Why Brasov?
Transylvania evokes powerful images of vampires and Gothic castles, yet few visitors actually make it to the region to spend time among its real-life mountainous landscapes and medieval cities, chief among them the picturesque Brasov, surrounded on three sides by peaks.
Established by Teutonic Knights in the 13th century, Brasov has plenty to offer visitors, from old fortifications, city walls and watchtowers to churches, hiking trails and traditional food, not to mention a nearby bear reservation and Bran Castle, one of Romania’s main tourist attractions and billed as Dracula’s Castle (though the 13th-century Vlad the Impaler, on whom Dracula is loosely based, had little interaction with the place).
For centuries, the city was dominated by its German inhabitants, who called the city Kronstadt, the “City of the Crown”. Even today, it retains aspects of this German culture, which blends intriguingly with Romanian influences among its winding alleys and ancient buildings.
A comfortable bed
It would be difficult to get more central than Bella Muzica (www.bellamuzica.ro; 0040 268 477 956), an ornate hotel located in a 400-year-old building right on the main square in the city. Doubles cost from €60 (Dh233) per night, including taxes.
Nearby, Casa Albert (www.casa-albert.ro; 0040 722 886 054), a more modernist boutique hotel just off the pedestrianised Strada Republicii, boasts a handful of stylised rooms. Doubles cost from €55 (Dh214) per night, including taxes.
If you're seeking additional pampering, head to the four-star Kronwell (www.kronwell.com; 0040 368 730 800), with its plush spa and wellness centre. Rooms cost from €85 (Dh331) per night, including taxes.
Find your feet
Brasov is easy to explore on foot, just be prepared to get lost among the many winding lanes. Start at the tourist office in Council Square (Piata Sfatului), swing by the Black Church, one of the largest Gothic churches in south-east Europe, then down Strada Republicii, with its many outside terraces and attractive architecture. Five minutes’ walk from Strada Republicii, you’ll find Rope Street (Strada Sforii), the narrowest street in Europe, at just 1.3 metres wide.
If you want a bird’s-eye view of the city, take the cable car up to Panoramic Tampa, the peak overlooking the city. Alternatively, follow the winding footpath up to the summit, which takes about an hour to walk.
Meet the locals
Most evenings, locals and visitors alike congregate in Council Square, at the heart of Brasov’s old town, or stroll around the pedestrian lanes in the centre. Council Square also hosts regular outdoor events, including photo exhibitions, weekend craft fairs, Christmas markets and concerts.
Book a table
Brasov has plenty of small restaurants in which to try traditional Romanian food. If you’re looking for somewhere more atmospheric and don’t mind a bit of a wait, head to Sergiana (sergianagrup.ro; 0040 268 419 775), which offers hearty Romanian staples for a reasonable price. Try the beef loin with tarragon, or the deer steak in wild-berry sauce with rice. Main courses start from 25 Romanian lei (Dh22).
Alternatively, pop in to Festival 39 (www.festival39.com; 0040 743 339 909), a lively city-centre restaurant with jazz performances and an impressive international menu. Try the duck breast with aniseed sauce and baked pineapple (48 lei [Dh42]), or the salmon tagliatelle with orange (28 lei [Dh25]).
For a light snack, La Ceaun (www.mancarelaceaun.ro; 0040 371 197 147) is a cosy restaurant just off the main pedestrian street that offers homemade soups and savoury pies (starting from 9 lei [Dh8]). The menu changes daily, so you'll have to see what they have on offer when you go.
Shopper’s paradise
Brasov isn’t exactly a shopper’s city, but Strada Republicii offers the best options for high fashion, ski-wear and local specialities, including traditional snacks and other foodstuffs. Take a stroll to the indoor produce market on Strada Nicolae Balcescu to check out fresh local cheeses and meats.
What to avoid
Brasov is a laid-back, safe place, so about the worst that’s likely to happen to you is getting ripped off by a taxi driver with a dodgy meter.
Don’t miss
Thirty minutes’ drive from the city is the supposed real-life inspiration for Dracula’s Gothic castle in Bram Stoker’s novel. Bran Castle, the former residence of Romanian royalty, is a stunning medieval castle that’s seemingly built out of the rock face, and a must-see for anyone visiting Romania.
Go there
Flydubai (www.flydubai.com) flies from Dubai to Bucharest from Dh1,850 return, including taxes. The flight time is five hours. The Romanian airline Tarom (www.tarom.ro) has twice-weekly flights from Dubai to Bucharest from Dh1,520 return, including taxes. Private car transfers from Otopeni Airport in Bucharest to Brasov (www.otopenitransfers.eu) cost from €105 (Dh408) for a three-person vehicle, and take about two hours and 40 minutes.
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NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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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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Profile of Tarabut Gateway
Founder: Abdulla Almoayed
Based: UAE
Founded: 2017
Number of employees: 35
Sector: FinTech
Raised: $13 million
Backers: Berlin-based venture capital company Target Global, Kingsway, CE Ventures, Entrée Capital, Zamil Investment Group, Global Ventures, Almoayed Technologies and Mad’a Investment.
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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
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Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
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The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
More on Quran memorisation:
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Prophets of Rage
(Fantasy Records)
((Disclaimer))
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Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
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
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Zayed Sustainability Prize
'Laal Kaptaan'
Director: Navdeep Singh
Stars: Saif Ali Khan, Manav Vij, Deepak Dobriyal, Zoya Hussain
Rating: 2/5
Abu Dhabi race card
5pm: Maiden (PA) | Dh80,000 | 1,600m
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) | Dh80,000 | 1,400m
6pm: Liwa Oasis (PA) Group 2 | Dh300,000 | 1,400m
6.30pm: Arabian Triple Crown Round-2 (PA) Group 3 | Dh300,000 | 2,200m
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) Handicap | Dh70,000 | 1,600m
7.30pm: Maiden (TB) | Dh80,000 | 2,200m
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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SPECS
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SHALASH%20THE%20IRAQI
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