One warm, moonlit night in Homs, a young photographer held his breath and stepped out into a six-lane motorway, piled up with the bloodied bodies of men, women and children.
Sami had to cross this road in Homs to escape the siege of the Syrian city, which he had endured for two years. Regime snipers were everywhere. He knew in his heart that his next breath could be his last, but that if he could survive, he had a heartbreaking story to tell. And so he ran.
Later, when Sami met Swedish writer Eva Nour in Paris, he began to retell the details of his extraordinary life as a child in Homs, a conscript for the Syrian regime and finally a media activist/journalist in the 2011-14 siege. "Sami waited a long time to tell me that last bit," Nour tells The National.
It's not just about the war in Syria, it's about how the decisions in your life really matter when it comes to life, love, death
"Some memories I was trying to run away from," Sami says. "But I realise now that to talk about my experiences was the biggest relief." Nour's debut novel The Stray Cats of Homs is inspired by this reality, and was recently published in English by Agnes Broome. Nour met Sami in Paris in 2015: he had just arrived as an asylum seeker and she was covering the November terror attacks in the French capital for a Swedish newspaper.
Nour was taken aback by the "complete honesty" of this stranger she had encountered in a very charged atmosphere. As they got to know each other she slowly started noting down his fragmented reflections on Syria.
As a journalist, Nour knew this was not only an incredible story, but also an opportunity to make people more aware of the human cost of a civil war that has become a tangled, intractable conflict. But publishing a book that, while not outwardly critical of the regime, makes it pretty obvious “who was acting badly” became inherently dangerous for Sami’s family still in Syria.
Sami was still keen for something that could “make a difference for the suffering of Syrian people”. So Nour started to fictionalise some characters and situations, and wrote using a pseudonym to protect Sami and his family.
“Eva is a Swedish name that means ‘life’ and Nour is an Arabic name that means ‘light’. Light and life, I liked that, it’s hopeful,” she says. “A lot of my favourite books are on the borderline between reality and fiction, and I think it allows you to find a greater truth. And here, I wanted to explore what it is to be human. It’s not just about the war in Syria, it’s about how the decisions in your life really matter when it comes to life, love, death.”
And Sami’s decision to flee, in the end, was a good one. He knows, though, of “many friends in Syria who have even worse stories. Who lost all their families, who live in tents on the border, who are still suffering today. So it actually feels good now for other people to know these details about Syria.
“Even in the siege, there are good memories from that of small kindnesses and friendships.”
Nour says the moment she really knew Sami was special came when he showed her a photograph of cats he fed after his house was destroyed in a missile attack. “It was incredible to me that he could think about these animals when he had just lost his home,” she says.
Sami actually took about 20,000 photographs during the siege, many of them becoming the inspiration for the book's more cinematic scenes: a child's bicycle lying in the rubble or a girl wearing a necklace made from spent ammunition.
“I focused on images like that because there was quite a lot of propaganda from the Syrian regime to show the siege and the city of Homs as a place exclusively of terrorists and fighters,” he says. “This was completely wrong. Mostly it was families, children and the elderly. People who had nothing to do with the war but suffered the most. They paid with their homes and their lives.”
Indeed, one of the greatest successes of The Stray Cats of Homs is that it manages to explain the complexity of the war in Syria through Sami's eyes, without getting bogged down by exactly who did what and when. Nour does not even think Sami is a hero in this book. "He is just put into extreme situations which he tries to navigate as best as he can," she says.
And that journey has now turned into a Parisian love story. “We became good friends at first … and then more than that,” says Nour.
Even in the siege, there are good memories from that of small kindnesses and friendships
“Yeah it’s cool,” says Sami, but you know he too thinks it is much more special than that.
“Actually, something that has been surprising for me when I’ve met Syrians is how strong, funny and warm they are. How much is not lost,” she says.
Nour turns to Sami and says: “You’ve been here five years now. You are calmer. You have changed a lot. I don’t know what will happen to the country, but I’m very hopeful for its people; there is a bright future for them. But yes, I would love to walk with you in Homs, to see your childhood street. One day, maybe …”
Sami responds reflectively: “Yes, I’d like to go back one day, too. I just want to see my family and friends.”
