Ramy El Zaghawy's mural on Khaleej Al Arabi Street. Photo: Department of Municipalities and Transport
Ramy El Zaghawy's mural on Khaleej Al Arabi Street. Photo: Department of Municipalities and Transport
Ramy El Zaghawy's mural on Khaleej Al Arabi Street. Photo: Department of Municipalities and Transport
Ramy El Zaghawy's mural on Khaleej Al Arabi Street. Photo: Department of Municipalities and Transport

Why are Abu Dhabi's public spaces being painted with street art?


Razmig Bedirian
  • English
  • Arabic

Abu Dhabi Canvas is being expanded to decorate more public spaces across the capital with artworks that celebrate UAE heritage and culture.

The initiative is organised by the Department of Municipalities and Transport, and commissions artists living in the UAE to produce the works.

Abu Dhabi Canvas has already adorned several areas, including murals on King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud Street and the Madinat Zayed Shopping Centre, as well as vibrant bus stops on Corniche Street, Sheikh Rashid Bin Saeed Street and Sultan Bin Zayed The First Street.

The Abu Dhabi Canvas initiative commissions local artists to produce artworks for the city's public spaces. Photo: Department of Municipalities and Transport
The Abu Dhabi Canvas initiative commissions local artists to produce artworks for the city's public spaces. Photo: Department of Municipalities and Transport

As part of the expansion plan, five Emirati artists will be transforming several walls, pedestrian crossings and utility boxes in the Rabdan area. Each of the artists will draw from different aspects of local culture. Abdulla Al Mansouri will present works showing the Arabic coffee pot and cup as a motif. Mohamed Al Jneibi, meanwhile, will transform two crosswalks with horses and geometric designs. Ahmad Al Ali’s work will feature abstractions of falcons and elements reflecting pearl diving, astronomy and education. Mohammed Al Shamsi will depict a traditional dhow across several works. Finally, Aysha Al Hamrani will feature traditional motifs, including falcons, gazelles and palm trees.

The initiative will also decorate Abu Dhabi’s Delivery Riders Hubs, which are service points for delivery personnel fitted with air-conditioning, drinking water and phone charging facilities. This part of the project will begin with implementing four pieces that were selected from among 1,000 artworks created by students. The works were featured earlier this year at the National Art Expressions exhibition at Manarat Al Saadiyat.

Islam Mohamed's mural at Sheikh Rashid Bin Saeed Street. Photo: Department of Municipalities and Transport
Islam Mohamed's mural at Sheikh Rashid Bin Saeed Street. Photo: Department of Municipalities and Transport

The Abu Dhabi Canvas expansion comes as part of a collaboration between DMT and the Mubadala Foundation, the Authority of Social Contribution – Ma’an, and the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge.

“Through our partnership the Mubadala Foundation and ADEK, we will further enhance our city’s public spaces by infusing art into everyday infrastructures,” said Salem Al Kaabi, Director General of Operational Affairs at DMT. “These projects aim to create additional vibrant, engaging spaces that resonate with our community and reflect our shared values through the Abu Dhabi Canvas initiative while celebrating the UAE’s rich cultural and artistic heritage.”

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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

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Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

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Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe

Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010

Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille

Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm

Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year

Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”

Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners

TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013 

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
ESSENTIALS

The flights 
Emirates, Etihad and Swiss fly direct from the UAE to Zurich from Dh2,855 return, including taxes.
 

The chalet
Chalet N is currently open in winter only, between now and April 21. During the ski season, starting on December 11, a week’s rental costs from €210,000 (Dh898,431) per week for the whole property, which has 22 beds in total, across six suites, three double rooms and a children’s suite. The price includes all scheduled meals, a week’s ski pass, Wi-Fi, parking, transfers between Munich, Innsbruck or Zurich airports and one 50-minute massage per person. Private ski lessons cost from €360 (Dh1,541) per day. Halal food is available on request.

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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.

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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.

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WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?

1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull

2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight

3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge

4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own

5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed

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Date started: 2015

Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki

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Labour dispute

The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.


- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law 

Sugary teas and iced coffees

The tax authority is yet to release a list of the taxed products, but it appears likely that sugary iced teas and cold coffees will be hit.

For instance, the non-fizzy drink AriZona Iced Tea contains 65 grams of sugar – about 16 teaspoons – per 680ml can. The average can costs about Dh6, which would rise to Dh9.

Cold coffee brands are likely to be hit too. Drinks such as Starbucks Bottled Mocha Frappuccino contain 31g of sugar in 270ml, while Nescafe Mocha in a can contains 15.6g of sugar in a 240ml can.

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Cry Macho

Director: Clint Eastwood

Stars: Clint Eastwood, Dwight Yoakam

Rating:**

The Sand Castle

Director: Matty Brown

Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea

Rating: 2.5/5

Updated: October 07, 2024, 11:33 AM`