous shamal (sandstorms). While city dwellings can use materials like rock, sand and granite to build, the Bedouins had to depend on sheep hair tents. In order to prevent the tent from being blown away by a shamal, you had to pitch it in a manner where the entrance faced the East. So it was crucial we knew the directions based on the movement of the sun.

"The rays of sun were considered rejuvenating for health. Little children who had yellow eyes (due to jaundice at birth as we now know) were made to sit in the sun. Doctors to this day ask mothers to build their child's strength by exposing them to the early morning sun. Its rays were said to cure all kinds of skin afflictions.

"Women dried and cured many things in the heat of the sun. I remember as little children, when fresh dates were plucked and placed in buckets or tubs, we were asked to wash our feet and with the pressure of our heels tenderise those dates. They were then left to dry in the sun for a few days and then stored. The dates would keep for at least six months.

"Food sources were limited and because the heat spoiled or curdled things, the Bedouins came up with methods to turn this potentially hostile energy into one that helped sustain life. Camel and goat milk was curdled by keeping it out in the heat. Then the water was drained from this yoghurt and rolled into balls and hung in muslin cloths to be cured as cheese. Camel and donkey skins were dried out in the sun and treated to make them suitable for water and milk storage. We stored water in the jerabeh and milk in the sigga - both were animal skin pouches.

Sun as a preserver

"There was no refrigerator and in order to preserve things, they were kept out in the sun to be cured. Fish such as sardines and trout were washed, cleaned and sprinkled with salt and then left out to dry in the sun. Once dried they could be stored for a long time. Dried fish lasted for days and months and was a welcome nutritious addition to our food.

"Even goat meat was preserved in a similar manner. The meat was chopped into small chunks, strung on ropes and left out in the sun for two to three days. Once it dried, it could be stored for at least three months.

Sun as a benefactor

"The sun was kind to us in many ways. For instance, everyone knows the water in wells is cooler in summer and warmer during winter. The well has natural insulating powers. So despite the heat we quenched our summer thirst with cool water and we enjoyed the feel of warm water in the winters when the temperatures dip sharply in the desert. Similarly tents in winter were pitched over trenches that were dug in the sand, as the sand was warmer in the inner layers which helped keep the environment in the tent cosy, protecting it from a shamal.

Sun as an arbitrator

"Irrigation methods were devised using the movement of the sun in the sky for equitable distribution of falaj (underground aquifiers) waters for all fields. Villages in the oasis used this time-honoured system of water distribution to the farms of all inhabitants to avoid any disputes. This was governed by a primitive sun clock.

"On a patch of land, a pole or stick was hoisted in the centre. Around this central post parallel lines were engraved on the ground. The farms or plots of land were represented by stones placed strategically to get the sunlight in a fixed duration of time such as one hour or so. As the sun rose overhead, the shadow of the stick fell on one particular stone representing one farm. This meant it was time for that particular farm to be irrigated. The long canal had rudimentary sluice gates punctuating it at intervals - one each at the entrance of every farm on the designated area. This could be an opening made by a flat stone which was lifted and the water was allowed to flow only to that field. As the sun moved across the sky, the shadow of the stick moved from stone to stone and every farm was irrigated in turns. This ensured harmonious distribution of falaj water to all the farms in the oasis.

Sun as a literary symbol

"The sun is always associated with heroism, glory and success and in our traditional poems (Qasida Al Shams) you will find many verses that compare the glory and chivalry of heroes to the power of the sun. Also, if a woman was fair, we would compare her radiance to the brilliance of the sun." F