Emirati’s exotic memorabilia smacks of the good old days

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

If you are a nostalgic person and miss the way your television set or soda bottles looked in the 70s, then the collectibles exhibition at the District and Villages Authority pavilion is a must-visit at Sharjah Heritage Days (SHD), running at the historic Heart of Sharjah district until April 10.

Traditional jewellery, mandoos chests, vintage vanity cases, bukhoor burners, prayer mats are displayed in his stall.

Housed in what looks like a historic ‘Areesh’ home, the exhibition consists of UAE local Saeed Ahmad Al Kashri’s personal collection of household and miscellaneous items that date back to the 1970s – ranging from electronic items such as old TV sets, radios and record players to 20th-century household staples like sewing machines, jewellery chests, trunk boxes and analogue alarm clocks.

Walking through Al Kashri’s “household” full of things is an immersive nostalgia trip, one that will take visitors down memory lane, of their own childhood or their parents’ recollections of what life was like in the early decades of the UAE federation.

 Al Kashri has been collecting these articles for the last 25 years.

The make and brands of these items are instantly recognisable to any Emirati or Arab who remembers the last two or three decades of the 20th century.

Some of the collectibles will also be familiar to visitors from the Subcontinent, of brands that were imported here and popular among Gulf citizens and residents.

Al Kashri has been collecting these articles for the last 25 years.

 Al Kashri has been collecting old transistor radio sets, HMV record players and an 8-track double cassette from his extended family and neighbours.

“Most of them are sourced from my extended family and others from neighbours and acquaintances,” Al Kashri, a teacher-turned-librarian, says. Browsing through the collections is a fascinating experience: old transistor radio sets, HMV record players and an 8-track double cassette deck sit next to stacks of retro bakelite light switches, cassette and cartridge tapes and rotary dial telephone sets.

Glass cases display Al Kashri’s own well-preserved school notebooks from the 1980s, with images of Sheikh Zayed on the covers, next to Oman and Kuwait currency notes and a wall of school memorabilia – vintage school satchels, canvas lace-up shoes and water bottles sporting the UAE flag and emblem. Old sweet tins, cigarette boxes and vintage soda bottles jostle for space along with the first soft drink bottles in the UAE.

Saeed Ahmad Al Kashri poses for a photograph.
 

Al Kashri shares an interesting anecdote about a Player’s Gold Leaf tobacco tin. “Back in the days when we had no PO boxes, a few neighbourhood stores kept these and the postman would drop off mail for the residents of that locality in it.”

A third room displays more household items that give an insight into Emirati life and its unique social customs and fabric.

Al Kashri’s personal collection of household and miscellaneous items that date back to the 1970s.

Traditional jewellery, mandoos chests, vintage vanity cases, bukhoor burners, prayer mats, old glass-and-enamel wall art, and wooden cradles sit next to some popular brands of yore – Brilliantine hair cream, Attari Brothers perfume, Tibet talcum powder, Jasmine hair oil etc.

“My mother would always say: ‘don’t throw them away because you don’t know if you will see these things again’ and she was right,” says Al Kashri, 56, whose sons are also avid collectors.

Recently, the Higher Committee of the 18th edition of Sharjah Heritage Days organised by the Sharjah Institute for Heritage carried out a detailed inspection visit in Heart of Sharjah – the historically rich area, which will be the backdrop for the three-week celebration of local, regional and global cultures.

The visit’s objective was to check on the progress of preparations of the international event, which pays tribute to the rich history, customs, traditions, arts, and crafts of the UAE, by enabling visitors from different nationalities and age groups to experience these through a packed programme of activities.

The inspection visit was led by Dr. Abdulaziz Al Musallam, Chairman of the Sharjah Institute for Heritage and Chairman of the Higher Committee of Sharjah Heritage Days, who was accompanied by representatives of the event’s organising committees.

 The officials received a full update on the groundwork of the festival. They toured the venue, taking a detailed look at the festival infrastructure including performance stages and pavilions of participating government entities and departments, to ensure these were all built in strict adherence to the UAE’s COVID-19 health and safety regulations.