MOHAMMED AL FAHIM was born in August 1948 in the oasis of Al Ain, 160 kilometers from the island of Abu Dhabi, in an impoverished community without medical care and proper schooling. His family would spend the winter months in Abu Dhabi and the summer months were spent in Al Ain, always traveling by camel-back. His mother died in childbirth in 1962. During his childhood, he spent several years in the palace of Sheikh Zayed, the ruler of Al Ain and its dependencies at that time. For over 40 years his father worked and traveled with Sheikh Zayed, now the President of the United Arab Emirates.

This is a vivid eye - witness account of the total transformation within only 30 years of a Bedouin society into a country with the world's highest per capita income. He speaks with great frankness about his own life and career and about the role of the British in his country.

Mohammed skillfully weaves the story of his own successful business career with that of the development of Abu Dhabi to which he has himself made a significant contribution. Until 1994 the Author was the first vice- president of the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He has also received the prestigious award of "Gulf Chief Executive of the Year" (1995).