SHUWEIHAT ISLAND

I recently commented on one of @ramimansourr‘s beautiful photos on @instagram, an image of Wadi Qannubin in the north of Lebanon. 

Tala: “Such a great shot – I wish this is what people can see of Lebanon!” 

Rami: “There are so many of those amazing places all around the country [Lebanon], it’s up to us to show them!”

With his response, Rami transformed my request for improved optics related to Lebanon into a personal duty—something I’ll try my best to do through my work. 

A few weeks ago, I took a day trip to Shuweihat Island, off the coast of Abu Dhabi, roughly 3.5 hours away from Dubai and owned by the UAE army. As someone who has a deep appreciation for the UAE, I also felt it was my duty to show you images of this beautiful island. 

(And when the weather permits, there can be many places to explore around the country, it’s up to you to find them!)

When we left Dubai early that morning, the sky was white and hazy, but on the island, the sky was blue, butterflies fluttered close to the shore, and the water was almost too translucent to believe. 

When you’re on the island, take note of which areas are private and which are open to the public. To reach the bay, you’ll have to drive up to a small mosque on your left, after which you’ll take a left to find the winding road to the beachfront.

In terms of photography, there’s no shortage of attractive photos of the island on the Internet. This encouraged me to transform some of my landscape photos into existential thoughts.     

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