Decades ago, he used to sell carpets in the hot sun

Abu Dhabi - "I don't remember which year I came here but I was a teenager then," the 49-year-old Abdullah said.

Abdullah Hajiinaqshuband is an Afghani merchant at the Al Mina carpet market for more than three decades.
"I don't remember which year I came here but I was a teenager then," the 49-year-old Abdullah said.
"All these structures and buildings are modern-day creations. When we started, it was just a tent and all trade was done out there in the sun. One day, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan came here. He was a good man, a noble, and caring leader. He used to ask about our wellbeing and listen to us. I had an opportunity to interact. I, like my peers, told him about the difficulties of doing business in the hot sun. He listened to our collective voices and that's how this market was formed. Now, there are some 48 shops here," Abdullah said, sitting outside the shop number 14, named Min Rose Carpet.
"Sheikh Zayed would visit Al Mina couple of times a year. He would pick so many carpets. The next day, an official would come and pay us. Do you think the ruler needed so many carpets? No. He used to purchase all these carpets just to give some money to us. He was such a loving person. He used to treat everyone equally. The carpet market, like the country, has grown manifold under the rule of Baba Zayed," Abdullah, one of the oldest hands in the trade, said.
And Abdullah prays for Sheikh Zayed daily.
"Sheikh Zayed had a magnanimous heart. I pray every day for him. Even when I am back in Afghanistan, I pray for him. I can't do anything more for him but pray for his departed soul. He was a remarkable person," he said.
Abdullah said the number of tourists and customers had come down in the last two years.
"Earlier, we had a monopoly. But now, Dubai, Al Ain, Sharjah, and other emirates, too, are offering carpets. But I must underline that it all started here. The carpet stores flourished from here with the blessings of Sheikh Zayed. People seldom understand the importance of this place. They only see buildings and carpets, but this place is made with the love of Sheikh Zayed. He was Baba Zayed to me and everyone."
Abdullah hails from the Paktika province of Afghanistan and has already tasked his son to continue the trade. "He is helping me. He will continue this tradition."
For Abdullah, the visit of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, to the market earlier this year was revisiting the old days of Baba Zayed. "We will always be indebted to the love and care of the royals."
ashwani@khaleejtimes.com

• Abu Dhabi