If you find yourself at the Sheikh Zayed Heritage Festival this weekend, sitting in the majlis with a cup of gahwa and watching a display of al razfa dancing: Mabrouk! You are enjoying three of the world’s great cultural treasures.
The UN cultural organisation Unesco announced on Thursday that the trio had been added to the list of the Intangible Cultural History of Humanity, meaning that they are important cultural traditions that should be preserved.
They were part of 15 additions to the list approved by Unesco at a meeting in the Namibian capital Windhoek that includes kimchi, the Korean dish of fermented vegetables, Slovakian bagpipes and Balinese dancing.
Citing the UAE’s contribution to world heritage, Unesco described the majlises as “playing an important role in the transmission of oral heritage.”
It added: “The areas are usually large, comfortable and equipped with beverage-making facilities. Elders with extensive local knowledge are the main practice bearers... judges and religious sheikhs adjudicate on disputes.”
Serving gahwa or Arabic coffee “is an important aspect of hospitality in Arab societies”, Unesco observed. Ascribing the drink to Saudi Arabia, Oman and Qatar as well as the UAE, the organisation said it was “traditionally prepared in front of house guests”.
Al razfa was attributed to the UAE and Oman and registered by Unesco as “a popular form of communal entertainment seen at festive events, involving groups of men with replica rifles and chanting verses”.
Already on the list are falconry, al taghrooda – Bedouin chanted poetry – and al ayala, also known as stick dancing.
Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, the chairman of Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority, said the UAE’s contribution to the Unesco list was part of the country’s efforts “to maintain and preserve the traditions of the past”.
jlangton@thenational.ae
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
Ferrari
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Company%C2%A0profile
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Game Changer
Director: Shankar
Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
Rating: 2/5
The biog
Nickname: Mama Nadia to children, staff and parents
Education: Bachelors degree in English Literature with Social work from UAE University
As a child: Kept sweets on the window sill for workers, set aside money to pay for education of needy families
Holidays: Spends most of her days off at Senses often with her family who describe the centre as part of their life too
Naga
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RESULTS
6.30pm: Handicap (rated 95-108) US$125,000 2000m (Dirt).
Winner: Don’t Give Up, Gerald Mosse (jockey), Saeed bin Suroor (trainer).
7.05pm: Handicap (95 ) $160,000 2810m (Turf).
Winner: Los Barbados, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass.
7.40pm: Handicap (80-89) $60,000 1600m (D).
Winner: Claim The Roses, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer.
8.15pm: UAE 2000 Guineas Trial (Div-1) Conditions $100,000 1,400m (D)
Winner: Gold Town, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.
8.50pm: Cape Verdi Group 2 $200,000 1600m (T).
Winner: Promising Run, Patrick Cosgrave, Saeed bin Suroor.
9.25pm: UAE 2000 Guineas Conditions $100,000 1,400m (D).
Winner: El Chapo, Luke Morris, Fawzi Nass.
It's Monty Python's Crashing Rocket Circus
To the theme tune of the famous zany British comedy TV show, SpaceX has shown exactly what can go wrong when you try to land a rocket.
The two minute video posted on YouTube is a compilation of crashes and explosion as the company, created by billionaire Elon Musk, refined the technique of reusable space flight.
SpaceX is able to land its rockets on land once they have completed the first stage of their mission, and is able to resuse them multiple times - a first for space flight.
But as the video, How Not to Land an Orbital Rocket Booster, demonstrates, it was a case if you fail, try and try again.