Photographs of the United Arab Emirates in 1991: Desert, Mountains and Landscapes
During several stays in the United Arab Emirates between 1990 and 1992, I photographed not only Dubai and its traditions, but also the desert landscapes surrounding the city. The dunes of Hatta, the mountains near Oman, the hazy Gulf light and the ridges of Al Ruman now provide a record of another side of the Emirates, far removed from skyscrapers and large-scale urban developments.
A camera always within reach
My stays in Dubai were primarily connected to assignments for the DPPI press agency and Headline News. Coverage of the Middle East Rally Championship occupied a significant part of my work, but these trips also gave me the opportunity to produce magazine features and illustrative photographs.
Unlike my reports on the camel race in Dubai, falcon training, or the traditional rowing race in Abu Dhabi, these images do not document a specific event. They belong more to landscape photography and observation.
At the time, Dubai was still a relatively low-rise city. Once outside the urban areas, the desert quickly took over. These open spaces were often where I looked for photographs.
The dunes of Hatta
Hatta Dunes, Dubai, 1991 - Photo: © Sebastien Desnoulez
The dunes of Hatta provide a landscape where shapes quickly become the essential subject. The sand forms simple curves, the lines are clean, and the relief is constantly reshaped by the wind.
I have always been fascinated by deserts and the sense of calm they convey. In 1989, during my fourth trip to the United States, I rented a car and explored West Texas, reaching Big Bend National Park before continuing to the gypsum dunes of White Sands in New Mexico.
It was therefore quite natural for me to explore the desert around Dubai, just as I would later explore Petra in the Jordanian desert, and later the landscapes of Boa Vista in Cape Verde and Namibia.
In Hatta, I was interested both in the vast expanses and in the smallest details. Some photographs show the scale of the dunes. Others focus on the patterns formed by the sand, becoming almost abstract. Lines, textures and light become the true subjects of the photograph.
A distinctive light
Desert Landscape in the United Arab Emirates, 1991 - Photo: © Sebastien Desnoulez
One memory remains closely associated with these landscapes: the light. In November and December, the atmosphere often appeared slightly hazy. Perhaps it was dust suspended in the air, moisture from the Gulf, or a combination of both.
This light softened contrasts and gradually reduced the definition of distant reliefs. The mountains appeared as successive layers fading into one another before disappearing into the haze.
The mountains near Al Ruman
Silhouettes of the Al Ruman Mountains photographed from Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, 1991 - Photo: © Sebastien Desnoulez
While travelling toward the eastern coast of the Emirates, close to Oman, I photographed several series of mountains at sunset. Ridge after ridge extended toward the horizon, creating layers whose outlines became increasingly diffuse.
At the time, these photographs were simply landscape images among many others. I appreciated their atmosphere and graphic simplicity without imagining that they would find a new purpose decades later.
Other, rockier landscapes dotted with acacia trees and sparse vegetation completed this vision of the Emirates. They serve as a reminder that the country is not limited to dunes and coastal cities.
Photographs that became the source of artistic work
More than thirty years after they were taken, some of these images found a second life. The silhouettes of the Al Ruman mountains became the raw material for several digital multiple-exposure experiments.
One of these experiments led to the creation of Glitches Al Ruman Mountains, now available as a fine art print. A documentary landscape photographed in 1991 thus became the starting point for a far more personal artistic creation.
This evolution also reflects the continuity of my photographic journey. Subjects change and tools evolve, but the attention given to shapes, lines and layered compositions was already present in these landscapes photographed in the early 1990s.
To discover this artistic approach in more detail, you may also explore the Glitches series.
Another image of the Emirates
When people think of the United Arab Emirates today, images of skyscrapers, spectacular infrastructure projects and large-scale architecture often come to mind.
These photographs show a different reality. Dunes sculpted by the wind, mountains fading into a veil of light, and landscapes where the human scale almost disappears entirely.
Taken alongside my work as a press photographer, these images now complement the other reports from this period. They reveal a long-standing interest in landscape forms, many years before the creation of my more recent photographic series.
Also worth reading:
- Dubai in the 1990s
- Camel Race in Dubai in 1991
- Falcon Training in Dubai in 1991
- Traditional Rowing Race in Abu Dhabi in 1991
Click on the photographs below to view them full screen.
All the photos displayed on this website are copyright protected © Sebastien Desnoulez. No use allowed without written authorization.
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About the author
Sebastien Desnoulez is a photographer, author and image maker based in Paris. His work spans architectural photography, landscape photography and travel photography, with particular attention to composition, lines, light, blur and visual accidents. Trained in photography in the mid-1980s, he covered Formula 1 and reported from around the world before developing a fine art photography practice built around the tension between graphic rigour and visual instability. He also shares his technical experience through practical articles for passionate photographers, drawing on a strong visual culture acquired in both film and digital photography.
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