August 15, 2011 - Shahama, Abu Dhabi: Mohammad Ali Saeed Al-Mazrooi greets a passer-by along a roundabout in Old Shahama prior to Iftar. Mohammad is originally from Oman but has lived in the UAE for 40 years. He has spent the last four years living in Shahama and loves living in the Emirates even though his family are still in Oman. He sells limes, lemons, dates and honey that are all from Sohar, Oman.
Razan Alzayani / The National
August 16, 2011 - Shahama, Abu Dhabi: Lina Aliyata, 31, from Cagayan, Philippines takes her employer's children, Abdelaziz, 1, and Abdulrahman, 6, out for a short walk around the block half an hour prior to Iftar. "I love living in Shahama, I've made many friends here" she says.
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August 14, 2011 - Shahama, Abu Dhabi: Bizan Alrahman, 29, from Comilla, Bangladesh (Left), Roughallah Taj-Mohammad,30, from Kabul, Afghanistan (Centre) and Mohammad Ashok Kamal Hussein, 20, from Peshawar, Pakistan (Right), work in the kitchen of Emirates Guest Cook, a popular restaurant along a strip of New Shahama restaurants that serves up local home-made dishes. The three co-workers are all fasting yet continue to work through the intense heat of the restaurant's kitchen.
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August 15, 2011 - Shahama, Abu Dhabi: Bizan Alrahman from Comilla, Bangladesh "drills" 110kg of Harees (local dish made of beaten meat and barley) at Emirates Guest Cook. The restaurant prides itself on making one of the best Harees dishes in the emirates, and filled a niche market of locals looking to eat Harees but don't have the energy or capability to beat meat for hours.
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August 15, 2011 - Shahama, Abu Dhabi: Mohammad Saif nuzzles up to "Ajeeb" (slang in Arabic for 'awesome'), his favourite racing horse at the Shahama Equestrian Club. A resident of Al-Rahba, he keeps three horses at the stables to train them for races and hopes to one day have them compete at Meydan. When the weather is pleasant he says he comes to the centre with his friends to sit on the grass, have a coffee and socialise.
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August 15, 2011 - Shahama, Abu Dhabi:Despite the humidity, Sugun "Doctor" Singh, 41, from Udaipur, India bathes horses everyday to cool them down at the Shahama Equestrian Club. Sugun learnt how to handle horses in India but has learnt so much here that his co-workers nickname him 'Doctor'.
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August 16, 2011 - Shahama, Abu Dhabi: Saber Saeed, 7, is originally from Somalia but lives in Al-Bahia. He memorizes the Koran during afternoon class at the Islamic Centre for Memorization of the Koran in Old Shahama. "I want to learn the Koran because it is the word of God", Saber states confidently.
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August 15, 2011 - Shahama, Abu Dhabi: Ayaz Ali, 25, from Sindh, Pakistan kills time and attempts to escape the heat under the shade of a dainty tree in Old Shahama. He has been living in the UAE for four years and works as a truck driver for '6 Construction Company' in Sharjah. He patiently waits for his truck to be loaded with materials before heading back to Sharjah before Iftar.
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August 14, 2011 - Shahama, Abu Dhabi: Ali Hamali, 20, a student with ADNOC lifts weights at the Bright Falcon Body Building Centre in New Shahama. Ali is a resident of Shamkha but comes to this gym because he prefers the trainer at this gym.
Razan Alzayani / The National
August 16, 2011 - Shahama, Abu Dhabi: Sarkai Khan and Abdulrahman Khan, 15, break their fast with watermelon at their home in Old Shahama. "I was the first Pakistani in Shahama 20 years ago, but I have lived in the UAE for 37 years. UAE to me is like Peshawar, it's my home", he says. Sarkai has four sons and four daughters and they all live together in a small ground floor house in Old Shahama.
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August 15, 2011 - Shahama, Abu Dhabi: Aisha Ali (L) from Hyderabad, India applies henna to Marlyn Espinas (R) from Manilla, Philippines. Both women are employees at the Tulip Ladies Beauty Centre in New Shahama and have barely any customers during the day, so they entertain themselves anyway they can.
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August 17, 2011 - Shahama, Abu Dhabi: Jum'aa Al-Hossani breaks his fast with his grandchildren at their home in Old Shahama. Jum'aa is the headmaster at Abdelkader school in Shahama. He has lived in Shahama since 1985. He loves the area because it is safe, peaceful and small, so he knows all his neighbours. "Safety is the most important thing, if you don't have peace in your heart when you put your head on the pillow at night then what's the point to the amount of money you have?"
Razan Alzayani / The National
August 17, 2011 - Shahama, Abu Dhabi: Fajer Al-Hossani plays with her cousin Sheikha Al-Ghaithi, 2, while Shaima Al-Hossani, 11, attempts to pull her back. Her other cousin Fatima Al-Hossani, 10, stares and laughs. The cousins have all gathered to eat Iftar at their grandparent's house in Old Shahama.
Razan Alzayani / The National
