SIR BANI YAS ISLAND // While archaeologists on Sir Bani Yas Island dig up the past, tourism authorities see an opportunity to look to the future.
The public unveiling of a 7th century monastery on the natural island off the coast of the Western Region is a chance to expand the tourism offerings on Desert Islands, a destination known for its outdoor activities, wildlife reserve and five-star resort.
"This site being the first Christian monastery in the UAE is a big deal here," said Noaf Tahlak, the marketing manager for the Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC), the developer of Desert Islands. "We have a huge story to talk about. This is part of the culture and the heritage of the island."
The archeological find, the oldest pre-Islamic Christian site in the UAE, opened to the public yesterday and will someday be part of a constellation of history sites accessible to the island's visitors.
"How this fits in with the offerings on Sir Bani Yas reflects the ethos of Sir Bani Yas," said George Chakar, the communications manager for the Western Region for TDIC. "It's about preservation and conservation; that's what the island is all about ... In the future, our ultimate objective is to pass from an era to an era throughout many sites. We want to document as much as possible the heritage of Sir Bani Yas Island from the oldest times to the modern day."
A heritage trail that links up the island's sites would take tourists back 7,500 years, to a time when the first settlers came to the island. More than 35 archaeological sites have been discovered on the island, including a 4,000-year-old building from the Late Bronze Age believed to be a collective tomb and a fortified watchtower from the early Islamic period.
"This is a threefold benefit for Abu Dhabi," said Peter Hellyer, the excavation's project manager. "This is reflecting part of the country's heritage. It's unique and attractive to visitors. And it increases the Sir Bani Yas experience."
The island also includes Late Stone Age settlements, the remains of villages and cemeteries, an early mosque and evidence of the island's role in the rich ancient pearling industry. Some of these sites may be excavated and opened to public viewing.
A heritage trail could be complemented by an interpretation centre and interactive displays, two ideas that have been discussed. A proposed visitors' centre could contain replicas of the artefacts discovered at the monastery site, and the excavation of more buildings in the central complex would help to draw tourists back to the location.
Tourists looking to visit the island's monastic ruins are transported via zero-emission electric buses and are led on a tour by guides trained by Dr Joseph Elders, the excavation's chief archaeological director.
The site, which will undergo several more seasons of excavations, is enclosed within a protected fence and covered with an open-sided shelter meant to protect the sensitive ruins from sun, wind and rain damage.
Visitors enter the site through an entrance on the east side of the monastery. A newly-constructed raised platform rings the main monastery site, and informational plaques at the east and south corners of the excavation explain the history and details of the settlement.
Several new features will be available on Sir Bani Yas Island next year. Two new lodges - the beachfront Al Yamm Lodge and the 30-unit oasis Al Sahel Lodge - are slated for a 2011 opening. Additionally, a conference centre, stables and a watersports centre are on target to open before the end of next year.
"A lot of things are coming up in 2011, and we're looking forward to many more exciting things in the future," Ms Tahlak said.
The cultural and historical elements of tourism coming to the island are the next natural step for the TDIC, the tourism authorities said, and it is important that all future developments - including the heritage trail and visitors' centre - fit the character of Sir Bani Yas.
"We are proud to say that this important archaeological site makes Sir Bani Yas one of the very few destinations in the world to offer a holistic tourism experience, covering wildlife, nature-based activities, a five-star resort and sites of historical significance," Ms Tahlak said.
For each guest who comes to Desert Islands, a mangrove is planted to offset the environmental impact of their visit.
"Yes, there are a lot of developments coming up, but all of them are developed with very much care in order to have a low impact," Mr Chakar said.
jthomas@thenational.ae
Diriyah%20project%20at%20a%20glance
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Company%20Profile
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
The Bio
Name: Lynn Davison
Profession: History teacher at Al Yasmina Academy, Abu Dhabi
Children: She has one son, Casey, 28
Hometown: Pontefract, West Yorkshire in the UK
Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite Author: CJ Sansom
Favourite holiday destination: Bali
Favourite food: A Sunday roast
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 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
Gender equality in the workplace still 200 years away
It will take centuries to achieve gender parity in workplaces around the globe, according to a December report from the World Economic Forum.
The WEF study said there had been some improvements in wage equality in 2018 compared to 2017, when the global gender gap widened for the first time in a decade.
But it warned that these were offset by declining representation of women in politics, coupled with greater inequality in their access to health and education.
At current rates, the global gender gap across a range of areas will not close for another 108 years, while it is expected to take 202 years to close the workplace gap, WEF found.
The Geneva-based organisation's annual report tracked disparities between the sexes in 149 countries across four areas: education, health, economic opportunity and political empowerment.
After years of advances in education, health and political representation, women registered setbacks in all three areas this year, WEF said.
Only in the area of economic opportunity did the gender gap narrow somewhat, although there is not much to celebrate, with the global wage gap narrowing to nearly 51 per cent.
And the number of women in leadership roles has risen to 34 per cent globally, WEF said.
At the same time, the report showed there are now proportionately fewer women than men participating in the workforce, suggesting that automation is having a disproportionate impact on jobs traditionally performed by women.
And women are significantly under-represented in growing areas of employment that require science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills, WEF said.
* Agence France Presse
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
LEAGUE CUP QUARTER-FINAL DRAW
Stoke City v Tottenham
Brentford v Newcastle United
Arsenal v Manchester City
Everton v Manchester United
All ties are to be played the week commencing December 21.
Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
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
Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
Results
6.30pm: Maiden Dh165,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
Winner: Celtic Prince, David Liska (jockey), Rashed Bouresly (trainer).
7.05pm: Conditions Dh240,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Commanding, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
7.40pm: Handicap Dh190,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Grand Argentier, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
8.15pm: Handicap Dh170,000 (D) 2,200m
Winner: Arch Gold, Sam Hitchcott, Doug Watson.
8.50pm: The Entisar Listed Dh265,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Military Law, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi.
9.25pm: The Garhoud Sprint Listed Dh265,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Ibn Malik, Dane O’Neill, Musabah Al Muhairi.
10pm: Handicap Dh185,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner: Midnight Sands, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
TOURNAMENT INFO
Fixtures
Sunday January 5 - Oman v UAE
Monday January 6 - UAE v Namibia
Wednesday January 8 - Oman v Namibia
Thursday January 9 - Oman v UAE
Saturday January 11 - UAE v Namibia
Sunday January 12 – Oman v Namibia
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Waheed Ahmed, Zawar Farid, Darius D’Silva, Karthik Meiyappan, Jonathan Figy, Vriitya Aravind, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Basil Hameed, Chirag Suri
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
PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
Saturday (UAE kick-off times)
Watford v Leicester City (3.30pm)
Brighton v Arsenal (6pm)
West Ham v Wolves (8.30pm)
Bournemouth v Crystal Palace (10.45pm)
Sunday
Newcastle United v Sheffield United (5pm)
Aston Villa v Chelsea (7.15pm)
Everton v Liverpool (10pm)
Monday
Manchester City v Burnley (11pm)