Dubai: Reams of images stored in countless boxes and cabinets, depict some of the world's most iconic figures - from Nelson Mandela and Yasser Arafat, to Anwar Sadat and Mohammad Ali.
In many of the shots one face continues to crop up, usually embracing the famous figures and ageing as the photos become more recent.
The familiar face is that of Nour Ali Rashid - the grandfather of photography in the UAE who at the age of 78 continues to work as the UAE's royal photographer.
From documenting the establishment of the UAE and the life of the late President Shaikh Zayed and other members of the royal family, Rashid's prolific work as a portrait photographer in the UAE is unparalleled.
Awards
Thousands of negatives and prints form his life's work are kept in filing cabinets and trunks in rooms in the maze-like penthouse apartment he shares with his wife.
The apartment's walls are adorned with awards, including the Dubai Government's 'Photographer of the Millennium Award', along with his most prized photos.
More official photos and candid shots of his days as a young photographer are kept in his other apartment in the same Sharjah building. But most are stored haphazardly and not properly archived.
"It has taken me 60 years to take all of these photos and it will take me another 100 to archive them all ... I have no time," he says. "Even the kitchen is full of pictures. My wife says that I am married to the camera and my children are the photos."
Now a father of six and grandfather of 11, Rashid came to the UAE in 1958 from the fishing port of Gwadar on the Pakistani coast - the year it was transferred from Omani to Pakistani rule. Born in Gwadar in 1929, Rashid says his first experience behind the lens came at a friend's house, whose father had a camera.
"I took the camera and looked behind the lens and saw the most amazing view," he recalls. "But, my father wanted me to be a businessman, so he gave me a shop. I ended up sleeping most of the day; I just wasn't interested. The shop was by the sea and the cool breeze used to put me to sleep."
Beginnings
In the early 1950s, the erstwhile businessman began working as a society photographer in Pakistan, something that was again met with disapproval from his father, who arranged for him to open a branch of the family business in the emirate of Dubai.
"When I first arrived in Dubai by boat, the coastline attracted me and I started to take photos. Dubai Creek was amazing and looked like Venice, so I took out my camera and somehow I knew those photographs would be valuable. I even made my own dark-room, which was very difficult because it was so hot, so I had to use ice," he recalls.
In the UAE, Rashid's passion for photography continued unabated, and he recalls his first, pivotal meeting with Shaikh Zayad at a function at the ruler's diwan.
For years after, Rashid travelled the world as the royal photographer, mingling with world leaders, royalty and celebrities, documenting his experiences.
Today, this diminutive man and author of five books can still be found photographing most major functions and events. "I wish I could work as much as possible ... when I take pictures, I do it with my mind and my soul."
