The smell of gahwa is unmistakable. Coffee pots with long spouts like sea birds’ necks are sitting in a fire’s embers, the focus of a group of men relaxing on the soft sand. In front of them, a man and a woman, dressed in white and black, sit high on camels, accompanied by two men, singing and holding camel sticks. As scenes go, it’s less familiar than the men herding camels in camps near Al Wathba off the road to Al Ain, but the tableaux at the Qasr Al Hosn Festival have been staged to evoke impressions of the past.
There’s a smiling fisherman inviting children to haul in a traditional circular net (casting it is left to his expertise); men sit weaving fishing pots out of metal wire, others are mending fishing nets; but most impressive are the 60-somethings still able to shin up a palm tree barefoot to gather dates. Meanwhile, women in old Khaleeji dress keep shop in souqs, cluster together to weave baskets from khous and chat over their embroidery, as small boys kick a football outside.
The festival also has plenty of activities to spice up the scenic drama. Fancy a pony or camel ride? Both are hugely popular. Want to have a go at tying knots to rope together palm struts in an arish house? How about finding out more about the species of fish in the Gulf, or the migration routes of falcons? Want to have your photo taken in a gold Khaleeji burqa and shimmering shayla? Anything’s possible and there are plenty of Emiratis, expats and tourists enjoying the story being told about Abu Dhabi’s beginnings with a host of friendly ambassadors acting as narrators.
Sure, there’s a lot of artifice on display here. Dotting the site, posts loaded with speakers play lapping waves, calling seagulls, birdsong and a nearly howling wind in the desert, but the camels’ grumbles are real enough and the whiff of dung almost too authentic. “I remember these things from my grandmother’s house,” a woman browsing in a souq says to a couple of friends, all wearing abayas. Their iPhones underscore the age gap on either side of the shop counter. Before us there’s an impressive array of goods, from screw-top jars of Man hair cream to glass bottles of Otto de Rose Hair Oil, cooking oil and row upon row of jars of gahwa, ghee, chilli paste, curry spices and preserved fruit – all labelled with a mobile phone number, in case you’d like a refill. What’s on display at the souq has a global provenance: coffee cups, teapots, toy guns and kaffiyehs more likely made in China and India than here, but still in keeping with the way supplies were shipped along trading routes. Surveying the scene, I’m reminded of Guy Gravett’s black and white photographs of Abu Dhabi’s souq from 1962.
Just outside the main festival arena is the Qasr Al Hosn exhibition, new for this year’s festival. It tells the story of Abu Dhabi through the evolution of Qasr Al Hosn, from its early days as a watchtower guarding a watering hole, through 200 years as a fortress-cum-palace until its most recent role as the home of the National Archives.
What stands out most amid the old photographs, sketches, architectural drawings and diagrams is a black and white film of elderly Emiratis sharing their memories of early Abu Dhabi. They talk powerfully and movingly about a very different way of life in the 1950s, long before the settlement became a city and, as one puts it, started “growing every day”.
“These days were different,” Khadim Al Rumaithy says, smiling. “People used to love each other. A stranger would greet you as a friend would. People were frank with each other.” He is followed by Zalikha Al Sayed Al Hashimi, who remembers Friday visits to the majlis of Sheikh Shakhbut when Qasr Al Hosn’s guards would open its doors to local women. “We all used to go there to chat and drink coffee,” she says. “We would be offered in big baskets bread, flour, dates, coffee and cardamom. Each woman would take one home … Life was simple in the past.”
One speaker seems to vest particular importance in his recording. Dressed in a herringbone wool jacket and Omani turban, with kohl-rimmed eyes, Saeed Al Mansoori makes a striking historian: “This is where I grew up and what my eyes have seen and loved dearly,” he says, explaining how Sheikh Shakhbut used to leave the palace fortress to meet people, decades before a “sweet water” canal allowed Abu Dhabi to grow and grow fast.
Away from the hurly-burly around the fort outside, those old voices with their songs, stories and poems paint an equally vivid portrait of life before the glass towers that now ring the fort were even dreamt about.
Clare Dight is the editor of The Review.
cdight@thenational.ae
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
- Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
Company%20Profile
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Essentials
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct from the UAE to Geneva from Dh2,845 return, including taxes. The flight takes 6 hours.
The package
Clinique La Prairie offers a variety of programmes. A six-night Master Detox costs from 14,900 Swiss francs (Dh57,655), including all food, accommodation and a set schedule of medical consultations and spa treatments.
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
hall of shame
SUNDERLAND 2002-03
No one has ended a Premier League season quite like Sunderland. They lost each of their final 15 games, taking no points after January. They ended up with 19 in total, sacking managers Peter Reid and Howard Wilkinson and losing 3-1 to Charlton when they scored three own goals in eight minutes.
SUNDERLAND 2005-06
Until Derby came along, Sunderland’s total of 15 points was the Premier League’s record low. They made it until May and their final home game before winning at the Stadium of Light while they lost a joint record 29 of their 38 league games.
HUDDERSFIELD 2018-19
Joined Derby as the only team to be relegated in March. No striker scored until January, while only two players got more assists than goalkeeper Jonas Lossl. The mid-season appointment Jan Siewert was to end his time as Huddersfield manager with a 5.3 per cent win rate.
ASTON VILLA 2015-16
Perhaps the most inexplicably bad season, considering they signed Idrissa Gueye and Adama Traore and still only got 17 points. Villa won their first league game, but none of the next 19. They ended an abominable campaign by taking one point from the last 39 available.
FULHAM 2018-19
Terrible in different ways. Fulham’s total of 26 points is not among the lowest ever but they contrived to get relegated after spending over £100 million (Dh457m) in the transfer market. Much of it went on defenders but they only kept two clean sheets in their first 33 games.
LA LIGA: Sporting Gijon, 13 points in 1997-98.
BUNDESLIGA: Tasmania Berlin, 10 points in 1965-66
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Business Insights
- Canada and Mexico are significant energy suppliers to the US, providing the majority of oil and natural gas imports
- The introduction of tariffs could hinder the US's clean energy initiatives by raising input costs for materials like nickel
- US domestic suppliers might benefit from higher prices, but overall oil consumption is expected to decrease due to elevated costs
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Company%20profile
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
The Buckingham Murders
Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu
Director: Hansal Mehta
Rating: 4 / 5
Yuki Means Happiness
Alison Jean Lester
John Murray
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Jeff Buckley: From Hallelujah To The Last Goodbye
By Dave Lory with Jim Irvin
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if you go
The flights
Etihad, Emirates and Singapore Airlines fly direct from the UAE to Singapore from Dh2,265 return including taxes. The flight takes about 7 hours.
The hotel
Rooms at the M Social Singapore cost from SG $179 (Dh488) per night including taxes.
The tour
Makan Makan Walking group tours costs from SG $90 (Dh245) per person for about three hours. Tailor-made tours can be arranged. For details go to www.woknstroll.com.sg
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now
Walls
Louis Tomlinson
3 out of 5 stars
(Syco Music/Arista Records)
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
Usain Bolt's World Championships record
2007 Osaka
200m Silver
4x100m relay Silver
2009 Berlin
100m Gold
200m Gold
4x100m relay Gold
2011 Daegu
100m Disqualified in final for false start
200m Gold
4x100m relay Gold
2013 Moscow
100m Gold
200m Gold
4x100m relay Gold
2015 Beijing
100m Gold
200m Gold
4x100m relay Gold
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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'HIJRAH%3A%20IN%20THE%20FOOTSTEPS%20OF%20THE%20PROPHET'
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'Ashkal'
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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