Complete with live falcons, this splendid iftar in the 1970s shows Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan as a guest at the palace of Sheikh Mubarak bin Mohammed Al Nahyan, along with a young Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed, now the President of the United Arab Emirates.
At the time, Sheikh Mubarak, far right, was the country's first Interior Minister and, before that, the first director of Abu Dhabi's police force.
His role in developing the UAE's infrastructure included establishing border checkpoints and police stations across Abu Dhabi emirate.
According to the official history of Abu Dhabi Police, Sheikh Mubarak was also responsible for overseeing the implementation of the city's grid road network .
A serious car accident in 1979 forced Sheikh Mubarak from public office but he remained a visible figure in Abu Dhabi life, with his son, Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak, the Higher Education Minister, driving him around the capital.
As the photo illustrates, one of Sheikh Mubarak's passions was falconry. Indeed, he was reported to have made his final hunting trip to Pakistan in November 2009, just six months before his death in February 2010.
Time Frame is a series that opens a window into the nation's past. Readers are invited to make contributions to yourpics@thenational.ae
