“You don’t stumble upon your heritage. It’s there, just waiting to be explored and shared.” - Robbie Robertson
The heritage of UAE is a blended in Arabian, Islamic, Bedouin, and Persian traditions, deeply rooted in the desert surroundings. Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood (Al Bastakiya) is Dubai's oldest heritage area, that allows the visitors to glimpse the traditional life and experience Dubai's pearl-diving era. This painting depicts a traditional Al Fahidi Historical District in its typical Arabian afternoon solstice when everything is calm. The artist paints the sturdy and rugged structure of old buildings in earthly sandy tones. The heavy shadows the exhaust pipes and thresholds of the buildings suggests that time of the day when temperature soars and the busyness lulls. The silent narrow alleys evoke the sense of humble presence of time and with an 'Ahlan' (Welcome) sign on the door, the artist creates a sort of enigmatic invitation to explore the quiet culture of the land.