August 4, 2020 started out, by all accounts, as a beautiful day.
Bachir Ramadan remembers helping a colleague secure a promotion by pleading his case to the boss at a lighting factory near Beirut Port. Afterwards, he popped home for a quick lunch with his former partner. They talked about the weekend’s plans before he walked back to the office.
A few hours later, the Beirut port district exploded – killing more than 200 people, injuring thousands, and devastating surrounding neighbourhoods.
Ramadan, a lighting technician and renowned drummer in Lebanon’s tight-knit heavy metal scene, was 800 metres from the epicentre. He recalls a casual conversation cut short by a blinding light, a thundering sound, and the four-storey office building partly caving in. Windows shattered. Somehow, he emerged from the wreckage dazed and bloodied.
He spent the next three days in hospital, where glass was removed from his face and eyes. Doctors treated him for several skull fractures and nerve damage to his hands.
“It was a beautiful day,” Ramadan recalls five years later. “Until it wasn't.”
In the months that followed, Ramadan, 36, forced himself behind the drum kit. First as rehabilitation to rebuild motor function in his damaged hands, then as survival.
But the recovery was never linear. It stopped and started, the pain lingering like a muted backbeat that never fully faded. Five years on, a few gentle scars remain on his cheekbones where glass was removed, and on his shoulders. The emotional healing, however, is still a work in progress.
“I feel like the healing stopped for a long time,” he says now, speaking from his apartment in Doha, Qatar, where he moved in October. “I think it was because I was too preoccupied with other things, like wanting to get out of Lebanon.”
Those feelings would rise each weekday morning in Beirut, when Ramadan drove past the mangled silos at the port on his way to work.
“It wore me down,” he says. “It was heavy, emotional, and negative every single time I saw it. I needed to take that out of the equation.”
Ramadan moved to Doha after landing a job in sales. It wasn’t a creative role, but it offered distance. And in that solitude – away from the bustle of Beirut’s social scene and bereft of his drum kit – Ramadan began scribbling notes and reflections that are now forming the basis of a memoir to be published later this year.
“I never meant to write a book,” Ramadan says. “But being away from the drums, I needed another outlet. So I started writing in April. And when I got to the chapter about August 4 … man, it hit me hard.”
The English-language memoir, Obsidian Tempo, will be released through a Lebanese publisher, with details to be announced soon, Ramadan says.
Named after volcanic rock, the book blends personal history with practical insight on navigating a music career in Lebanon. Given the trauma the writing unearthed, Ramadan sees its release as a kind of survival document.
“It was painful to write,” he says. “But it felt like therapy. Actually, better than therapy. The healing didn’t just restart, it went full throttle.”
Unlike drumming, which provided immediate physical catharsis, writing forced him to slow down and sit with the memories.” I had to really dig into those memories,” he says. “The smell, the grey smoke, the rubble of that day – it all came back and gave the writing its shape.”
The post-blast period marked not just a change in medium, but in sound. In place of the thunderous riffs and double-kick drums of heavy metal, he opted to listen to a more gentle soundtrack.
“My healing music became Nordic folk,” he says. “It grounds me. It makes me feel present. Metal never gave me that kind of calm.”
It's a striking shift from someone long associated with Beirut's underground scene – one that, even before the explosion, struggled with visibility and support. Gigs were largely self-funded, venues were limited and metal musicians often balanced multiple jobs to sustain their work.
The port blast scattered what little infrastructure there was. “It took a lot out of the scene,” Ramadan says. “People left. Bands paused. It will take some time to get back to where it was.”
Still, Ramadan kept playing for a time. He hasn't performed live since January, when he flew back to Beirut for one final show with his former band, Khavar. “I hadn't touched the drums at the time in four months. But the body remembered. One rehearsal and it all came back. That muscle memory was just magical.”
He no longer plays regularly as the drums remain in Beirut and his apartment in Doha too small for a kit.
“And that’s fine for me as I have a different focus now,” he says. “Writing is my way to get through the hard days and difficult moments.”
Memories of that day remain an open topic of conversation among some friends and colleagues in Beirut. “We don’t avoid it at all and I’ve found that talking about it actually helps,” Ramadan says. “You get to hear someone else’s take on what happened and sometimes that perspective can clear up some of the things in your own mind.”
One conversation, however, two days after the explosion still stays with him. “I remember a former bandmate telling me, quite frankly: ‘Just be thankful you’re alive.’ And you know what, that really stuck. I wear my scars, but I’m here. I can still do everything I love. I’m grateful.”
