Stan, one of the world’s most complete Tyrannosaurus rex skeletons, is among the scientific and ancient treasures that will be displayed at the Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi when it opens in Saadiyat Cultural District. That alone cements the museum’s status as a major destination for history enthusiasts and a hub for in-house research in palaeontology and geology.
But the presence of dinosaurs in this region goes back far beyond the museum walls. For millions of years, the creatures are thought to have roamed the lands that now form the Middle East and North Africa, leaving behind fossils and footprints that scientists continue to uncover.
Here are some of the key regional discoveries made over the past century.
Morocco
In a mountainous stretch called the Kem Kem Beds in Morocco in the late 1990s, American palaeontologist Paul Sereno and his team from the University of Chicago uncovered fossils belonging to several enormous dinosaurs, including the sail-backed Spinosaurus and the sharp-toothed Carcharodontosaurus.
In 2021, more than a century after the first North African discoveries, researchers at London’s Natural History Museum announced another major find, a dinosaur called Spicomellus afer, unearthed in the Middle Atlas Mountains, in Boulemane. Published in Nature Ecology & Evolution in 2021, the fossil is believed to be the oldest-known armoured dinosaur, a plant-eater protected by rows of bony plates and spikes along its back.
The discovery proved that these dinosaurs had already evolved in Africa about 168 million years ago.
Egypt
German palaeontologist Ernst Stromer, one of the pioneers of dinosaur research in North Africa, carried out expeditions in Egypt’s Western Desert in the early 1900s. He found the fossils of two dinosaurs: the carnivore Bahariasaurus and the long-necked plant-eater Aegyptosaurus – in a region referred to as the Bahariya Formation.
In 2001, American palaeontologist Joshua Smith discovered the remains of Paralititan stromeri, described as a titanosaur, one of the largest creatures to walk the Earth. Egyptian scientist Hesham Sallam from Mansoura University went one better, finding a near-complete fossil of Mansourasaurus shahinae.
In 2022, Canada’s Royal Tyrrell Museum and Mansoura University teamed up to uncover a neck bone from an abelisaurid, another meat-eater.
Oman
The Arabian Peninsula was first placed on the palaeontology map in 2000, when British researchers Hill and Walkden from the University of Aberdeen came across fragments in the Al-Khod Conglomerate, a region near Oman's capital, Muscat. The fossil parts of the plant-eating ornithopods and long-necked sauropods proved these dinosaurs had reached the region by the Late Cretaceous period, which spanned roughly 100 to 66 million years ago.
Saudi Arabia
Where Oman discovered only fragments, Saudi Arabia became the first country in the Gulf confirmed to have dinosaur fossils in 2013. Researcher Benjamin Kear and his team from Sweden’s Uppsala University found the remains of seven tail bones from a titanosaur and two teeth from an abelisaurid along the Adaffa Formation on the kingdom’s north-west coast. The fossils are estimated to be more than 72 million years old, proving that large dinosaurs once roamed what is now Saudi Arabia.
Algeria
In 2005, scientists from Algeria and France discovered a nearly complete skeleton of the long-necked Chebsaurus algeriensis near the town of Ain El Kebira. Described in the journal Comptes Rendus Palevol, the fossils were found in rocks dating back about 160 million years and are regarded as one of the most accurate and well-preserved dinosaur finds in North Africa.
Sudan
More remains of sauropods and meat-eating theropods, estimated to have lived about 95 million years ago, were found in Sudan’s Wadi Milk Formation, about 700km north of Khartoum, by palaeontologists Werner and Weishampel in 2002. The University of Khartoum later uncovered additional fossils in the Shendi Formation, further illustrating how dinosaurs lived in the region during the Cretaceous period.
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Constant Variable (CVT)
Power: 141bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: Dh64,500
On sale: Now
Racecard
6pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2 Group 1 (PA) $55,000 (Dirt) 1,900m
6.35pm: Oud Metha Stakes Rated Conditions (TB) $60,000 (D) 1,200m
7.10pm: Jumeirah Classic Listed (TB) $150,000 (Turf) 1,600m
7.45pm: Firebreak Stakes Group 3 (TB) $150,000 (D) 1,600m
8.20pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2 Group 2 (TB) $350,000 (D) 1,900m
8.55pm: Al Bastakiya Trial Conditions (TB) $60,000 (D) 1,900m
9.30pm: Balanchine Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,800m
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Key products and UAE prices
iPhone XS
With a 5.8-inch screen, it will be an advance version of the iPhone X. It will be dual sim and comes with better battery life, a faster processor and better camera. A new gold colour will be available.
Price: Dh4,229
iPhone XS Max
It is expected to be a grander version of the iPhone X with a 6.5-inch screen; an inch bigger than the screen of the iPhone 8 Plus.
Price: Dh4,649
iPhone XR
A low-cost version of the iPhone X with a 6.1-inch screen, it is expected to attract mass attention. According to industry experts, it is likely to have aluminium edges instead of stainless steel.
Price: Dh3,179
Apple Watch Series 4
More comprehensive health device with edge-to-edge displays that are more than 30 per cent bigger than displays on current models.
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Essentials
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct from the UAE to Delhi from about Dh950 return including taxes.
The hotels
Double rooms at Tijara Fort-Palace cost from 6,670 rupees (Dh377), including breakfast.
Doubles at Fort Bishangarh cost from 29,030 rupees (Dh1,641), including breakfast. Doubles at Narendra Bhawan cost from 15,360 rupees (Dh869). Doubles at Chanoud Garh cost from 19,840 rupees (Dh1,122), full board. Doubles at Fort Begu cost from 10,000 rupees (Dh565), including breakfast.
The tours
Amar Grover travelled with Wild Frontiers. A tailor-made, nine-day itinerary via New Delhi, with one night in Tijara and two nights in each of the remaining properties, including car/driver, costs from £1,445 (Dh6,968) per person.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
RESULT
Australia 3 (0) Honduras 1 (0)
Australia: Jedinak (53', 72' pen, 85' pen)
Honduras: Elis (90 4)
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
Results
Stage Two:
1. Mark Cavendish (GBR) QuickStep-AlphaVinyl 04:20:45
2. Jasper Philipsen (BEL) Alpecin-Fenix
3. Pascal Ackermann (GER) UAE Team Emirates
4. Olav Kooij (NED) Jumbo-Visma
5. Arnaud Demare (FRA) Groupama-FDJ
General Classification:
1. Jasper Philipsen (BEL) Alpecin-Fenix 09:03:03
2. Dmitry Strakhov (RUS) Gazprom-Rusvelo 00:00:04
3. Mark Cavendish (GBR) QuickStep-AlphaVinyl 00:00:06
4. Sam Bennett (IRL) Bora-Hansgrohe 00:00:10
5. Pascal Ackermann (GER) UAE Team Emirates 00:00:12
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)
