A glimpse of UAE's rich heritage and vibrant culture

1950s. A man serves qahwa (Arabic coffee) to a group of bedouins as they rest in the Asab oasis north of the Liwa.

1950s. Bedouins and camels relax in the Asab oasis.

1950s. A group of bedouins deep in conversation beside their tents in the Asab oasis.

1950s. Camels outside a tent beside a small palm grove in the Asab oasis north of Liwa.

1950s. Falcons wear leather hoods to prevent them flying away, and when the falconer wants to release t 1950s. A hooded falcon perched on a falconer's leather arm guard outside the Al Hosn Fort in Abu Dhabi. he bird he takes the hood off.

1950s. A falcon testing the air outside the Al Hosn Fort in Abu Dhabi

1950s. A group of men join in traditional songs.

1950s. Musicians offer the group a firm rhythm.

1950s. Girls performing a traditional dance in Hilli village, Buraimi.

1950s. A musician plays the oud, the 12-string Arabic lute

1968. At the mouth of the Creek, fishing dhows pass their day's catch to the abra operators who transported it to the shore and resold it to vendors who took the fish to the market. In the distance large freighters wait to enter the crowded Mina Rashid.

1960s. A group of folk singers and dancers outside a barasti house in Satwa. Some of the traditional Gulf song and dance was heavily influenced by the music of Zanzibar, off the east African coast, with which the people of the Gulf had long been trading. Dances were performed with great energy, the rhythm being supplied by the accompanying drums and cymbals. The drums were usually made from goatskin. The large instrument in the centre which looks like a cross between a harp and a guitar is known as a tamboura.

1980. Fishermen repair their nets on the Fujairah shore

1982. Men row their way across the Dubai creek.

1981. A camel race in progress on a Dubai race track, just after the start.

1981. A TV van driving alongside the track, giving live coverage of a camel race in Abu Dhabi.

1976. Some traditional rowing boats had crews of well over 100 men for big races.

1976. Oarsmen in action during a traditional boat race held in Abu Dhabi.

1979. Musicians perform a traditional accompaniment to the dance.

1970s. Young girls toss their long hair in the air during a dance

A drummer on the vast base drum using both hands to beat out the rhythms.

Drummers set the rhytym for the dancers during the celebrations of National Day in 1980 in Ras Al Khaimah

A traditional Arab dance being performed. Folk troupes regularly gather at major events to keep the UAE traditions alive and preserve the oral memories of how to perform these traditional dances.

1981. Dancers wield their sticks as they perform Al Ayala, a traditional UAE dance performed at weddings and during celebrations.

Participants in a traditional dance in 1987, using sticks as well as rifles

1996. Artists perform Al Ayala, a popular traditional UAE dance, during the opening ceremony of the newly renovated Kalba Fort i 2000. The Al Bidya mosque, the 15th-century mosque which is considered the oldest house of worship in the UAE. n the emirate of Sharjah.

Bastakiya: This is a traditional house with wind tower in the historic Bastakiya area along Dubai's creek in Bur Dubai. No entry fees to Bastakiya. So feast yourself with all the culture and heritage

The ancient industry of dhow-building is alive and well as shown here at the Al Khattal boatyard ner Jaddaf Al Garhoud, Dubai. The yard takes 18 months to two years to build a dhow using traditional techniques. Pictured here are two generations of the Al Khattal family, Mohammad S. Al Khattal with his father Saeed Al Khattal working on this dhow measuring over 100 feet.

1996. Dhows with cargo docked at the Dubai Creek near Maktoum Bridge.

2008. Traditional boats moored at the dhow harbour near the Iranian souq close to Mina Zayed in Abu Dhabi.

2002. An abra, a traditional wooden boat, ferrying passengers across the Creek

This re-creatin of a traditional well is in Al Bidya Heritage Village in Fujairah near the ancient Bidya mosque. Such refurbished features from the UAE's past ensure that everyone can see what life was like in the past when water was drawn by hand from wells then sent along channels into the fields.

A fisherman working from a boat has thrown his circular net over a shoal of fish, which he will pull back with his catch.