I'm standing level with the sinking sun, amid the tallest turrets of the 1,000-year-old Guimarães Castle in northern Portugal. The sky darkens into inky blue-black and the city lights begin to glitter. The high peak offers the perfect vantage point from which to observe Guimarães. By day, the peaks and troughs of the city's ancient granite rock formations are visible, for Guimarães is in a valley surrounded by hills: to the north is Senhora Hill and to the south lies Penha hill, where cable cars slowly glide between green mountains. By night, the lights of the luxurious pousadas and the fairy lights strung around windows and lamp posts shimmer in the lanes below.
Situated an hour's drive from Portugal's second city, Porto, and filled with medieval architecture, cobbled streets and about 50,000 inhabitants, Guimarães has been declared European Capital of Culture 2012, along with Maribor in Slovenia. I'm here to find out if this little-known city can really compete with former capitals of culture, such as Paris, Istanbul and Prague.
I arrive on an evening when the 10th anniversary of Guimarães's inauguration as a Unesco World Heritage Site is being commemorated through enthusiastic communal celebrations. Hundreds of candles flicker in the darkness of Largo da Oliveira, a square in the historic quarter. Several legends are told about "miracles" that have taken place here, including a withered olive tree springing back to life. It's a miracle, too, that hundreds of people have gathered in the square, despite the rain, for orchestra and choir performances.
An evening meal at the Historico by Papaboa restaurant (Rue de Valdonas, no 4), a short walk from the central plaza, is a perfect way to get a real flavour of Portugal. The seafood is wholesome and delicious; cream cod, or bacalhau com natas, is the local speciality. The crowd is young and its atmosphere lively; indeed, 50 per cent of the city's inhabitants are under 30.
The next morning, strolling along the cobbled streets, I notice a huge sign, gleaming in the sun: "Acqui Nasceu Portugal" (Here Portugal was born). The birthplace of the first Portuguese king, Afonso Henriques I, Guimarães gained the status of city in 1853 but its layout is more or less as it was in the 15th century. The city is full of history, its museums filled with relics and curiosities. The Ducal Palace, on the same street as the Castle (Rua Santa Maria), is also the President's official northern residence and one of the most visited attractions in Portugal, where visitors can wander through rooms housing a collection of impressive 15th-century artefacts.
Far from being fixated on the past, Guimarães has one eye firmly on the future. While celebrating history, the cultural programmers have also harnessed modern technology, with an Guimarães iPhone app that does everything from guiding visitors around the city to calculating distances and providing recommendations from locals. Guimarães 2012 visionaries are also making an effort to encourage "active participation" among tourists with projects such as "Mi casa es tu casa" ("My house is your house"), where residents put up visitors in their homes.
I wander through the old industrial area of the city, whose main trade was textiles. Decaying factories have been regenerated and are now filled with music, art and architectural projects engaging the local community. Visually, this has created some interesting architectural juxtapositions of old and new. The capacious Vila Flor Cultural Centre (www.ccvf.pt/) is a hive of activity, a modern building built on the grounds of a 17th-century mansion where I watch the enthusiastic National Orchestra play uplifting classical Portuguese music. The diverse cultural centre programme also includes the popular jazz festival.
Only an hour away from Guimarães is Portugal's second city, Porto, a former culture capital renowned for its striking architecture, including Renaissance and Baroque styles and the historic Ribiera district along the Douro River that winds all the way from Spain to the Atlantic at Porto. While several trains run daily from Lisbon to Porto, a car journey allows visitors to explore smaller towns along the Atlantic coast.
Porto is the kind of place where even everyday buildings look like works of art, such as the Sao Bento train station, which has become a tourist attraction thanks to its intricate design by Jorge Colaco that features 20,000 hand-painted azulejo (traditional blue-and-white tiles) depicting scenes from Portuguese history as well as the history of transport (Porto was the first city on the Iberian Peninsula to have a tram system, for example). From Sao Bento station, it's easy to catch a train along the Douro to Pocinho, close to the Spanish border.
The greatest pleasure in Porto can be found in strolling through the sloping streets, studying the quirky buildings, lively cafes and handicraft shops full of locally made toys, textiles, pottery and jewellery. The upmarket designer shops are clustered in the chic Boavista area, near the Serralves park and the must-see Serralves Foundation Museum of Contemporary Art, including the luxurious pink villa, Casa de Serralves, which houses art exhibitions.
I stop at the elegant Cafe Majestico (www.cafemajestic.com; Rua Santa Catarina 112), an opulent tea room where JK Rowling spent time working on her Harry Potter books when she lived in the city in the 1990s. Highly recommended is a visit to the neo-Gothic 19th-century Lello bookshop, with splendidly ornate stained-glass ceiling and a steep red staircase winding up to a heaven of books (residents claim it was the inspiration behind Rowling's Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry).
