Spaces That Remain | الاماكن التي تبقى

‘Spaces That Remain’ is a photography exhibition that encapsulates a specific space and time in Dubai’s urban history. Featuring 10 images taken by Dubai-based photographer Jalal Abuthina between 2007 and 2014, the exhibition documents the rapid changes experienced by communities within the ‘Shaabiyah’ neighborhoods Shorta Al-Wasl (Police) and Defaa’ (Defense) (now referred to as the Coca Cola Arena, City Walk). The two neighborhoods, which include the mosque and its surrounding grounds, were constructed in phases starting in the early 1970s up until the 1990s. The people of these neighborhoods could be characterized as low to mid income households made up of mostly Dubai Police officers who came from several nationalities including Emirati, Comoros Islands, Omani, Yemeni and Sudanese. Their homes were granted to them by the government rent-free without land deeds.  

The neighborhoods showcase an architectural language intertwined with vernacular greenery and informal open spaces utilized by residents. They thrived as a close-knit community that adopted grassroots efforts such as planting native trees and maintaining a sense of social cohesion. The (Abdulsalam Alrafi Mosque) was built in the late 1990s and was constructed by Al Dar Engineering Consultants with Fatimid style architecture similar to that of the Jumeirah Mosque. The Mosque served as a continuous congregational meeting point and was complemented by nearby shops, such as Talal Supermarket, that serviced the community. 

In 2016, an urban regeneration project replaced the neighborhoods with modern residential mid-rises and commercial spaces. The works in this exhibition present a dichotomy between the Shaabiyah houses and Dubai’s bold modern skyscrapers seen in the background. Although these neighborhoods are now nonexistent, the Mosque remains, as more than a relic of the past. The Mosque is a protected space, a point of sustained communal gathering, and a point of access to the forgotten history and cultural memory of these communities.