In the 1980s, Ali AlSayed Ibrahim Khalifa AlSada was assigned to investigate a case in the UAE’s Hatta while working as a Dubai Police lieutenant. At the time, the remote exclave offered an escape into nature, boasting rustic landscapes and open blue skies. Later, he became deeply attached to the area’s tranquillity, particularly the raw stone scenery of the surrounding Al Hajar mountains.
Eventually, AlSada asked His Highness, late Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, for a plot tucked around the range. He then set out to create one of the most intricate showcases of stone artistry the country has ever seen. “His work as an artist is pioneering and highly uncommon, possibly one of its kind,” says Ghanim AlSada, referring to his late father, who passed away in May last year.
Born and raised in Dubai, AlSada never got any formal training in the arts. He began a long and fruitful career as one of the youngest officers to lead a Dubai Police department. While donning many hats throughout his career, he also played professional football for Shabab Al-Ahli Dubai Club, served as vice president of the Dubai immigration department and later became director general of Dubai Civil Defence. But he was always an artist at heart. “Beyond public service and athletics, my father was a renowned poet, writing both classical Arabic and Nabati poetry. His passion for the Arabic language, culture and nature profoundly shaped his artistic expression,” Ghanim continues. It was only in adulthood that Ghanim started understanding the complexity of his father’s work. “My personal appreciation for his artistic legacy matured later in life, particularly after visiting museums around the world and completing a master’s degree in urban design,” he reveals. “Through this lens, I realised how unique my father’s work truly is. Unlike art that directly depicts recognisable forms, his practice is deeply intellectual and poetic.”
According to Ghanim, what made AlSada’s work unique was his distinct use of natural stones to create contemporary abstractions drawn from memory, like fallen trees or the valleys between Hatta and Oman. “His passion for the Arabic language and culture is strongly reflected in his crown pieces, where proverbs are visualised and shaped into illuminated stone structures,” he adds.
Spanning approximately one million square feet, the original site of the stone village was a simple farm dotted with palm trees against serene scenery. With the village’s development commencing in 1989, the site evolved into an entirely stone-built, culturally driven space that complements its natural surroundings. “While many artworks were completed, some were intentionally left in progress, reflecting an artist whose work – and thought – was always ongoing,” explains Ghanim.
The concept of Hatta Stone Village was simple. AlSada wanted a personal canvas to honour his country while expressing his love for stone-crafting and art. Beyond inspiration from nature, stone itself became his muse. “The technique is unique,” Ghanim explains. “Rather than traditional sculpting, my father worked by assembling natural stones, sometimes breaking them into smaller pieces and composing them into forms that gradually revealed themselves through the process,” he explains. “All the materials used to create the stone village were sourced directly from the Al Hajar mountains.”
Among the village’s most notable works are illuminated stone monuments that bring it to life as the sun sets over the mountains. AlSada collaborated with visual artist Mahmoud Hamad (Abu Naseer) to create complex sculptures of a falconer, a horseman, a fisherman, a ferry and an Arab sailing dhow. Another standout is the Al-Sidira Meeting lighting sculpture, which depicts two figures coming together in a brotherly embrace. The sculpture pays tribute to a significant event in UAE history when two leaders – His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and His Highness Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum – met in 1968 to establish the state. Other parts of the village feature small sculptures on a stone hill, each symbolising a place in Dubai’s Al Ras area, where the artist was raised. The stone village also showcases the world's largest stone plaque, which depicts landmarks and symbols of Arab, Emirati and Dubai culture. While the village is not officially open to the public, it has hosted soft openings and private visits by invitation, particularly for art enthusiasts, architects and cultural figures. The site is set to be turned into an open-air museum and developed into a small holiday resort, Ghanim shared. This will position it as a major cultural destination aligned with the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan and support the growth of tourism in Hatta.
“It's an eternal gift and a lasting legacy,” Ghanim reflects while talking about his connection to his father’s work. “It’s a landmark that was created by an Emirati artist and patriot who devoted his life to serving his country and expressing his love for it through art.”
This article was originally published in the March 2026 issue of Vogue Arabia.
