DUBAI: An Indian family’s decision to revisit its first homes in Dubai has brought back memories of a city that looked very different when they arrived five decades ago.
The Mohiuddin family marked 50 years since its arrival on October 7, 2026, by returning to Dubai International Airport’s Terminal 1 and retracing the journey to two homes where they lived during their early years in the emirate.
MM Mohiuddin, his wife Shameem and their children, Dr Tasneem Jamil, Mir Arif and Tabassum, took part in the anniversary visit, according to a report published by Gulf News on October 12.
The family originally came from Tamil Nadu, India. What was expected to be a stay of only a few years eventually became a lifelong connection with Dubai.
Returning to the neighbourhoods of the past
One of the family’s stops was its first home in Deira, in the area around the former Fish Roundabout. The building remains standing, although the surrounding neighbourhood has changed considerably over the decades.
The family’s next home was an apartment in the residential tower of Al Ghurair Centre, which opened in 1981 and became one of Dubai’s early shopping destinations.
For the family, revisiting these addresses was an opportunity to reconnect with places associated with childhood, early friendships and the experience of settling into a new country.
The second building also held memories of a different kind of residential life. When the family first moved in, the building had few occupants. Their grandmother, who lived with them, would look for neighbours along the corridors, eventually finding companionship in a building that initially felt quiet.
The family reportedly lived in the Al Ghurair Centre residence until 2002.
A different kind of everyday life in Dubai
The family’s recollections offer a glimpse into daily life in Dubai during the late 1970s and the following decades.
Shopping, for example, was a different experience. Shameem would call out grocery orders from the family’s balcony to a shopkeeper across the street, who would deliver the items.
The opening of Al Rawabi supermarket in their neighbourhood introduced the children to the experience of walking through aisles and choosing groceries themselves.
Other memories included visits to Al Fajer Department Store in Bur Dubai, where the children enjoyed riding the escalators, and trips to Dairy Queen in Jumeirah, where they experienced fast food.
Weekends often involved family picnics and barbecues at Mushrif Park. With fewer television channels available, watching children’s programmes together was another part of the family’s routine.
These recollections illustrate how ordinary activities — shopping, playing outdoors and meeting neighbours — became part of the family’s personal history of Dubai.
Building a career and raising a family
The move also involved practical challenges. Transport was less convenient for the family in its early years, and arranging school journeys for three children required help from friends who shared the school run.
Mohiuddin built his professional career with ETA-ASCON, where his engineering background led him to work across different business divisions, according to the Gulf News account.
His children completed their schooling in Dubai before pursuing higher education. Dr Tasneem later established her medical career in the emirate, while Tabassum also returned to Dubai. Mir Arif developed a finance career in New York and continues to maintain a home in Dubai.
The family’s story therefore extends beyond the anniversary itself. It reflects how employment, education, friendships and family life became closely connected to their long-term relationship with the city.
Why Dubai remained home
Over the years, the family experienced major international events and periods of uncertainty while maintaining its connection with Dubai.
Dr Tasneem, deputy managing director of Prime Healthcare Group, told Gulf News that the family’s future had become closely linked to the emirate. Her own children, who are doctors, also hope to settle in Dubai after completing advanced training abroad.
The family continues to meet regularly at Chicken Tikka Inn, a Pakistani grilled-chicken restaurant it has visited since 1976, preserving another link to its earliest years in the city.
The anniversary journey brought the family back to familiar addresses, but its memories also tell a wider story: how a move originally intended to last a few years developed into a connection spanning parents, children and grandchildren.
Q1. Which Indian family celebrated 50 years in Dubai?
The Mohiuddin family, originally from Tamil Nadu, India, marked 50 years since arriving in Dubai in October 1976.
Q2. When did the family arrive in Dubai?
The family arrived on October 7, 1976, according to the report published by Gulf News.
Q3. How did the family mark its 50th anniversary?
The family returned to Dubai International Airport’s Terminal 1 and revisited two residences where it had lived during its early years in Dubai.
Q4. Where was the family’s first home in Dubai?
Its first home was in Deira, in the area around the former Fish Roundabout.
Q5. What was the family’s second home?
The family later moved into an apartment in the residential tower of Al Ghurair Centre.
Q6. What does the family remember about old Dubai?
Its memories include ordering groceries from a neighbourhood shopkeeper, visiting early shopping destinations, spending weekends at Mushrif Park and playing outdoors.
Q7. What did MM Mohiuddin do in Dubai?
According to the Gulf News report, he worked with ETA-ASCON and helped establish different business divisions during his career.
Q8. Does the family still have connections to Dubai?
Yes. Several family members continue to live or maintain homes in Dubai, and the family still meets regularly at a restaurant it has visited since 1976.
