Get-togethers with family and friends are a welcome occurrence during Ramadan.
Often after taraweeh prayers are concluded, loved ones come together to watch television, eat desserts and relax at the end of a day spent fasting and praying.
Between the eating and unwinding, playing tabletop games is likewise a well-loved activity during the evening. Traditional card and board games designed for group play are favoured, with their familiarity making it easy for everyone to join in.
Here's a selection of the most popular and how they can be played.
Carrom
Most households in the Gulf will be familiar with carrom, or "kairam" as it is called in the region. It is played and enjoyed by all generations.
Originating in India, the game became popular there after the First World War. Through trade in the gulf and many Indian workers travelling there, the game became popular for its accessibility and the simplicity of its components. The Indian diaspora in the UK and Australia also contributed to introducing carrom to other parts of the world. The first tournaments are said to have taken place in Sri Lanka in 1935.
The premise is simple, making it easy to catch on and join in. Comprised of a square board with border walls and four corner pockets, the purpose of the game is to use a small plastic puck (called a striker) to pocket smaller wooden pucks.
The pucks are in different colours and represent different values, resembling the rules of billiards.
Many who have played carrom will be familiar with the use of talc powder to make the board smoother, allowing the pucks to slide more easily across the surface.
Walk into any majlis in the UAE during Ramadan and you’re sure to find a carrom board and at least one person who’s ready to play.
Backgammon
The famous board game is known the world over and has its roots in 17th-century England.
Often called "tawlah", the Arabic word for table, backgammon is a two-person game played on a board that has two sets of bordered rectangles. Within the spaces are embossed or drawn elongated triangles in which the players place their pieces.
The game is called checkers in some parts of the world but has different rules to the version that is played on a chess board. Backgammon is a contrary movement game with every player having fifteen pieces to play with.
The game can mostly be found in traditional cafes in the Levant and Egypt, usually played by older generations while they drink tea while besting one another.
Card games
There are numerous card games played in the Middle East, but the most popular are "hand" and "spades".
Both require multiple players, usually four, and can be played as individuals or in two teams. Games can go on for hours, filling up an evening with competitive fun.
The rules differ, but both games involve gaining points from gathering matching suits that trump the other players' or team’s tally. Spades is also popular in the US, but has different variations on the rules adhered to in the Middle East.
Spades and hand are played by young adults mostly in the Gulf, with some countries organising tournaments in Ramadan with different prizes offered.
Games can get quite feisty as players get closer to winning. Other popular card games include tarneeb, which is played in the Levant, and baloot, a popular game in Saudi Arabia.
Dama
Sometimes called Turkish draughts, dama is a tabletop game using pieces much like chess. The game is very popular among older generations in Kuwait, Jordan and Lebanon.
The game is played on an eight-by-eight board with the shape of the pieces varying from country to country. Some use small stones similar to the ones in the Chinese game Go, while others have pieces that resemble a little half dome.
According to stories passed on through generations, it is said that dama came to the region through sailors who travelled to Europe for trade and learnt the game there before coming back.
Dama tournaments are very popular in Kuwait and are organised every Ramadan.
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
THE LIGHT
Director: Tom Tykwer
Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger
Rating: 3/5
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
The UAE's journey to space
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League last-16, second leg:
Real Madrid 1 (Asensio 70'), Ajax 4 (Ziyech 7', Neres 18', Tadic 62', Schone 72')
Ajax win 5-3 on aggregate
The specs
Price: From Dh529,000
Engine: 5-litre V8
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Power: 520hp
Torque: 625Nm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.8L/100km
25%20Days%20to%20Aden
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The Outsider
Stephen King, Penguin
Iftar programme at the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding
Established in 1998, the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding was created with a vision to teach residents about the traditions and customs of the UAE. Its motto is ‘open doors, open minds’. All year-round, visitors can sign up for a traditional Emirati breakfast, lunch or dinner meal, as well as a range of walking tours, including ones to sites such as the Jumeirah Mosque or Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood.
