NOOR ALI RASHID BIOGRAPHY

Noor Ali Rashid, one of the most famous and prolific photographers the United Arab Emirates has ever known, was born in December 1929. Hailing from the Gwadar province in what was then the Sultanate of Oman, but is now Pakistan, he moved to Dubai in 1958.

He started shooting professionally in 1947 for a weekly magazine in Karachi, Pakistan named "Vision" and hasn't stopped shooting since. 83 plaques and trophies, including one naming him the U.A.E's Photographer of the Millennium and roughly 20 certificates are testament enough to a storied, photojournalism career that has spanned seven decades in 57 years. It was during these years that he documented the growth of the UAE and it's miraculous accomplishments.

Named the "Royal Photographer" by the late former president of the UAE Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, he alone is the official photographer for the Al Nahyan family as well as the Royal families of the seven emirates.

It is Noor Ali Rashid's mission to take his documentary contribution, which
records the prosperity of the UAE which was built on honesty, trust and unwearied guidance to the world.
"In the Arab world" Noor Ali said. "The reason is because in this part of the world, nobody knows much about what they (the Al Nahyans) accomplished. In this way, it distinguishes what they were doing and will take our history to the rest of the world."

And it is through his books and exhibits that Noor Ali believes he can still serve his former President and friend.
"I have taken (photographed) the golden era of the UAE," says Noor Ali. "He was my leader, my future, my everything."

Excerpts taken from "Preserving Zayed's Legacy" by Michael D. Kennedy, Achievers magazine, Fall term 2004-05, Zayed University, U.A.E.