But gratitude doesn’t erase the anger he feels at the authorities, and the absence of official accountability.
“We still don’t know the truth about who caused this,” he says. “Those behind what happened should be held responsible in the worst way. They destroyed lives.”
Saeed Saeed is a 2024-25 Rosalynn Carter Mental Health Journalism Fellow
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Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
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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
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
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The specs: Fenyr SuperSport
Price, base: Dh5.1 million
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 800hp @ 7,100pm
Torque: 980Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 13.5L / 100km
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
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Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
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Should late investors consider cryptocurrencies?
Wealth managers recommend late investors to have a balanced portfolio that typically includes traditional assets such as cash, government and corporate bonds, equities, commodities and commercial property.
They do not usually recommend investing in Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies due to the risk and volatility associated with them.
“It has produced eye-watering returns for some, whereas others have lost substantially as this has all depended purely on timing and when the buy-in was. If someone still has about 20 to 25 years until retirement, there isn’t any need to take such risks,” Rupert Connor of Abacus Financial Consultant says.
He adds that if a person is interested in owning a business or growing a property portfolio to increase their retirement income, this can be encouraged provided they keep in mind the overall risk profile of these assets.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
more from Janine di Giovanni
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
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Price: From Dh650,000
Four reasons global stock markets are falling right now
There are many factors worrying investors right now and triggering a rush out of stock markets. Here are four of the biggest:
1. Rising US interest rates
The US Federal Reserve has increased interest rates three times this year in a bid to prevent its buoyant economy from overheating. They now stand at between 2 and 2.25 per cent and markets are pencilling in three more rises next year.
Kim Catechis, manager of the Legg Mason Martin Currie Global Emerging Markets Fund, says US inflation is rising and the Fed will continue to raise rates in 2019. “With inflationary pressures growing, an increasing number of corporates are guiding profitability expectations downwards for 2018 and 2019, citing the negative impact of rising costs.”
At the same time as rates are rising, central bankers in the US and Europe have been ending quantitative easing, bringing the era of cheap money to an end.
2. Stronger dollar
High US rates have driven up the value of the dollar and bond yields, and this is putting pressure on emerging market countries that took advantage of low interest rates to run up trillions in dollar-denominated debt. They have also suffered capital outflows as international investors have switched to the US, driving markets lower. Omar Negyal, portfolio manager of the JP Morgan Global Emerging Markets Income Trust, says this looks like a buying opportunity. “Despite short-term volatility we remain positive about long-term prospects and profitability for emerging markets.”
3. Global trade war
Ritu Vohora, investment director at fund manager M&G, says markets fear that US President Donald Trump’s spat with China will escalate into a full-blown global trade war, with both sides suffering. “The US economy is robust enough to absorb higher input costs now, but this may not be the case as tariffs escalate. However, with a host of factors hitting investor sentiment, this is becoming a stock picker’s market.”
4. Eurozone uncertainty
Europe faces two challenges right now in the shape of Brexit and the new populist government in eurozone member Italy.
Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at IG, which has offices in Dubai, says the stand-off between between Rome and Brussels threatens to become much more serious. "As with Brexit, neither side appears willing to step back from the edge, threatening more trouble down the line.”
The European economy may also be slowing, Mr Beauchamp warns. “A four-year low in eurozone manufacturing confidence highlights the fact that producers see a bumpy road ahead, with US-EU trade talks remaining a major question-mark for exporters.”
Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
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The specs: 2019 Aston Martin DBS Superleggera
Price, base: Dh1.2 million
Engine: 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 725hp @ 6,500pm
Torque: 900Nm @ 1,800rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.3L / 100km (estimate)
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
SPECS
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Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh122,745
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List of officials:
Referees: Chris Broad, David Boon, Jeff Crowe, Andy Pycroft, Ranjan Madugalle and Richie Richardson.
Umpires: Aleem Dar, Kumara Dharmasena, Marais Erasmus, Chris Gaffaney, Ian Gould, Richard Illingworth, Richard Kettleborough, Nigel Llong, Bruce Oxenford, Ruchira Palliyaguruge, Sundaram Ravi, Paul Reiffel, Rod Tucker, Michael Gough, Joel Wilson and Paul Wilson.
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8
Power: 503hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 685Nm at 2,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Price: from Dh850,000
On sale: now
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
