Richard Parry’s remarkable aerial photographs capture Dubai in the 1980s, a city on the brink of monumental change. His collection, taken from a Cessna training plane, provides a unique glimpse into a time when life in Dubai revolved around the historic Dubai Creek.
One iconic image shows Sheikh Zayed Road, then a quieter and smaller thoroughfare stretching into the haze towards Abu Dhabi. Dominating the scene are the Trade Centre apartments, often referred to as the Hilton apartments, with vast expanses of desert surrounding them. These structures were some of the few tall buildings of the time, signaling the upcoming construction boom that would transform the city’s skyline.
“My father used to joke – the best way to navigate towards Dubai was by using the World Trade Centre,” Parry recalls. “That was the best navigation aid for Dubai ever built.” Parry, originally from Wales, came to Dubai to help establish Emirates and used his spare time to give flying lessons, capturing the city and its surroundings from above.
Upon takeoff, Parry’s flights would parallel the beach, offering stunning views of the low-rise villas of Jumeirah on the right and the vast sandy areas past the World Trade Centre on the left. The long-demolished Metropolitan Hotel and the historic Chicago Beach Hotel were visible landmarks, marking the transition from urban Dubai to the expanse of the desert.
Training flights also provided glimpses of Dubai Creek, the heart of the city. One striking aerial shot shows the mouth of the Creek, with the Hyatt Regency hotel standing alone on the Deira side, and the historic Shindagha neighborhood across the water. These images highlight how essential the Creek was to daily life, bustling with dhows and abras.
Parry’s recollections extend beyond Dubai to the wider UAE. Training flights took him north to Ras Al Khaimah and east across the mountains to Fujairah. He fondly remembers flying over the small fishing ports of Umm Al Quwain and Ajman, noting the dramatic changes since then.
“There was still a little sense of pioneering,” Parry said, describing the 1980s as a time when Dubai was one of the world’s best-kept secrets. Although the city was radically different from the late 1960s, when his father visited as a sea captain, it remained a wonderful place to live.
Today, the view from Sheikh Zayed Road is unrecognizable compared to the 1980s. The Trade Centre apartments and the building where Parry once lived are now dwarfed by new neighborhoods, hotels, and skyscrapers, including the iconic Burj Khalifa. Dubai has evolved into a global metropolis with one of the world’s busiest airports, reflecting the city’s rapid growth and transformation.
Richard Parry enjoyed a distinguished career in aviation, flying first for Gulf Air and then for Emirates until his retirement in 2014. Now living in Malaysia, he looks back on those pioneering days with fondness, cherishing the memories of a city on the cusp of extraordinary change.
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