Abandoned Village Is a Reminder of Fast-changing UAE
2023-09-02
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1About an hour's drive from the tall buildings of Dubai is an empty village in the sands of the United Arab Emirates.
2It stands as a reminder of how fast the Middle Eastern country is changing.
3Built in the 1970s, the village of al-Ghuraifa was left empty twenty years later.
4Oil wealth has turned the UAE, home to the cities of Dubai and Abu Dhabi, into an international center of commerce and tourism.
5In recent years, the empty village near the town of al-Madam in the Sharjah emirate has become more popular with visitors.
6The village, made up of two rows of homes and a religious center, "can teach us a lot of the modern history of the UAE," said Ahmad Sukkar of the University of Sharjah.
7Sukkar is part of a team studying the area.
8Al-Ghuraifa was built as part of a public housing project after the 1971 establishment of the United Arab Emirates, a group of seven sheikhdoms.
9The discovery of oil 13 years earlier was just starting to reshape the country.
10The village housed around 100 members of the al-Ketbi tribe, Sukkar said.
11They were one of several Bedouin groups that until then had led a semi-nomadic existence.
12They raised animals, traveled among the desert oases and visited Dubai and Abu Dhabi when they were small towns.
13The modern cement houses were built with local details to ease the change to settled life.
14The inside walls were brightly colored, and some had mosaics.
15The homes also had spaces where village leaders could gather locals for meetings.
16One house had special paper known as wallpaper showing a land with green plants and trees - a big difference from the sandy environment outside.
17It is unclear what exactly caused people to leave just twenty years after the homes were built.
18Some say that they were driven away by evil spirits.
19But Sukkar says it is more likely that people left to seek a better life in the UAE's fast-growing cities.
20The village had limited electricity and water, and was often hit by sandstorms.
21Families would have also had to deal with long traveling times across the desert to reach government jobs and schools in Dubai.
22Now, the desert is slowly taking back the village.
23Sand has blown into the homes.
24Only the religious center, or mosque, remains as it was, thanks to regular cleaning by workers from nearby al-Madam.
25Some descendants of the camel-mounted Bedouin who once traveled the desert sands still live in the Emirates' rural areas.
26However, many now live in cities with tall buildings, large shopping centers, and modern roads.
27Foreign nationals make up the majority of the UAE's population, and some have taken an interest in its history.
28It is also a place for them to record music videos and social media posts.
29On a recent day, groups of visitors walked through the abandoned village.
30"I wonder why they left," said Nitin Panchal, an Indian living in the UAE.
31"Could it be a genie," could it be "black magic?" Panchal asked. "We'll never know."
32The local government recently installed fencing along with a security gate, waste containers and a parking lot.
33Officials made the changes because past visitors had caused damage to the village.
34The new measures have taken some of the mystery from the village.
35Danny Booth is from the Isle of Man, a British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea.
36He said he had decided to "come and have a look before things start to change here."
37"Sometimes these places are better left undisturbed, as they lose their charm when they become crowded," he said.
38I'm John Russell.
1About an hour's drive from the tall buildings of Dubai is an empty village in the sands of the United Arab Emirates. It stands as a reminder of how fast the Middle Eastern country is changing. 2Built in the 1970s, the village of al-Ghuraifa was left empty twenty years later. Oil wealth has turned the UAE, home to the cities of Dubai and Abu Dhabi, into an international center of commerce and tourism. 3In recent years, the empty village near the town of al-Madam in the Sharjah emirate has become more popular with visitors. 4The village, made up of two rows of homes and a religious center, "can teach us a lot of the modern history of the UAE," said Ahmad Sukkar of the University of Sharjah. Sukkar is part of a team studying the area. 5Al-Ghuraifa was built as part of a public housing project after the 1971 establishment of the United Arab Emirates, a group of seven sheikhdoms. The discovery of oil 13 years earlier was just starting to reshape the country. 6The village housed around 100 members of the al-Ketbi tribe, Sukkar said. They were one of several Bedouin groups that until then had led a semi-nomadic existence. They raised animals, traveled among the desert oases and visited Dubai and Abu Dhabi when they were small towns. 7The modern cement houses were built with local details to ease the change to settled life. The inside walls were brightly colored, and some had mosaics. The homes also had spaces where village leaders could gather locals for meetings. One house had special paper known as wallpaper showing a land with green plants and trees - a big difference from the sandy environment outside. 8It is unclear what exactly caused people to leave just twenty years after the homes were built. Some say that they were driven away by evil spirits. But Sukkar says it is more likely that people left to seek a better life in the UAE's fast-growing cities. 9The village had limited electricity and water, and was often hit by sandstorms. Families would have also had to deal with long traveling times across the desert to reach government jobs and schools in Dubai. 10Now, the desert is slowly taking back the village. Sand has blown into the homes. Only the religious center, or mosque, remains as it was, thanks to regular cleaning by workers from nearby al-Madam. 11Some descendants of the camel-mounted Bedouin who once traveled the desert sands still live in the Emirates' rural areas. However, many now live in cities with tall buildings, large shopping centers, and modern roads. 12Foreign nationals make up the majority of the UAE's population, and some have taken an interest in its history. It is also a place for them to record music videos and social media posts. On a recent day, groups of visitors walked through the abandoned village. 13"I wonder why they left," said Nitin Panchal, an Indian living in the UAE. "Could it be a genie," could it be "black magic?" Panchal asked. "We'll never know." 14The local government recently installed fencing along with a security gate, waste containers and a parking lot. Officials made the changes because past visitors had caused damage to the village. 15The new measures have taken some of the mystery from the village. 16Danny Booth is from the Isle of Man, a British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea. He said he had decided to "come and have a look before things start to change here." 17"Sometimes these places are better left undisturbed, as they lose their charm when they become crowded," he said. 18I'm John Russell. 19Nick El Hajj reported on this story for the Associated Press. John Russell adapted it for VOA Learning English. 20_________________________________________________ 21Words in This Story 22reminder -- n. something that causes you to remember or to think about something 23tourism -- n. the activity of traveling to a place for pleasure 24nomadic - adj. describes a member of a group of people who move from place to place 25oasis - n. an area in a desert where there is water and plants 26mosaic - n. a decoration on a surface made by pressing small pieces of colored glass or stone into a soft material that then hardens to make pictures or patterns 27descendant - n. someone who is related to a person or group of people who lived in the past 28genie - n. a magic spirit that looks like a person and often lives in a lamp or bottle 29undisturbed -- adj. not changed or touched by anyone or anything 30charm -- n. an attractive quality