The 13th century Persian poet and Sufi mystic Rumi begins his poem, The Laughter of Pomegranates, with the words: “If you buy a pomegranate, buy one whose ripeness has caused it to be cleft open with a seed-revealing smile.”
Halfway through the poem he also writes: “A laughing pomegranate brings the whole garden to life.”
In his poem, Rumi explores spirituality, joy and a common theme throughout his work – the transformative power of love. Here, this week’s Arabic word of the week, ruman, which means pomegranate, is used as an image to convey the philosophical facets of this transformation.
The official definition of ruman in Arabic is in fact not the fruit itself. It refers to a type of shrublike tree whose trunk is characteristically smooth, its branches rigid with leaves that are glossy, dark green, oval in shape, and that grow crossing at right angles. The tree blooms red flowers that bear a large cylindrical fruit, which is also referred to as ruman.
The skin of the fruit is tough, containing small fruit seeds inside that are either red or pink. These seeds are edible and also contain a refreshing liquid that is used to make pomegranate juice and pomegranate molasses, a staple ingredient in many dishes across the region.
There is another plant called ruman al anhar, which translates to “ruman of the river”. This tree has flowers that range in colour, from yellow to red, and bear a smaller fruit. While edible, the fruit's seeds are often used medicinally for joint pain and sciatica.
The origin of the word ruman is unclear. Its roots are most likely Semitic and derived from similar words in languages such as Hebrew, Aramaic, Ge'ez and Egyptian.
Another linguistic theory is that its an Arab-ised version of the Farsi word anar, which means pomegranate. Ruman trees are considered to have originated from what is now modern-day Iran and then spread across the region, which would explain how the word was changed in Arabic.
Rumana, which is derived from ruman, is a word that is used for other things. The handle, or specifically the part where the sheath of a sword is held on to, is known as the rumana, as is the space where animal food is stored on a farm.
Rumani refers to anything that’s related to a ruman, whether in colour, shape or taste. For example, if the colour of a dress is similar to the red of a pomegranate, one would say: “The colour of this dress is rumani.”
Ruman is one of only five fruits mentioned in the Quran. Tamir (dates), teen (figs), zaytoon (olives), anab (grapes) and mooz (banana) are the four other fruits.
Ruman is mentioned in two different passages in the sixth chapter of the Quran, entitled Surah Al-An'am. Here, ruman is used to highlight the diversity of fruits created by God. Ruman is mentioned a third time in the 55th chapter of the Quran, entitled Surah Al-Rahman, where ruman is referenced as one of the fruits found in paradise.
Historically, ruman holds significant importance in Arabic cuisine. Pomegranate molasses, a tangy syrup, is used in salads such as Fattoush and in fried foods like kibbeh or in the dish dolma. It’s also used as a garnish in dips such as babba ghanoush as well as in many stews and dishes.
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Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Kathryn Hawkes of House of Hawkes on being a good guest (because we’ve all had bad ones)
- Arrive with a thank you gift, or make sure you have one for your host by the time you leave.
- Offer to buy groceries, cook them a meal or take your hosts out for dinner.
- Help out around the house.
- Entertain yourself so that your hosts don’t feel that they constantly need to.
- Leave no trace of your stay – if you’ve borrowed a book, return it to where you found it.
- Offer to strip the bed before you go.
Jawan
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Palestine and Israel - live updates
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
Company profile
Name: Tratok Portal
Founded: 2017
Based: UAE
Sector: Travel & tourism
Size: 36 employees
Funding: Privately funded
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
The specs
BMW M8 Competition Coupe
Engine 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8
Power 625hp at 6,000rpm
Torque 750Nm from 1,800-5,800rpm
Gearbox Eight-speed paddleshift auto
Acceleration 0-100kph in 3.2 sec
Top speed 305kph
Fuel economy, combined 10.6L / 100km
Price from Dh700,000 (estimate)
On sale Jan/Feb 2020
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
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Walls
Louis Tomlinson
3 out of 5 stars
(Syco Music/Arista Records)
What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
Score
Third Test, Day 2
New Zealand 274
Pakistan 139-3 (61 ov)
Pakistan trail by 135 runs with 7 wickets remaining in the innings
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
Cricket World Cup League 2 Fixtures
Saturday March 5, UAE v Oman, ICC Academy (all matches start at 9.30am)
Sunday March 6, Oman v Namibia, ICC Academy
Tuesday March 8, UAE v Namibia, ICC Academy
Wednesday March 9, UAE v Oman, ICC Academy
Friday March 11, Oman v Namibia, Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Saturday March 12, UAE v Namibia, Sharjah Cricket Stadium
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza (captain), Chirag Suri, Muhammad Waseem, CP Rizwan, Vriitya Aravind, Asif Khan, Basil Hameed, Rohan Mustafa, Kashif Daud, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Karthik Meiyappan, Akif Raja, Rahul Bhatia
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EA Sports FC 25
Developer: EA Vancouver, EA Romania
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4&5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
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