I eat dinner at the nearby Book restaurant, designed with books hanging from walls and ceiling; books are even used as place mats. I tuck into carpaccio, fish roe and shrimp, followed by caramel ice cream.
The next day, a cruise on the Douro in a traditional flat-bottomed, wooden barco rabelo, a boat with a large flapping sail, offers fantastic views of the colourful houses lining the waterway, and the fresh breeze works up my appetite. I lunch in the renowned riverside restaurant, D Tonho (www.dtonho.com) in the Ribiera district), and enjoy a range of traditional dishes, including many varieties of the staple cod. Later I stroll around the area, gazing at the rocky cliffs overlooking the river while the sound of traditional "fado" music filters from cafes.
Walking along the stately bridges over the Duoro, one recalls the maritime history of this country. "Somos a gente do mar" ("We are people of the sea"), declared Vasco da Gama, after discovering the sea route to India. Although Portugal lost its colonial position, many of the seafaring traditions of ancient mariners remain, and rabelo still fill Porto's quay.
Accommodation in the city ranges from the luxurious Hotel Infante Sagres, filled with stained glass, mahogany panelling and marbled bathrooms, to the more bohemian Teatro, where I stay. The elegantly designed hotel was built on the site of the former Banqueting Theatre that was destroyed by fire in 1888; its theatrical spirit is evoked in the hotel lobby with busts draped in Victorian costumes, so that one can almost sense the ghosts of the previous era, the actors who would have performed here. Recreated 122 years later as a Design Hotel by the renowned Portuguese architect Nini Andrade Silva, it has low stage lighting, a chocolate-coloured carpet and golden bathtub. The entrance is adorned with the words of a Portuguese poem by 19th-century poet Almeida Garrett.
Another slice of architecture worth exploring is the Palacio da Bolsa, with the impressive stucco-walled Arabian Hall designed in the 19th century and decorated with 18kg of gold. The luxurious room where dignitaries dined seems all but perfect, but then our guide asks us to look more closely: one of the door frames is slightly askew, following the tradition in Islamic architecture of deliberately working in an imperfection.
Lisbon and southern Portugal usually bask in the limelight, but a visit to Guimarães and Porto proves that smaller cities too have much to offer. There is a gentle natural beauty found here; some of the lingering images in my mind from Guimarães are the spots of colour provided by bright pink camellias that seem to grow everywhere, proving that the tiniest details can be as impressive as the grandest designs.
If you go
The flight Return flights with Etihad Airways (www.etihadairways.com) to London from Abu Dhabi cost from Dh3,980. Tap Portugal (www.flytap.com) flies from Lisbon to Porto (about an hour from Guimarães) from €247 (Dh1,205) return. Prices include taxes
The hotel Double rooms at Hotel de Guimarães (www.hotel-guimaraes.com; 00 351 25 3424 800) from €87 (Dh424) per night. In Porto, double rooms at Hotel Teatro (www.hotelteatro.pt/; 00 351 22 0409 620) cost from €133 (Dh643) per night. Prices include taxes
BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
GULF MEN'S LEAGUE
Pool A Dubai Hurricanes, Bahrain, Dubai Exiles, Dubai Tigers 2
Pool B Abu Dhabi Harlequins, Jebel Ali Dragons, Dubai Knights Eagles, Dubai Tigers
Opening fixtures
Thursday, December 5
6.40pm, Pitch 8, Abu Dhabi Harlequins v Dubai Knights Eagles
7pm, Pitch 2, Jebel Ali Dragons v Dubai Tigers
7pm, Pitch 4, Dubai Hurricanes v Dubai Exiles
7pm, Pitch 5, Bahrain v Dubai Eagles 2
Recent winners
2018 Dubai Hurricanes
2017 Dubai Exiles
2016 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
2015 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
2014 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
The Brutalist
Director: Brady Corbet
Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn
Rating: 3.5/5
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.
THE SPECS
Engine: 3.5-litre supercharged V6
Power: 416hp at 7,000rpm
Torque: 410Nm at 3,500rpm
Transmission: 6-speed manual
Fuel consumption: 10.2 l/100km
Price: Dh375,000
On sale: now
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
If you go:
The flights: Etihad, Emirates, British Airways and Virgin all fly from the UAE to London from Dh2,700 return, including taxes
The tours: The Tour for Muggles usually runs several times a day, lasts about two-and-a-half hours and costs £14 (Dh67)
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is on now at the Palace Theatre. Tickets need booking significantly in advance
Entrance to the Harry Potter exhibition at the House of MinaLima is free
The hotel: The grand, 1909-built Strand Palace Hotel is in a handy location near the Theatre District and several of the key Harry Potter filming and inspiration sites. The family rooms are spacious, with sofa beds that can accommodate children, and wooden shutters that keep out the light at night. Rooms cost from £170 (Dh808).
Results
Male 51kg Round 1
Dias Karmanov (KAZ) beat Mabrook Rasea (YEM) by points 2-1.
