Dubai is known for its bright lights - and that is precisely the problem.
Even 50 kilometres south of the emirate, the night is lit by landscaped gardens, construction cranes and streetlights that criss-cross the desert.
Astronomers need darkness but this is getting harder to find. So when the Dubai Astronomy Group’s invitation to a Perseids meteor shower viewing at an “undisclosed location” came through for last Saturday it was unclear what we would see.
These days, dark spots are so rare they are kept secret. At the meeting point on the D63 highway, the chatter was split between the first-timers and regulars.
“You guys have coordinates for where we are going to? Like in case someone gets lost or someone has a Mazda?”
“We are waiting for some fireballs, that’s what we are waiting for.”
“Oh, I had a huge lamp. I forget it.”
“The idea is that there’s no light.”
One man with a 4x4 tells me he wants to stargaze more often, but refuses to go to the desert alone. “It’s very dangerous by yourself, always you should be two or three.”
I nod in agreement. That’s common sense.
“There’s black magic in the desert,” he says.
“And anyway, it’s not clever to go to the desert by yourself,” I say.
“The black magic is real.”
People gather around Hasan Al Hariri, an Emirati with a flowing white bead who will spend much of the evening walking around in a white robe, pointing a laser at the stars.
Al Hariri is the chief executive of the Dubai Astronomy Group. A childhood interest in space and mathematics led to a career with Etisalat, but his manner is more like that of a headmaster.
The previous night, about 500 people visited the Thuraya Astronomy Centre in Mushrif Park for a meteor viewing and introductory talk. It was a far better turnout than expected and Al Hariri actively discouraged people from attending the desert event the following night. To keep numbers small, he reminded them of the seasonal humidity and a three-quarter full moon that would lessen the visibility.
"How many people are here, 35?" he asks, looking around. As we wait to set off he talks of constellations. "All of this has a practical application, and that is what I really love," he says.
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Read More:
Perseid meteor shower to light up UAE Desert Skies this weekend
My UAE: Getting starry eyed with Hasan Al Hariri
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Someone brings up astrology. “That, we are really disputing with these guys,” says Al Hariri, in a friendly tone. “That we condemn. We don’t do hocus pocus. That’s kind of insulting for the astronomer.”
I drive to the site with Mohammed Sharmeen, a gemologist from India and long-term UAE resident. He is a regular stargazer and has come to see the Andromeda Galaxy.
Like many amateur astronomers, he knows the moment he fell in love with space - the launch of the first Indian satellite, Aryabhata, named after the fifth century Indian astronomer. “I was in class six,” he says.
But, astronomy is not for everyone, he cautions. Those who are only interested in the number of stars or their size miss the point.
Astronomy by numbers is a path to boredom, he says. True love stems from curiosity about scientists from our past and the discoveries of our future. “Recent discoveries are there. Like the periodic table. They’ve added to it. There’s always something new. Still we are in the basics.”
When we arrive after a short drive, Al Hariri’s sons and daughters are waiting for us with mats and telescopes. Even here, there are streetlights to the north and every few minutes, the camp is lit up by a passing dune-basher.
Al Hariri invites us all to lay down for the best view of the sky.
“The first thing, I would like to notify you is about this weather, which is hot,” he begins. “This heat that we are experiencing, this is part of the enjoyment. That torture. We will have a breeze in another half-hour. The stars tell us this. But I won’t disclose how at this time.”
Within a few minutes, he has invited everyone to download the Star Chart stargazing app and people are pointing their phones to the south, looking at a connect-the-dots image of the Scorpius constellation.
“This is unbelievable,” says Al Hariri, still grinning. “We are between the sun and the moon. We are inside a torch right now.”
Behind me, two men are deep in a discussion about whether it is possible to see God.
Here in the darkness, we find light in the universe.
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
The biog
Name: Maitha Qambar
Age: 24
Emirate: Abu Dhabi
Education: Master’s Degree
Favourite hobby: Reading
She says: “Everyone has a purpose in life and everyone learns from their experiences”
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Three tips from La Perle's performers
1 The kind of water athletes drink is important. Gwilym Hooson, a 28-year-old British performer who is currently recovering from knee surgery, found that out when the company was still in Studio City, training for 12 hours a day. “The physio team was like: ‘Why is everyone getting cramps?’ And then they realised we had to add salt and sugar to the water,” he says.
2 A little chocolate is a good thing. “It’s emergency energy,” says Craig Paul Smith, La Perle’s head coach and former Cirque du Soleil performer, gesturing to an almost-empty open box of mini chocolate bars on his desk backstage.
3 Take chances, says Young, who has worked all over the world, including most recently at Dragone’s show in China. “Every time we go out of our comfort zone, we learn a lot about ourselves,” she says.
THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick
Hometown: Cologne, Germany
Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)
Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes
Favourite hobby: Football
Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk
THE%20SPECS
%3Cp%3EBattery%3A%2060kW%20lithium-ion%20phosphate%3Cbr%3EPower%3A%20Up%20to%20201bhp%3Cbr%3E0%20to%20100kph%3A%207.3%20seconds%3Cbr%3ERange%3A%20418km%3Cbr%3EPrice%3A%20From%20Dh149%2C900%3Cbr%3EAvailable%3A%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs: 2018 Ford Mustang GT
Price, base / as tested: Dh204,750 / Dh241,500
Engine: 5.0-litre V8
Gearbox: 10-speed automatic
Power: 460hp @ 7,000rpm
Torque: 569Nm @ 4,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 10.3L / 100km
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Biography
Favourite drink: Must have karak chai and Chinese tea every day
Favourite non-Chinese food: Arabic sweets and Indian puri, small round bread of wheat flour
Favourite Chinese dish: Spicy boiled fish or anything cooked by her mother because of its flavour
Best vacation: Returning home to China
Music interests: Enjoys playing the zheng, a string musical instrument
Enjoys reading: Chinese novels, romantic comedies, reading up on business trends, government policy changes
Favourite book: Chairman Mao Zedong’s poems
The%20Specs%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ELamborghini%20LM002%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%205.2-litre%20V12%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20450hp%20at%206%2C800rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E500Nm%20at%204%2C500rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFive-speed%20manual%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E0-100kph%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%209%20seconds%20(approx)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETop%20speed%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20210kph%20(approx)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EYears%20built%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%201986-93%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETotal%20vehicles%20built%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20328%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EValue%20today%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%24300%2C000%2B%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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.
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Saturday, May 16 (kick-offs UAE time)
Borussia Dortmund v Schalke (4.30pm)
RB Leipzig v Freiburg (4.30pm)
Hoffenheim v Hertha Berlin (4.30pm)
Fortuna Dusseldorf v Paderborn (4.30pm)
Augsburg v Wolfsburg (4.30pm)
Eintracht Frankfurt v Borussia Monchengladbach (7.30pm)
Sunday, May 17
Cologne v Mainz (4.30pm),
Union Berlin v Bayern Munich (7pm)
Monday, May 18
Werder Bremen v Bayer Leverkusen (9.30pm)
Company Fact Box
Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
