1977 Consent Map of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Foundations of Modern Abu Dhabi.

This is a 1977 tourist map of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates printed by Alsace Print and Production for the local firm Consent-Consolidated Enterprises. It coincides with a transformational period in the Emirate's history, when it was in the midst of a breakneck modernization scheme that built the city known today.

A Closer Look

The map, oriented with north towards top-right, covers Abu Dhabi, noting parks, palaces, mosques, public institutions, and recreation sites like the race track at the bottom (founded 1976, now the Abu Dhabi Turf Club). Police stations, post offices, government buildings, restaurants, and businesses such as banks, hotels, travel agencies, and shipping firms are labeled throughout, especially in the main downtown. Blue and red dots indicate locations of gas stations operated by the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company. An inset at bottom-left displays the entire U.A.E., and as far west as Bahrain and Qatar. The map is surrounded by a grid corresponding to thematic indexes of government offices, embassies, banks, insurance companies, and more on the verso.

Historical Context

Following the formation of the United Arab Emirates in 1971, under the visionary leadership of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi found itself navigating an unprecedented influx of wealth triggered by the 1973 oil crisis. Rather than hoarding this sudden windfall, Sheikh Zayed channeled these riches into a hyper-speed modernization campaign. Mud-brick settlements and basic trading posts were rapidly replaced with paved highways, modern schools, hospitals, and desalination plants, fundamentally altering the physical and social landscape of the Emirate. Beyond immediate infrastructure, the mid-1970s also saw the establishment of the institutional groundwork for Abu Dhabi's long-term economic fluorescence and resilience. In 1974, the government took a majority 60% stake in its main oil concessionaires, empowering the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) to steer the Emirate's primary engine of growth directly. Recognizing that oil was a finite resource, Abu Dhabi established the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) in 1976. By systematically funneling surplus oil revenues into this pioneering sovereign wealth fund, the Emirate secured a financial cushion to safeguard future generations and to fund the massive diversification efforts underway today in finance, tourism, and renewable energy.

Publication History and Census

This map was prepared by Consent-Consolidated Enterprises, a local firm seemingly focused on audio-visual equipment, and printed by Alsace Print and Production, a London-based firm. It is recorded in the holdings of five institutions in the OCLC: the Library of Congress, Pennsylvania State University, the National Security Agency, the University of Toronto, and the library of the Leibniz-Zentrum Moderner Orient in Berlin.

Condition

Very good. Some wear along fold lines and pen ink annotations.

References

OCLC 5485894, 219251371, 1525858930.