Amberous Light

Open Gates of a Villa, Al Ain, UAE  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Arabian desert air is often hazy with a layer of suspended particles of powdery sand which softens sunlight. This is especially true early or late in the day when the sun is low. Morning light is sometimes a translucent pale yellow, like the color of amber. In the above image, amberous light makes a warm background for a pair of villa gates in Al Ain.

As you might expect by now if you have been following our UAE posts, the English word amber has an Arabic derivation... anbar, meaning ambergris, the waxy substance from sperm whales once used in perfumery.