These paintings of Abu Dhabi are reproduced by kind permission of the Artist John Ward

Ever since I can remember my father ( John Ward ) has been fascinated by the explorations of Wilfred Thesiger. When my husband's work took us to Abu Dhabi, Dad was delighted to get the opportunity to see those Arabian deserts for himself.

A long-standing back injury may have prevented Dad from attempting a ride through the desert on a camel, but he has captured the very essence of the desert in these fabulous paintings.

My mother was also interested to visit Abu Dhabi (besides wanting to come and visit me of course!). A work colleague of hers, Mrs Susan Hillyard, had lived in Abu Dhabi in the 1950's.

She'd heard much about Abu Dhabi from her colleague Sue, and although the City is now unrecognisable from Mrs. Hillyard's time, Before the Oil we did manage to track down some old photos of Abu Dhabi so that we could compare the incredible changes of the last fifty years.