Miza Spirals

I first came to Mina Zayed in May of 2023. All of its abandoned warehouses and empty streets definitely made it an intimidating place at first. Over time, I ended up finding comfort in the things that made it scary. There's nothing quite like walking around MiZa all on your own, surrounded by an endless city of old warehouses that probably haven't had people in them for years, wondering what it was like when this was a bustling district. MiZa is changing now, becoming a sort of cultural district, cultivating a community that values and produces art. Soon it will be a bustling district again, in a completely different way.

Around MiZa, many of the abandoned warehouses are marked with strange spirals. They're on the doors, gates, and walls. Sometimes they're accompanied with a number. Even rarer, sometimes they're accompanied with a cross or a tick mark. How spooky!

The explanation behind them is probably not as exciting and mysterious as you'd think. Still, they create such a unique intrigue and sense of wonder that can't be felt walking any other street in Abu Dhabi.

In some of the photos, they're very faded and subtle. Can you spot them all?