Malcolm Beavis's Images of 1979 Dubai & Sharjah

Malcolm enjoyed taking photographs

Malcolm took unique photos of:

• Costain Villas
• Jumeirah Beach
• Jumeirah Mosque under construction
• Construction of Dubal's Aluminium Smelter
• Opening of DUBAL's Smelter by Queen Elizabeth 2
• Deiraside
• Sheikh Mohammed's 1979 Wedding Celebrations
• Newly opened Sharjah "Blue" Soukh 

Malcolm explains!!!!

I landed in Dubai in May 1978 ready to flex my engineering muscles for Costain International Ltd.

My mission? To build some seriously big stuff!! Water towers that couldn’t decide if they were open or closed, an oily water separator (sounds glamorous, right?), and a cast house at the shiny new Dubai Aluminium Smelter.

This was my first time in the Middle East so I reasonably expected my new Employers to roll out the red carpet at Dubai Airport.

But there was no “Welcome to Dubai” sign to neet me. I stood outside Dubai Airport Arrivals Hall for what felt like forever wondering if I’d accidentally joined the wrong company!

Luckily, a kind British Expat spotted me looking lost and said, “Mate, you look like you need a sofa.”

And just like that, I scored a free crash pad for the night.

Next morning, I finally managed to call Costain's office - conveniently located near the Dubai Dry Dock. Within the hour, someone swooped in to collect me.

First order of business was to meet the Team then open a bank account at the British Bank of the Middle East (because Engineers need somewhere to stash their dirhams) and move into a villa on Jumeirah Beach. Not bad for someone who’d been stranded at Dubai Airport the previous day.

By day two, my new villa buddies and I headed off from our shared Jumeirah Beach Villa to Dubai Aluminium Smelter. That’s where I met the design and construction team - the folks who’d be my partners in crime for building towers, separators, and whatever else the Dubai Aluminium Smelter threw at them.

Malcolm Beavis UK 2025

Malcolm Beavis's Images from 1979