FUJAIRAH // By day, Khalid bin Bashir Ali works as an assistant stage director at Sharjah's National Theatre. At night he transforms into a demonic hunchbacked hag who terrorises anyone who dares visit her domain - a graveyard inside his family's "horror house".
"I sneak in between the visitors and walk next to them, clutching their arm as if I am a frightened old woman, and then when they hear my breathing getting louder, they turn their faces to see me, and I scare them with my hideous face and laugh," the 26-year-old Emirati says with a smile.
The temporary structure where this happens, known in Arabic as Bayit al Rouaa', is typical of the "horror houses" that have been springing up at heritage-related events around the Northern Emirates for at least a decade. The latest house was set up for two weeks this month at the Heritage Village in Fujairah, next to stands selling traditional handicrafts and food.
Horror houses come in all shapes and sizes: created inside abandoned villas or fashioned out of palm tree fronds and stalk, similar to a traditional arish. There are many variations, but the common theme is for the structures to incorporate secret passages and pits, filled with a low-lying fog, featuring strategic lighting and sudden, scary appearances by a variety of ghouls.
Once erected, these locations draw on Emirati folklore that supernatural creatures, such as djinn, will proceed to haunt and frighten whoever enters through the gate.
This horror house has been organised by Khalid's father, Bashir Mohammed Ali, who lives in nearby Kalba, and involves his six sons in a roving production that has already been set up in Sharjah, Kalbaand Dibba and will be making its debut in Ras al Khaimah and al Dhaid next year.
Bashir, 47, a theatre stage director and technical engineer, spends Dh20,000 to Dh80,000 setting each "house" up, charging Dh10 for those who enter. Anyone over 10 is welcome to experience the fright, except "pregnant women, and those with heart problems, epilepsy, high blood pressure and diabetes", according to a warning sign near the metallic door.
"It sounds cheesy, but trust me, when you are inside the dark twisted maze of the horror house, and things are touching you and blowing in your ear and playing with your mind, even the toughest men get scared," Bashir says.
He started building horror houses as part of a "family affair", taking in young actors from the Sharjah theatre to play roles, along with his sons. Although they all pitch in, he is the main voice behind the assorted screams and groans echoing inside.
"The key to making it interesting, is to keep changing the tactics and moving the pit holes around, so that whoever went in can't spoil it for future customers," Bashir says.
Although he would not reveal much of what goes on in his houses, preferring to leave most of the surprises for visitors, he did say one of his favourite tricks is to have visitors hear cats fighting to their right and left, just as something furry rubs against their leg.He calls it "the catty scream".
Khalid has been doing his wizened old woman act - a revival of the evil but popular Emirati fairytale figure Um al Duwais - for four years. He dons a full head mask, complete with wrinkles, long nose and straggly white hair, a full-body black abaya covering a hump crafted onto his back, and tops it off with a sickle. Legend has it the demon initially appears young and beautiful to seduce men, before revealing herself, killing and mutilating them.
It gets hot inside the mask and some customers get so frightened they end up pushing and hitting Mr Ali and his brothers, two of whom are police officers.
Still, he enjoys the "horror role". "It is really fun," Khalid says.
"I watch as these supposed brave brothers come in with their sisters to act as guardians, but end up pushing their sisters forward, hiding behind them."
After a night of terrorising is over and the lights go up, the most common find is a traditional Emirati sandal that has been left behind in a flight of fear.
One of the country's first horror houses is a concrete version open part of the year in the heart of Heritage Village in Sharjah. It was set up seven years ago by AbdulAziz al Musallam, Sharjah's director of heritage and cultural affairs.
"It is in honour of our folklore and fairytales that have a strong horror element at the heart of many of the myths," Mr al Musallam said.
"While not really 'tradition' in the regular sense, there was always some haunted house or area in the old neighbourhoods. We picked this particular horror house because it was believed to be haunted by Abu al Salal, a ghost who carries chains, almost 40 years ago."
