The rapid pace of Dubai’s development is to be celebrated, yet its urban history needs to be documented. 

‘Spaces That Remain’ was a photography exhibition that showcased Jalal Abuthina’s recent works, curated by Rashed Almulla, on the now-vanished neighbourhoods of Shabiyyat Al-Shorta and Al-Defa'a, built in the late 1970s. Held at the Mosque of Reflection (2022) and Bayt AlMamarat (2023), the exhibition captured these neighbourhoods' human and architectural elements. 

The following publication, produced by SWALIF x MABNAI, and supported by the UAE MCY National Grant, provides a sociological analysis of the historical context as well as architectural insights into the neighbourhoods, while simultaneously documenting both exhibitions. City Walk Dubai has since replaced these neighbourhoods.

Inserted within the slips of the cover is a fully translated Arabic manuscript of the text, as well as a catalogue of the exhibited artworks.