They depict wind-swept beaches, intricately engraved dagger cases, dhows sailing on deep blue seas and camels pounding down the track.
A varied selection of pictures by UAE national photographers is keeping alive the history of the country at a new exhibition.
And as well as celebrating the traditional, the Dubai Summer Surprises display at Ibn Battuta Mall also has reflections of the UAE's modern face by featuring recent developments such as the striking Burj Al Arab hotel.
The exhibition was opened on Sunday by Dr Fatima Al Sayegh, a member of Dubai Cultural Council, which organised the event.
Saeed Mohammad Al Naboudah, chief executive officer of DSS 2005, said the pictures appealed to him for two reasons.
"It is good to see the photographs firstly for the culture and heritage they show and secondly because of their artistic side.
"It is heartwarming to see that the younger generation of photographers are preserving our country's history and showing it to the world in this way."
"It is also encouraging that 70 per cent of the photographers are women. It is interesting to see our culture from their point of view," he told Gulf News.
Subjects caught on camera by the photographers include falcons, rocks, beaches and women cooking traditional sweets.
Khalil Abdul Wahid, coordinator of fine arts at Dubai Cultural Council, said the photographers whose work was being shown ranged from keen amateurs to seasoned professionals.
"For some it's the first time they have exhibited, while others have won prizes in the past for their photography," he said.
Abdul Wahid said the council asked UAE national photographers it was in contact with to submit their best pictures, and declared he was impressed by the quality of the photographs they supplied.
"It was surprised to find that they are really talented people. They have really good eyes," he said.
He added that he hoped to exhibition would provide a career boost to those whose work was being shown.
"As Dubai Cultural Council, we are here to support the art and culture of the UAE nationals, and this exhibition gives them a chance to bond with and meet other photographers.
"We have people who are really good but we don't know them and they don't know us. As an artist, the important thing is finding someone to support you and we are looking for these people so we can support them and push them," he said.
The exhibition is being held at the China Court section of Ibn Battuta Mall as part of Heritage Surprises week of Dubai Summer Surprises.
The event is likely to run for at least the next week at the same venue.
Gulf News
