Time Frame has never visited Umm Al Quwain, a regrettable state of affairs that is put right today.
With a population estimated at little over 60,000 in 2003, it is the smallest of the seven emirates, although with a history that dates back 4,000 years according to archeological finds.
This photograph was taken by Alain Saint-Hilaire, a French photographer who made it his goal to visit every part of the UAE. It was taken in 1969 and shows a sleepy fishing village.
Despite its minnow status, Umm Al Quwain had something of an international reputation in those days. Postage stamps not fish were its principal export. Commemorative issues were snapped up by stamp collectors, with large and colourful stamps recording everything from the death of President Kennedy, the !972 Winter Olympic Games in Japan and the 500th anniversary of the birth of the artist Albrecht Dürer. They carry their value in Gulf Indian Rupees.
Stamps are available in Umm Al Quwain, but are now sold in dirhams by Emirates Post.
* James Langton
