HBO's Game of Thrones was one of the channel's most-watched shows when it was broadcast from 2011 to 2019, however the finale was met with criticism as fans expressed their disappointment at how the series ended.
Now, another George R R Martin-adapted series has come to HBO. Called House of the Dragon, based on Martin's 2018 novel Fire & Blood, the prequel takes place 300 years before the events of Game of Thrones and tells the story of the beginning of the end of House Targaryen after a civil war called the Dance of Dragons breaks out.
Here's everything you need to know about the new show.
When was ‘House of the Dragon’ released?
The first episode was broadcast on August 21 on HBO Max. There are 10 episodes in the first season.
Viewers in the UAE can watch it on OSN+ from August 22.
Who is in the cast?
Paddy Considine stars as King Viserys Targaryen with Emma D’Arcy as his firstborn daughter Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen and Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen, the king’s younger brother and heir to the throne. Olivia Cooke stars as Alicent Hightower, while Rhys Ifans plays Otto Hightower, her father and the Hand of the King.
Meanwhile, Milly Alcock plays the young Rhaenyra, while Emily Carey appears as the young Alicent.
The cast also includes Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon, Eve Best as Princess Rhaenys Velaryon, Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria, Jefferson Hall as Lord Jason Lannister and Fabien Frankel as Ser Criston Cole.
What is the series about?
The highly anticipated prequel tells the story of the Targaryen family. It begins with the story of King Viserys sitting on the Iron Throne with his daughter, Rhaenyra, next in line. However, this leads to dissension in Westeros as not everyone is happy with the decision.
"I saw rough cuts of a couple more episodes of House of the Dragon, and was just as pleased as I was with the earlier episodes," said Martin in a blog post earlier this year. "[Producers] Ryan [Condal] and Miguel [Sapochnik] and their cast and crew are doing great work."
"Those of you who like complex, conflicted, grey characters [as I do] will like this series, I think. There will be plenty of dragons and battles, to be sure, but the spine of the story is the human conflicts, the love and the hate, character drama rather than action/adventure."
Will any ‘Game of Thrones’ stars appear in the show?
It is unlikely that any familiar faces from Game of Thrones will appear in House of the Dragon as the prequel takes place much earlier. However, there are references to other houses with connections to Game of Thrones, such as the Starks, Lannisters and Baratheons.
What do we learn from the latest trailer?
The newest trailer for House of the Dragon was released on May 5. In the clip, which is about a minute-and-a-half long, viewers are shown King Viserys presenting his daughter, Princess Rhaenyra, as his heir, but not all the residents in Westeros are seemingly willing to accept her as their leader.
In typical fashion, violence ensues. In the final moments, we’re also given a first look at the fire-breathing dragon from the House of Targaryen.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
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Asia Cup Qualifier
Venue: Kuala Lumpur
Result: Winners play at Asia Cup in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in September
Fixtures:
Wed Aug 29: Malaysia v Hong Kong, Nepal v Oman, UAE v Singapore
Thu Aug 30: UAE v Nepal, Hong Kong v Singapore, Malaysia v Oman
Sat Sep 1: UAE v Hong Kong, Oman v Singapore, Malaysia v Nepal
Sun Sep 2: Hong Kong v Oman, Malaysia v UAE, Nepal v Singapore
Tue Sep 4: Malaysia v Singapore, UAE v Oman, Nepal v Hong Kong
Thu Sep 6: Final
Asia Cup
Venue: Dubai and Abu Dhabi
Schedule: Sep 15-28
Teams: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, plus the winner of the Qualifier
MOTHER%20OF%20STRANGERS
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Short-term let permits explained
Homeowners and tenants are allowed to list their properties for rental by registering through the Dubai Tourism website to obtain a permit.
Tenants also require a letter of no objection from their landlord before being allowed to list the property.
There is a cost of Dh1,590 before starting the process, with an additional licence fee of Dh300 per bedroom being rented in your home for the duration of the rental, which ranges from three months to a year.
Anyone hoping to list a property for rental must also provide a copy of their title deeds and Ejari, as well as their Emirates ID.
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi
Director: Kangana Ranaut, Krish Jagarlamudi
Producer: Zee Studios, Kamal Jain
Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Ankita Lokhande, Danny Denzongpa, Atul Kulkarni
Rating: 2.5/5
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Semi-final fixtures
Portugal v Chile, 7pm, today
Germany v Mexico, 7pm, tomorrow
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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
