Othman Ali

Othman Ali was the first Arab Emirati man to gain a photography degree outside of the United Arab Emirates. He became a professional photographer in 1981 and was a photo journalist at the Al Bayan Newspaper in 1983. In 1989 he was named as the “World’s Best Black and White Photographer”.

His life was cut short in 1990 when, at the age of 35, he had a tragic accident. He left a stunning legacy of photographs. Some are reportage of Dubai during 20 years of growth and success. Others are artistic handmade photo-montage images he created with the sights and sounds of Dubai that he captured.

Othman Ali’s inspiration came from his natural surroundings, documenting the life and culture of his city. Beautiful deserts, wild camels, camel races, street life, local people, Dubai creek in the 1980s, architecture and landscapes are all here in this collection of images by Othman Ali.

1969: Othman left school at the age of 14. He worked in his uncle’s shop and had a keen interest in repairing cameras. His interest in photography grew from then on.

1972: Aged 17 Othman worked for the Ministry of Information. Othman was assigned at various conferences and meetings with conciliates and Sheikhs. He went to Lebanon during the civil war in 1975. Othman travelled to Egypt and Saudi Arabia and attended meetings with Yassier Arafat.

1977: The Ministry of Information helped Othman obtained a scholarship to study and gain qualification in Photography. 1977-1981: Othman attended The Atlanta Arts Institute, Georgia, USA. He gained his qualification in Photography.

1981-1983: Othman returned to The Ministry of Information to pay back his scholarship.

1983 -1990: Head of the Photography department at Al Bayan Newspaper, Dubai, UAE. Othman photographed Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al Nayan of Abu Dhabi, the founder of the United Arab Emirates. He was assigned as Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktuoms photographer. He also photographed the Sheikh of Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern leaders. Othman photographed Prince Charles and Princess Anne when they both visited Dubai.

1990: Othman died in...