Noor Ali Rashid: The ‘Royal Photographer’ who documented UAE’s most prominent milestones
Noor Ali Rashid, father of photojournalism in the UAE, accompanied rulers of the Emirates from the very first day of the Union. Noor mastered capturing the moment and, documenting the most important, valuable, and spontaneous images of the Emirates.
His journey began when his father sent him to Dubai in 1958 to pursue the family business, in an attempt to distract him from his hobby (photography) which he started in Karachi.
His arrival to the Emirates coincided with the announcement that Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum was to become the ruler of Dubai.
Noor Ali Rashid took historical photos of the great event and dedicated them to Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed, thus beginning a professional career spanning 6 decades. Collecting over more than two million pictures, he managed to win about 83 awards and certificates of appreciation and published a number of books on the history of the Emirates and its rulers.
On the occasion of the 49th National Day, "Dubai Post" met his daughter, "Shamsa Noor Ali Rashid", in an exclusive dialogue about the memories and stories of the ‘Royal Photographer’ with builders of the nation. Through this video, we convey the spirit of his stories and details of his adventures with the people of the Emirates and its rulers. Noor Ali Rashid was not only a photojournalist for news or politics and rulers, but his lens truly managed to portray the real life of people in the Emirates.