With no roads, travelling between the Emirates was rough and dangerous and so for Dubai based civil engineer Robin Webb and Ras Al-Khaimah resident, Majed Awwad, the only option was a Land Rover.<\/p>\n
\nDirector Hind Shoufani, working with Mr Webb\u2019s nephew, Iain Akerman, has directed and produced \u201cA Journey of Rediscovery,\u201d which tells Robin\u2019s and Majed\u2019s stories and their relationship with their Land Rovers. The film not only documents the days before the formation of the United Arab Emirates but also pays tribute to seven decades of Land Rover by demonstrating how the trusted 4×4 played a role in their journey.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Majed Mohammed Awwad came to Ras Al-Khaimah through Egypt as a young Palestinian, in the 1960s to work as an advisor, before working in the local municipality.<\/p>\n
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\n\u201cWhoever owned a Land Rover back then was considered very important. It was the only car capable of overcoming all challenges\u201d Mr Awwad said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Mr Webb designed and supervised the construction of some of the first roads in the Emirate of Ras Al-Khaimah as one of his final projects before leaving the Middle East in 1968.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cOne of the great things about us doing engineering was that we had Land Rovers. We lived in Land Rovers the whole time. They were the most trusted off-road companions and the best way to connect people and states when few roads existed.\u201d Mr Webb said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Mr Webb\u2019s work in Dubai included constructing the souq wharf, extending the customs wharf and dredging Dubai Creek<\/a>, while he was also called to work on jobs in Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Abu Dhabi and Ras Al-Khaimah.<\/p>\n
To get to the other Emirates from Dubai, he had to drive his Land Rover across the large sabkha flats at low tide, over dunes, along with the hard-packed wet sand of the beaches and through the gravel plains.<\/p>\n
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\n\u201cIt\u2019s almost unfathomable now to think how harsh the environment was in the United Arab Emirates not that long ago. Back then, having a Land Rover was a lifesaver to guarantee that you would safely get back home before nightfall,\u201d said Salman Sultan, Public Relations and Social Media Manager for Jaguar Land Rover MENA.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
The film was shot entirely in the UAE and shows that although everything changes with time, memories remain to light the path forward. \u201cA Journey of Rediscovery<\/a>,\u201d brilliantly illustrates how Land Rover has been a part of Majed and Robin’s UAE excursions half a century ago and is another story in Jaguar<\/a> Land Rover MENA\u2019s #MYLAND<\/a> initiative, (Ardhi in Arabic), which celebrates the impact of Arab culture on today\u2019s modern world.<\/p>\n
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