‘The Stray Cats of Homs’ by Penguin Books is out now
Suggested picnic spots
Abu Dhabi
Umm Al Emarat Park
Yas Gateway Park
Delma Park
Al Bateen beach
Saadiyaat beach
The Corniche
Zayed Sports City
Dubai
Kite Beach
Zabeel Park
Al Nahda Pond Park
Mushrif Park
Safa Park
Al Mamzar Beach Park
Al Qudrah Lakes
PAKISTAN v SRI LANKA
Twenty20 International series
Thu Oct 26, 1st T20I, Abu Dhabi
Fri Oct 27, 2nd T20I, Abu Dhabi
Sun Oct 29, 3rd T20I, Lahore
Tickets are available at www.q-tickets.com
RESULT
Huddersfield Town 2 Manchester United 1
Huddersfield: Mooy (28'), Depoitre (33')
Manchester United: Rashford (78')
Man of the Match: Aaron Mooy (Huddersfield Town)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Scores in brief:
- New Medical Centre 129-5 in 17 overs bt Zayed Cricket Academy 125-6 in 20 overs.
- William Hare Abu Dhabi Gymkhana 188-8 in 20 overs bt One Stop Tourism 184-8 in 20 overs
- Alubond Tigers 138-7 in 20 overs bt United Bank Limited 132-7 in 20 overs
- Multiplex 142-6 in 17 overs bt Xconcepts Automobili 140 all out in 20 overs
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
The Norwegian Nobel Committee, which awards the prestigious peace prize, held its final meeting on Monday, the Nobel Institute said on Thursday, a day ahead of the announcement of the 2025 laureate.
This means a decision was made about the laureate or laureates before the conclusion of an agreement between Israel and Hamas, which included a ceasefire and the release of hostages.
President Donald Trump pushed for the ceasefire as part of a 20-point plan to resolve the Gaza war.
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FIXTURES
All kick-off times 10.45pm UAE ( 4 GMT) unless stated
Tuesday
Sevilla v Maribor
Spartak Moscow v Liverpool
Manchester City v Shakhtar Donetsk
Napoli v Feyenoord
Besiktas v RB Leipzig
Monaco v Porto
Apoel Nicosia v Tottenham Hotspur
Borussia Dortmund v Real Madrid
Wednesday
Basel v Benfica
CSKA Moscow Manchester United
Paris Saint-Germain v Bayern Munich
Anderlecht v Celtic
Qarabag v Roma (8pm)
Atletico Madrid v Chelsea
Juventus v Olympiakos
Sporting Lisbon v Barcelona
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Dates for the diary
To mark Bodytree’s 10th anniversary, the coming season will be filled with celebratory activities:
- September 21 Anyone interested in becoming a certified yoga instructor can sign up for a 250-hour course in Yoga Teacher Training with Jacquelene Sadek. It begins on September 21 and will take place over the course of six weekends.
- October 18 to 21 International yoga instructor, Yogi Nora, will be visiting Bodytree and offering classes.
- October 26 to November 4 International pilates instructor Courtney Miller will be on hand at the studio, offering classes.
- November 9 Bodytree is hosting a party to celebrate turning 10, and everyone is invited. Expect a day full of free classes on the grounds of the studio.
- December 11 Yogeswari, an advanced certified Jivamukti teacher, will be visiting the studio.
- February 2, 2018 Bodytree will host its 4th annual yoga market.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
The specs: 2017 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali
Price, base / as tested Dh207,846 / Dh220,000
Engine 6.2L V8
Transmission Eight-speed automatic
Power 420hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque 624Nm @ 4,100rpm
Fuel economy, combined 13.5L / 100km
Stage 2
1. Mathieu van der Poel (NED) Alpecin-Fenix 4:18:30
2. Tadej Pogacar (SLV) UAE Team Emirates 0:00:06
3. Primoz Roglic (SLV) Jumbo-Visma 0:00:06
4. Wilco Kelderman (NED) Bora-Hansgrohe 0:00:06
5. Julian Alaphilippe (FRA) Deceuninck-QuickStep 0:00:08
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The low down on MPS
What is myofascial pain syndrome?
Myofascial pain syndrome refers to pain and inflammation in the body’s soft tissue. MPS is a chronic condition that affects the fascia (connective tissue that covers the muscles, which develops knots, also known as trigger points).
What are trigger points?
Trigger points are irritable knots in the soft tissue that covers muscle tissue. Through injury or overuse, muscle fibres contract as a reactive and protective measure, creating tension in the form of hard and, palpable nodules. Overuse and sustained posture are the main culprits in developing trigger points.
What is myofascial or trigger-point release?
Releasing these nodules requires a hands-on technique that involves applying gentle sustained pressure to release muscular shortness and tightness. This eliminates restrictions in connective tissue in orderto restore motion and alleviate pain. Therapy balls have proven effective at causing enough commotion in the tissue, prompting the release of these hard knots.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