Every year during Ramadan, an iftar programme is rolled out. This allows guests to break their fast with the centre’s presenters, visit a nearby mosque and observe their guides while they pray. These events last for about two hours and are open to the public, or can be booked for a private event.
Until the end of Ramadan, the iftar events take place from 7pm until 9pm, from Saturday to Thursday. Advanced booking is required.
For more details, email openminds@cultures.ae or visit www.cultures.ae
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How%20to%20avoid%20getting%20scammed
%3Cul%3E%0A%3Cli%3ENever%20click%20on%20links%20provided%20via%20app%20or%20SMS%2C%20even%20if%20they%20seem%20to%20come%20from%20authorised%20senders%20at%20first%20glance%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EAlways%20double-check%20the%20authenticity%20of%20websites%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EEnable%20Two-Factor%20Authentication%20(2FA)%20for%20all%20your%20working%20and%20personal%20services%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EOnly%20use%20official%20links%20published%20by%20the%20respective%20entity%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EDouble-check%20the%20web%20addresses%20to%20reduce%20exposure%20to%20fake%20sites%20created%20with%20domain%20names%20containing%20spelling%20errors%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3C%2Ful%3E%0A
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre 6-cyl turbo
Power: 374hp at 5,500-6,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm from 1,900-5,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.5L/100km
Price: from Dh285,000
On sale: from January 2022
Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
THREE
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La Mer lowdown
La Mer beach is open from 10am until midnight, daily, and is located in Jumeirah 1, well after Kite Beach. Some restaurants, like Cupagahwa, are open from 8am for breakfast; most others start at noon. At the time of writing, we noticed that signs for Vicolo, an Italian eatery, and Kaftan, a Turkish restaurant, indicated that these two restaurants will be open soon, most likely this month. Parking is available, as well as a Dh100 all-day valet option or a Dh50 valet service if you’re just stopping by for a few hours.
House-hunting
Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove
- Edinburgh, Scotland
- Westminster, London
- Camden, London
- Glasgow, Scotland
- Islington, London
- Kensington and Chelsea, London
- Highlands, Scotland
- Argyll and Bute, Scotland
- Fife, Scotland
- Tower Hamlets, London
DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin
Director: Shawn Levy
Rating: 3/5
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Sri Lanka Test squad:
Dimuth Karunaratne (stand-in captain), Niroshan Dickwella (vice captain), Lahiru Thirimanne, Kaushal Silva, Kusal Mendis, Kusal Janith Perera, Milinda Siriwardana, Dhananjaya de Silva, Oshada Fernando, Angelo Perera, Suranga Lakmal, Kasun Rajitha, Vishwa Fernando, Chamika Karunaratne, Mohamed Shiraz, Lakshan Sandakan and Lasith Embuldeniya.
Children who witnessed blood bath want to help others
Aged just 11, Khulood Al Najjar’s daughter, Nora, bravely attempted to fight off Philip Spence. Her finger was injured when she put her hand in between the claw hammer and her mother’s head.
As a vital witness, she was forced to relive the ordeal by police who needed to identify the attacker and ensure he was found guilty.
Now aged 16, Nora has decided she wants to dedicate her career to helping other victims of crime.
“It was very horrible for her. She saw her mum, dying, just next to her eyes. But now she just wants to go forward,” said Khulood, speaking about how her eldest daughter was dealing with the trauma of the incident five years ago. “She is saying, 'mama, I want to be a lawyer, I want to help people achieve justice'.”
Khulood’s youngest daughter, Fatima, was seven at the time of the attack and attempted to help paramedics responding to the incident.
“Now she wants to be a maxillofacial doctor,” Khulood said. “She said to me ‘it is because a maxillofacial doctor returned your face, mama’. Now she wants to help people see themselves in the mirror again.”
Khulood’s son, Saeed, was nine in 2014 and slept through the attack. While he did not witness the trauma, this made it more difficult for him to understand what had happened. He has ambitions to become an engineer.
