50 years / Dubai
● Journey on one page · From a Gulf News report · 12 Oct 2026

Fifty years in Dubai. One family, two homes, the same route back.

A family from Tamil Nadu walked out of the arrivals hall at Dubai airport on 7 October 1976. Fifty years to the day, the same five people stood in Terminal 1 again, then drove the old route to the two flats that first sheltered them. Parents MM Mohiuddin and Shameem, children Dr Tasneem Jamil, Mir Arif and Tabassum.

Still in the passportArrival stamp: 7 October 1976DUBAI INTERNATIONAL · TERMINAL 1

The photo album 8 pictures · 1970s → 2026

1970s photo of the family beside a white car outside their first Dubai building
1970sOutside the first flat, one car
1970s photo inside the flat: mother holding a newborn, two children, a television set
1977Newborn Tabassum, in the flat
1970s photo of the family on a beach by a harbour with small boats
1970sWeekend by the water
1970s photo of the family and friends in front of a patterned screen
1970sWith friends, flares and all
The family of five at Dubai airport Terminal 1 arrivals in October 2026
2026Terminal 1 arrivals, 7 Oct
Dr Tasneem holding the passport open at the 1976 arrival stamp
2026Passport with the 1976 stamp
The family outside the building of their first home near Fish Roundabout, Deira
2026First home, Fish Roundabout
The family with the current tenants in apartment 609 at Al Ghurair Centre
2026Apt 609, Al Ghurair Centre

Timeline 1975 → 2026

1975Father arrives alone from Tamil Nadu, joins ETA-ASCON. Dubai is a few streets either side of the Creek.
7 Oct 1976Wife and two children land. First flat, opposite the water tank near Fish Roundabout.
1977Third child, Tabassum, born at Rashid Hospital.
1981Al Ghurair Centre opens, the first mall. Family rents in its tower. Contract no. 003.
2002Family leaves apartment 609 after two decades there.
RetirementFather retires from ETA, 8,000 people under him. Writes two books.
7 Oct 2026Fifty years to the day. Airport, first home, second home, dinner at the grill they have used since 1976.
50years to the day
5family members on the walk
003tenancy contract no.
609the apartment number
8,000+staff reporting to him
2TV channels in 1976

The route, 7 Oct 2026

AIRPORT T1arrivals hall 1ST HOMEFish Roundabout 2ND HOMEAl Ghurair · apt 609 DINNERsince 1976

Both buildings still stand. In both flats the current tenants opened the door and let the family walk through.

Dubai firsts they remember

  • Al Rawabi, first supermarket in their Deira street. Before it, groceries were shouted from the balcony to the corner shop.
  • Al Fajer Department Store, Bur Dubai, the city's first escalators. The kids rode them for fun.
  • Al Ghurair Centre, 1981, the first mall. "A whole new world."
  • Dairy Queen, Jumeirah, first taste of fast food.
  • Choithrams, so Indian ingredients were never a problem for a mother who cooks.
  • Mushrif Park weekends: swimming lessons and barbecues with friends.
  • Baba Yaseen on TV in Arabic, watched without understanding a word.
  • World Trade Centre alone on the Abu Dhabi road, nothing around it.

Then and now

19762026
Getting aroundNo car for months, taxis rare.The old route in one morning.
The streetMore sand than buildings.Towers all around the first flat.
SchoolSon's class was a portacabin.All three schooled here. Two came back.
NeighboursGrandma rang doorbells down an empty corridor.The family now in 609 welcomed them in.
HomeBack to India in a few years."We have never doubted that this is our country."

What the father taught

"There are no shortcuts to success."
MM Mohiuddin, engineer, ETA. Quoted by his daughter
  • Build networks. Dubai rewards hard work and patience.
  • Visit the site yourself, even in summer.
  • Faith held through two Gulf wars, 2008 and Covid.
  • Team mantra: "The race for excellence has no finish line."

Want the full story?

Page 2: every photo larger, the two homes in detail, the father's career, the parents' books, a short FAQ.

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