Dear Ali: I've heard that the Holy Quran has influenced much of the literature of the Arab world, and that Souq Okadh played a major role in literary advancement. Is this true? And are there works by any Arab or Emirati poets that you would recommend I read? OB, Doha
Dear OB: I'm glad you asked this question. Arabic literature, known as "Adab", which also means "respect", is full of moral teachings. It dates back prior to the revelation of the Holy Quran, although it was not as popular at the time. The revelation inspired many literary works, mainly because of the beauty of the language used in the Holy Quran itself. The Muslim Holy Book contains injunctions, narratives, homilies and parables and was greatly admired for its layers of metaphor as well as its clarity. That said, the Holy Quran continues to inspire the literary industry today.
In terms of Souq Okadh, this market is the perfect example of the Arab love of literature. It was an annual event that took place in what is now Saudi Arabia, between Mecca and Taef, during the Islamic month of Dhul Qida. A trading exhibition and a popular social forum, the souq was a place where people told eloquent stories of adventure and bravery and recited beautiful poems about love and generosity. It was a busy venue for Arabs to gather and compete in poetry competitions to show off their pride. Poets would meet with like-minded people and discuss their mutual love of words and it served as the birthplace for some of the most significant poems and poets in the Arab world.
Furthermore, Souq Okadh was also a place where people got a chance to meet their leaders to settle tribal disputes and clear their names. As you can see, the history of Arabic literature is fascinating.
In a way, the spirit of Souq Okadh still exists in the hit poetry competition show Million's Poet, which is organised by the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage. If you ask me who I think would be the next Khalil Gibran, the best-selling Lebanese-American poet from the early 20th century, I would look no further than my good friend and brother Wael al Sayegh, a poet on a mission who writes in English. His writings are making him one of the top poets in the region and a source of pride for all of us. A brother such as Wael is an asset to our modern "Adab". I recommend you check out Wael's work at www.waelalsayegh.com.
Dear Ali: I want to buy good oud but don't want to spend a lot. Where can I find some in Abu Dhabi? MR, Abu Dhabi
Dear MR: Which oud, the incense or the instrument!? I'm going to assume you're asking about the fragrant incense.
Oud is one of our most-loved scents and, thankfully, there are many places to buy it. Here's a tip on what many of us locals like to do: we wipe a little oud on our clothes, be it khandouras or abayas, before placing the bukhoor, or solid oud, on the incense burner. This way the scent lasts a little longer on our clothes, and depending on the kind of bukhoor you use, there is less chance that our clothes will smell like everybody else's.
As is the case with other fragrances, the kind of oud you choose is a personal choice. Madinat Zayed Shopping Centre is a good place in Abu Dhabi where you can find a wide selection of reasonably priced oud. The beauty of these shops is that you can bargain to bring the price down. I hope this helps.
Language lesson
Arabic: Mabkhara
English:Incense burner
The mabkhara is an integral household item in any Emirati home. We use it every day to burn the bukhoor, or solid oud, to add fragrance to our homes and clothes. If you want to ask your daughter to hang clothes near the mabkhara to make them smell nice, you can say, "Hetti el malabes a'ala al mabkhara" or "Bakheri el malabes".
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Akeed
Based: Muscat
Launch year: 2018
Number of employees: 40
Sector: Online food delivery
Funding: Raised $3.2m since inception
If%20you%20go
%3Cp%3EThere%20are%20regular%20flights%20from%20Dubai%20to%20Kathmandu.%20Fares%20with%20Air%20Arabia%20and%20flydubai%20start%20at%20Dh1%2C265.%3Cbr%3EIn%20Kathmandu%2C%20rooms%20at%20the%20Oasis%20Kathmandu%20Hotel%20start%20at%20Dh195%20and%20Dh120%20at%20Hotel%20Ganesh%20Himal.%3Cbr%3EThird%20Rock%20Adventures%20offers%20professionally%20run%20group%20and%20individual%20treks%20and%20tours%20using%20highly%20experienced%20guides%20throughout%20Nepal%2C%20Bhutan%20and%20other%20parts%20of%20the%20Himalayas.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Ads on social media can 'normalise' drugs
A UK report on youth social media habits commissioned by advocacy group Volteface found a quarter of young people were exposed to illegal drug dealers on social media.
The poll of 2,006 people aged 16-24 assessed their exposure to drug dealers online in a nationally representative survey.
Of those admitting to seeing drugs for sale online, 56 per cent saw them advertised on Snapchat, 55 per cent on Instagram and 47 per cent on Facebook.
Cannabis was the drug most pushed by online dealers, with 63 per cent of survey respondents claiming to have seen adverts on social media for the drug, followed by cocaine (26 per cent) and MDMA/ecstasy, with 24 per cent of people.
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
If you go
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Funchal via Lisbon, with a connecting flight with Air Portugal. Economy class returns cost from Dh3,845 return including taxes.
The trip
The WalkMe app can be downloaded from the usual sources. If you don’t fancy doing the trip yourself, then Explore offers an eight-day levada trails tour from Dh3,050, not including flights.
The hotel
There isn’t another hotel anywhere in Madeira that matches the history and luxury of the Belmond Reid's Palace in Funchal. Doubles from Dh1,400 per night including taxes.
Tips for used car buyers
- Choose cars with GCC specifications
- Get a service history for cars less than five years old
- Don’t go cheap on the inspection
- Check for oil leaks
- Do a Google search on the standard problems for your car model
- Do your due diligence. Get a transfer of ownership done at an official RTA centre
- Check the vehicle’s condition. You don’t want to buy a car that’s a good deal but ends up costing you Dh10,000 in repairs every month
- Validate warranty and service contracts with the relevant agency and and make sure they are valid when ownership is transferred
- If you are planning to sell the car soon, buy one with a good resale value. The two most popular cars in the UAE are black or white in colour and other colours are harder to sell
Tarek Kabrit, chief executive of Seez, and Imad Hammad, chief executive and co-founder of CarSwitch.com
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Rating: 2.5/5
WISH
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirectors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Chris%20Buck%2C%20Fawn%20Veerasunthorn%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ariana%20DeBose%2C%20Chris%20Pine%2C%20Alan%20Tudyk%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Results
Final: Iran beat Spain 6-3.
Play-off 3rd: UAE beat Russia 2-1 (in extra time).
Play-off 5th: Japan beat Egypt 7-2.
Play-off 7th: Italy beat Mexico 3-2.
Avengers: Endgame
Directors: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Starring: Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, Josh Brolin
4/5 stars