In fact, it was the British Embassy that issued his first residence visa — on March 12, 1967 — before the birth of the federation of the United Arab Emirates.

He now has a family of 26, including seven children and 19 grandchildren, all born and staying in Abu Dhabi. Abu Essa still remembers how as a 22-year-old, he first travelled to Abu Dhabi on January 9, 1967. “I travelled from Syria to Iraq, then to Kuwait, and afterwards to Ras Al Khaimah by sea. It took me 10 days to reach Dubai, where I stayed for 20 days till I got the Barwa (Abu Dhabi Police permission) to be able to enter Abu Dhabi,” Abu Essa reminiscences.

He got his Barwa with the help of his uncle, Haji Abdul Salam Abu Essa, who was working with a British company. “It was my uncle who first sponsored me. Afterwards, I came under the sponsorship of Midco Real Estate Company,” he adds.

He started his career as a contractor in Abu Dhabi, just six months after Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan had taken over the reins of Abu Dhabi on August 6, 1966.

“I first worked on the Al Hesn Palace project in Abu Dhabi. I built the first Arc Victory in the area between Al Hesn Palace and the British Embassy. I was then given the responsibility of building 500 traditional houses,” he recalls.

He also remembers how the late President, Shaikh Zayed, used to personally supervise the projects, and how he wanted to ensure the highest quality of work.   

He recalls how during a project for construction of 180 low-cost houses opposite the Central Hospital, the foundation had been made and the steel bars needed for erecting the concrete pillars were also fixed, but the pillars were yet to be stuffed with concrete. “It took approximately one year and the steel bars of the pillars were left exposed to air and humidity. When Shaikh Zayed approached the construction site, he asked one of the partners of the contracting company about the length of time the steel bars could endure the open air.

He was told the normal endurance period would range between two and three months. Shaikh Zayed ordered them to stop construction and rebuild the structure as the steels had been left uncovered and exposed to air and dampness for one year,” Abu Essa recollects.

Talking about the initial construction boom in the emirate, Abu Essa says they used to virtually race against time, as a large number of projects were being announced one after the other. “In 1967, the population of the emirate was around 35,000. It went up to 47,000 in 1968 and 65,000 in 1969. The whole world was sat up and took notice of the construction boom in Abu Dhabi.”

Talking about the initial days, Abu Essa says a majority of the workers came from Iran, followed by those from India and Pakistan.

“In 1967, the year I arrived here, there were no proper roads. The houses were few concrete houses. Workers had to go to work mostly on foot. Companies rarely provided their employees with transport, as the roads were all sandy and unpaved, so approaching work on foot was a better bargain. We were paid in Bahraini Dinar (BD) and Qatari Riyal. My starting salary was 120BD, and I used to save 100BD out of it (approximately Dh1,000).” All that has changed — and changed how. Abu Dhabi today ranks as one of the top destinations in the world. He says it’s a prime example of how even big dreams can come true. “You have to work hard to realise your dreams,” he concludes.