One year after ISIL terrorists attacked the Bardo National Museum in Tunis killing 22 people and leaving more than 50 injured, the museum’s huge, airy foyer is deserted. Once one of Tunis’s principal tourist attractions, the museum now attracts just a handful of visitors each day, mainly local students and the few independent tourists still travelling to a country where two terrorist attacks targeted westerners in the past year.
“There were 600 visitors here on the day of the attack,” says tour guide Rida. “Today, there have been maybe 18.”
Large tourist groups on day excursions from Mediterranean cruise ships were particularly lucrative for tour guides, but buses packed with visitors are now a thing of the past, he says, pointing to a huddle of six westerners admiring Roman mosaics – the only group so far that week.
Since the attack on March 18 last year claimed by ISIL, the tourist experience at the Bardo museum has changed. Guides have adapted their talks to accommodate visitors’ macabre interest in the event, weaving details of the shooting into Tunisia’s rich history on which the museum is founded. Terrorism has become part of the new tourism.
“Look here, these were the first shots fired inside the museum,” says tour guide Mohamed, pausing on the staircase that sweeps up to the second floor, boasting what he claims is one of the world’s largest collections of intricate Roman mosaics. The alcove behind a second century statue of Apollo is scarred by the haphazard path of AK-47 bullets.
He leads visitors among Phoenician artefacts surrounded by ornate Ottoman decorations, his voice echoing through the empty rooms. “Here on the upper floor, was the residence of the Bey [the Ottoman Empire’s Tunisian chief] and his wives,” he says. “Look at the many decorations and the chandeliers from Italy. The Ottomans were fascinated by Italian culture and civilisation.”
Mohamed’s timbre changes as he steps into the innermost part of the palace, once reserved for the Bey’s harem. “The terrorists shot many people here, in the Bey’s favourite rooms, which he kept for his wives,” Mohamed explains. “It was always the most popular part of the museum and, on that day, it was packed full of people.”
There are traces of gunfire everywhere – in wooden frames, windows, tiled walls and the still-shattered glass exhibition cases.
“The attackers looked like they were on drugs, when we watched the camera footage afterwards,” Mohamed says. “They were walking strangely and shooting everywhere, shooting randomly, shooting like they didn’t know how to kill people.”
Each guide has his own style and approach. Rida is animated about the attack, pointing out every bullet hole, saying: “Ah, but you must see the exit holes. The bullet goes in small but it causes much bigger damage on the way out.”
And parts of his spiel are not for the faint-hearted. “Here is where the three Japanese tourists were shot, in one of the harem bedrooms,” he explains, pointing out five bullet holes in the farthest wall.
“Look carefully here, you can still see traces of the bloodstains.”
One of the bedrooms remains closed. In the thick dust coating its empty exhibition cases, visitors have written messages of sympathy and remembrance. Some are in Japanese. Another simply reads: “RIP to all.”
Mohamed says the museum authorities have decided, for the moment, not to repair the bullet holes in the walls and exhibition cases. “We have left the damage like this because the incident is part of the museum’s history now. Even Tunisians were very shocked by what happened and we need people to see the atrocity of the attack, not hide it.”
The situation for the museum, like the whole tourist industry upon which Tunisia has heavily relied to shore up its modest economy, is dire. Half-completed renovations and a planned new extension have been shelved – perhaps viewed as a pointless expense when there are so few visitors.
At the end of the tour, Mohamed walks visitors to the door, past new security systems installed after the attack, to where a mosaic plaque lists the names of those who died. Nearby, two elderly men hawk silver-plated jewellery to any visitor leaving the museum, grateful for the cheapest purchase.
“Even a year after the attack, the situation is the same. There are only very small numbers of visitors coming to the museum,” Mohamed says. “Even though Tunisia is quite secure, the big problem now is Libya, and foreigners are afraid to come here because of the war in our neighbouring country.”
He claims that, if Libya became more stable and secure, tourists would start to return. But sporadic incidents in Tunisia continue, with an ISIL attack near the Libyan border on March 7, which left 55 dead.
Although Tunisia is still praised internationally as the success story of the Arab Spring, for those whose livelihoods rely on tourism, the situation has never been worse.
Tom Westcott is a freelance journalist who reports from North Africa.
The Breadwinner
Director: Nora Twomey
Starring: Saara Chaudry, Soma Chhaya, Laara Sadiq
Three stars
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
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
THE BIO: Mohammed Ashiq Ali
Proudest achievement: “I came to a new country and started this shop”
Favourite TV programme: the news
Favourite place in Dubai: Al Fahidi. “They started the metro in 2009 and I didn’t take it yet.”
Family: six sons in Dubai and a daughter in Faisalabad
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
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Company%20profile%20
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A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
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
If you go:
Getting there:
Flying to Guyana requires first reaching New York with either Emirates or Etihad, then connecting with JetBlue or Caribbean Air at JFK airport. Prices start from around Dh7,000.
Getting around:
Wildlife Worldwide offers a range of Guyana itineraries, such as its small group tour, the 15-day ‘Ultimate Guyana Nature Experience’ which features Georgetown, the Iwokrama Rainforest (one of the world’s four remaining pristine tropical rainforests left in the world), the Amerindian village of Surama and the Rupununi Savannah, known for its giant anteaters and river otters; wildlifeworldwide.com
Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
RESULTS
Lightweight (female)
Sara El Bakkali bt Anisha Kadka
Bantamweight
Mohammed Adil Al Debi bt Moaz Abdelgawad
Welterweight
Amir Boureslan bt Mahmoud Zanouny
Featherweight
Mohammed Al Katheeri bt Abrorbek Madaminbekov
Super featherweight
Ibrahem Bilal bt Emad Arafa
Middleweight
Ahmed Abdolaziz bt Imad Essassi
Bantamweight (female)
Ilham Bourakkadi bt Milena Martinou
Welterweight
Mohamed Mardi bt Noureddine El Agouti
Middleweight
Nabil Ouach bt Ymad Atrous
Welterweight
Nouredine Samir bt Marlon Ribeiro
Super welterweight
Brad Stanton bt Mohamed El Boukhari
Tips to avoid getting scammed
1) Beware of cheques presented late on Thursday
2) Visit an RTA centre to change registration only after receiving payment
3) Be aware of people asking to test drive the car alone
4) Try not to close the sale at night
5) Don't be rushed into a sale
6) Call 901 if you see any suspicious behaviour
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
Most F1 world titles
7 — Michael Schumacher (1994, ’95, 2000, ’01 ’02, ’03, ’04)
7 — Lewis Hamilton (2008, ’14,’15, ’17, ’18, ’19, ’20)
5 — Juan Manuel Fangio (1951, ’54, ’55, ’56, ’57)
4 — Alain Prost (1985, ’86, ’89, ’93)
4 — Sebastian Vettel (2010, ’11, ’12, ’13)
Five%20calorie-packed%20Ramadan%20drinks
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
How Islam's view of posthumous transplant surgery changed
Transplants from the deceased have been carried out in hospitals across the globe for decades, but in some countries in the Middle East, including the UAE, the practise was banned until relatively recently.
Opinion has been divided as to whether organ donations from a deceased person is permissible in Islam.
The body is viewed as sacred, during and after death, thus prohibiting cremation and tattoos.
One school of thought viewed the removal of organs after death as equally impermissible.
That view has largely changed, and among scholars and indeed many in society, to be seen as permissible to save another life.
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 3 (Silva 8' &15, Foden 33')
Birmginahm City 0
Man of the match Bernado Silva (Manchester City)
