Abu Dhabi in the 1950s: Rare glimpses of life before the oil boom
Step back to 1950s Abu Dhabi, when life was shaped by the sea, sand and traditional trades
Abu Dhabi in the 1950s was a small coastal settlement, vastly different from the modern capital it would become. Gulf News archives describe a community of about 3,000 people in 1953, where families lived in traditional homes and children often played barefoot in the desert.
Life revolved around the sea and traditional livelihoods. Fishing, pearling and small-scale trading supported many families, while roads and modern infrastructure were limited. Homes were built to suit the harsh climate, and daily routines followed the rhythms of the seasons and the sea.
A rough causeway across Al Maqta Channel, built in the early 1950s, made travel between Abu Dhabi Island and the mainland easier.
Change, however, was already approaching. Oil exploration intensified, with oil discovered offshore at Umm Shaif in 1958. Archaeological excavations at Umm Al Nar also highlighted the emirate’s much older history.
These archive photographs offer a glimpse of Abu Dhabi at a pivotal moment — just before oil transformed its economy, landscape and way of life.