Male 54kg Round 1
Yelaman Sayassatov (KAZ) beat Chen Huang (TPE) TKO Round 1; Huynh Hoang Phi (VIE) beat Fahad Anakkayi (IND) RSC Round 2; Qais Al Jamal (JOR) beat Man Long Ng (MAC) by points 3-0; Ayad Albadr (IRQ) beat Yashar Yazdani (IRI) by points 2-1.
Male 57kg Round 1
Natthawat Suzikong (THA) beat Abdallah Ondash (LBN) by points 3-0; Almaz Sarsembekov (KAZ) beat Ahmed Al Jubainawi (IRQ) by points 2-1; Hamed Almatari (YEM) beat Nasser Al Rugheeb (KUW) by points 3-0; Zakaria El Jamari (UAE) beat Yu Xi Chen (TPE) by points 3-0.
Men 86kg Round 1
Ahmad Bahman (UAE) beat Mohammad Al Khatib (PAL) by points 2-1
Men 63.5kg Round 1
Noureddin Samir (UAE) beat Polash Chakma (BAN) RSC Round 1.
Female 45kg quarter finals
Narges Mohammadpour (IRI) beat Yuen Wai Chan (HKG) by points.
Female 48kg quarter finals
Szi Ki Wong (HKG) beat Dimple Vaishnav (IND) RSC round 2; Thanawan Thongduang (THA) beat Nastaran Soori (IRI) by points; Shabnam Hussain Zada (AFG) beat Tzu Ching Lin (TPE) by points.
Female 57kg quarter finals
Nguyen Thi Nguyet (VIE) beat Anisha Shetty (IND) by points 2-1; Areeya Sahot (THA) beat Dana Al Mayyal (KUW) RSC Round 1; Sara Idriss (LBN) beat Ching Yee Tsang (HKG) by points 3-0.
Race card
1.45pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,200m.
2.15pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,200m.
2.45pm: Handicap Dh95,000 1,200m.
3.15pm: Handicap Dh120,000 1,400m.
3.45pm: Handicap Dh80,000 1,400m.
4.15pm: Handicap Dh90,000 1,800m.
4.45pm: Handicap Dh80,000 1,950m.
The National selections:
1.45pm: Galaxy Road – So Hi Speed
2.15pm: Majestic Thunder – Daltrey
2.45pm: Call To War – Taamol
3.15pm: Eqtiraan - Bochart
3.45pm: Kidd Malibu – Initial
4.15pm: Arroway – Arch Gold
4.35pm: Compliance - Muqaatil
Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
Teams
Pakistan: Sarfraz Ahmed (captain), Mohammad Hafeez, Sahibzada Farhan, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan Shanwari, Hasan Ali, Imad Wasim, Faheem Ashraf.
New Zealand: Kane Williamson (captain), Corey Anderson, Mark Chapman, Lockie Ferguson, Colin de Grandhomme, Adam Milne, Colin Munro, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Seth Rance, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor.
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Other must-tries
Tomato and walnut salad
A lesson in simple, seasonal eating. Wedges of tomato, chunks of cucumber, thinly sliced red onion, coriander or parsley leaves, and perhaps some fresh dill are drizzled with a crushed walnut and garlic dressing. Do consider yourself warned: if you eat this salad in Georgia during the summer months, the tomatoes will be so ripe and flavourful that every tomato you eat from that day forth will taste lacklustre in comparison.
Badrijani nigvzit
A delicious vegetarian snack or starter. It consists of thinly sliced, fried then cooled aubergine smothered with a thick and creamy walnut sauce and folded or rolled. Take note, even though it seems like you should be able to pick these morsels up with your hands, they’re not as durable as they look. A knife and fork is the way to go.
Pkhali
This healthy little dish (a nice antidote to the khachapuri) is usually made with steamed then chopped cabbage, spinach, beetroot or green beans, combined with walnuts, garlic and herbs to make a vegetable pâté or paste. The mix is then often formed into rounds, chilled in the fridge and topped with pomegranate seeds before being served.
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
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CREW
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Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Company info
Company name: Entrupy
Co-founders: Vidyuth Srinivasan, co-founder/chief executive, Ashlesh Sharma, co-founder/chief technology officer, Lakshmi Subramanian, co-founder/chief scientist
Based: New York, New York
Sector/About: Entrupy is a hardware-enabled SaaS company whose mission is to protect businesses, borders and consumers from transactions involving counterfeit goods.
Initial investment/Investors: Entrupy secured a $2.6m Series A funding round in 2017. The round was led by Tokyo-based Digital Garage and Daiwa Securities Group's jointly established venture arm, DG Lab Fund I Investment Limited Partnership, along with Zach Coelius.
Total customers: Entrupy’s customers include hundreds of secondary resellers, marketplaces and other retail organisations around the world. They are also testing with shipping companies as well as customs agencies to stop fake items from reaching the market in the first place.
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The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
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