Since the days of the Ottoman Empire, the public bathhouse, otherwise known as hammam, has been popular in Turkey. Kadir Mortepe, 33, started his career as a cleaner at a hammam in Turkey and has since become a spa expert, running the hammam at the Eastern Mangroves Hotel & Spa by Anantara in Abu Dhabi. Here, he talks about a typical day at work.
8am
I wake up.
9am
I start work. I check the steam and sauna. [Hammam have been around for] 600 years. It is really very historic. It started in Ottoman times. They took hammam from the Roman empire. It is most popular in Turkey and Russia.
10am
We open for guests. If it's really good we have 10 or 15 guests but at the weekends we have 18 or 20. I meet them in reception and we give them a consultation form and a medical form.
We must know that he or she is healthy. If they have had any operations or back [issues] we need to know because inside the hammam it is hot and we need to know that [the guest] is OK with the hot temperature. We take him or her to the steam room to soften the skin.
After that we go to the sauna for five minutes. Then they lie down on a heated marble platform. We [pour water over them] and do a scalp massage. Then we do a scrub for the whole body. When we remove the old skin we wash them again. We put the olive soap in a [pail] and mix it with hot water. We put the foam on the guest. Then we start a full body massage.
Mid morning
After that we ... take the guest to the relaxation room. Then we bring a Turkish drink for them. I can do three hammam back-to-back and then have a one hour's rest. [We have other people working here] I have three men and three women. I brought the men from Turkey.
Afternoon
More treatments. When I started this job I was a hammam cleaner. Our family has worked in hammams for more than 100 years. [My uncle and my uncle's sons] worked in an older hammam and I wanted to work at a luxury hotel, so I needed a certificate. I decided to go to a school ... for spa and hammam in Turkey. After studying I became a hammam therapist and I worked for two years and became a hammam supervisor. I have been here in the UAE for almost two years.
7pm - 8pm
I leave work. I go home and then I read sometimes and watch TV. But I must go to sleep early because hammam really is a difficult job. You use a lot of effort so I need to relax in the evening.
10.30pm - 11pm
I go to sleep.
* Gillian Duncan
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
Company%20Profile
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COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
Sui Dhaaga: Made in India
Director: Sharat Katariya
Starring: Varun Dhawan, Anushka Sharma, Raghubir Yadav
3.5/5
Ruwais timeline
1971 Abu Dhabi National Oil Company established
1980 Ruwais Housing Complex built, located 10 kilometres away from industrial plants
1982 120,000 bpd capacity Ruwais refinery complex officially inaugurated by the founder of the UAE Sheikh Zayed
1984 Second phase of Ruwais Housing Complex built. Today the 7,000-unit complex houses some 24,000 people.
1985 The refinery is expanded with the commissioning of a 27,000 b/d hydro cracker complex
2009 Plans announced to build $1.2 billion fertilizer plant in Ruwais, producing urea
2010 Adnoc awards $10bn contracts for expansion of Ruwais refinery, to double capacity from 415,000 bpd
2014 Ruwais 261-outlet shopping mall opens
2014 Production starts at newly expanded Ruwais refinery, providing jet fuel and diesel and allowing the UAE to be self-sufficient for petrol supplies
2014 Etihad Rail begins transportation of sulphur from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais for export
2017 Aldar Academies to operate Adnoc’s schools including in Ruwais from September. Eight schools operate in total within the housing complex.
2018 Adnoc announces plans to invest $3.1 billion on upgrading its Ruwais refinery
2018 NMC Healthcare selected to manage operations of Ruwais Hospital
2018 Adnoc announces new downstream strategy at event in Abu Dhabi on May 13
Source: The National
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