There are plans to keep the horror house in Sharjah open throughout the year, starting next April.
"Everyone," Mr al Musallamsays, "enjoys a bit of a scare in their life."
rghazal@thenational.ae
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
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(Yale University Press)
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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.
A State of Passion
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The past Palme d'Or winners
2018 Shoplifters, Hirokazu Kore-eda
2017 The Square, Ruben Ostlund
2016 I, Daniel Blake, Ken Loach
2015 Dheepan, Jacques Audiard
2014 Winter Sleep (Kış Uykusu), Nuri Bilge Ceylan
2013 Blue is the Warmest Colour (La Vie d'Adèle: Chapitres 1 et 2), Abdellatif Kechiche, Adele Exarchopoulos and Lea Seydoux
2012 Amour, Michael Haneke
2011 The Tree of Life, Terrence Malick
2010 Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Lung Bunmi Raluek Chat), Apichatpong Weerasethakul
2009 The White Ribbon (Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte), Michael Haneke
2008 The Class (Entre les murs), Laurent Cantet
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.”
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How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
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The Written World: How Literature Shaped History
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Granta
'Brazen'
Director: Monika Mitchell
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Rating: 3/5
The specs
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PFA Team of the Year: David de Gea, Kyle Walker, Jan Vertonghen, Nicolas Otamendi, Marcos Alonso, David Silva, Kevin De Bruyne, Christian Eriksen, Harry Kane, Mohamed Salah, Sergio Aguero
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- Previously worked at The Guardian, BBC’s Newsnight programme and ITV News
- Took up a public relations role for Chancellor Rishi Sunak in April 2020
- In October 2020 she was hired to lead No 10’s planned daily televised press briefings
- The idea was later scrapped and she was appointed spokeswoman for Cop26
- Ms Stratton, 41, is married to James Forsyth, the political editor of The Spectator
- She has strong connections to the Conservative establishment
- Mr Sunak served as best man at her 2011 wedding to Mr Forsyth
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
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Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
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- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
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Members of Syria's Alawite minority community face threat in their heartland after one of the deadliest days in country’s recent history. Read more
Mia Man’s tips for fermentation
- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut
- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.
- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.
- Always use clean, closed, airtight lids and containers such as mason jars when fermenting yogurt and kraut. Keep the lid closed to prevent insects and contaminants from getting in.
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QUARTER-FINAL
Wales 20-19 France
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High profile Al Shabab attacks
- 2010: A restaurant attack in Kampala Uganda kills 74 people watching a Fifa World Cup final football match.
- 2013: The Westgate shopping mall attack, 62 civilians, five Kenyan soldiers and four gunmen are killed.
- 2014: A series of bombings and shootings across Kenya sees scores of civilians killed.
- 2015: Four gunmen attack Garissa University College in northeastern Kenya and take over 700 students hostage, killing those who identified as Christian; 148 die and 79 more are injured.
- 2016: An attack on a Kenyan military base in El Adde Somalia kills 180 soldiers.
- 2017: A suicide truck bombing outside the Safari Hotel in Mogadishu kills 587 people and destroys several city blocks, making it the deadliest attack by the group and the worst in Somalia’s history.
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The bio
Who inspires you?
I am in awe of the remarkable women in the Arab region, both big and small, pushing boundaries and becoming role models for generations. Emily Nasrallah was a writer, journalist, teacher and women’s rights activist
How do you relax?
Yoga relaxes me and helps me relieve tension, especially now when we’re practically chained to laptops and desks. I enjoy learning more about music and the history of famous music bands and genres.
What is favourite book?
The Perks of Being a Wallflower - I think I've read it more than 7 times
What is your favourite Arabic film?
Hala2 Lawen (Translation: Where Do We Go Now?) by Nadine Labaki
What is favourite English film?
Mamma Mia
Best piece of advice to someone looking for a career at Google?
If you’re interested in a career at Google, deep dive into the different career paths and pinpoint the space you want to join. When you know your space, you’re likely to identify the skills you need to develop.
