Using only his bare hands and some chalk, Alain Robert scales the National Bank of Abu Dhabi headquarters in February 2003. Reuters
Using only his bare hands and some chalk, Alain Robert scales the National Bank of Abu Dhabi headquarters in February 2003. Reuters
Using only his bare hands and some chalk, Alain Robert scales the National Bank of Abu Dhabi headquarters in February 2003. Reuters
Using only his bare hands and some chalk, Alain Robert scales the National Bank of Abu Dhabi headquarters in February 2003. Reuters

Timeframe: When the ‘French Spider-Man’ climbed an Abu Dhabi skyscraper in front of 100,000


Evelyn Lau
  • English
  • Arabic

Alain Robert is nicknamed “the French Spider-Man” and with good reason.

The urban climber is known for scaling some of the world’s tallest buildings, doing so with little to no climbing equipment. He usually only does his free climbs with a small bag of chalk for his hands and a pair of climbing shoes.

In February 2003, he made his first stop in the UAE by climbing 202 metres to the top of the National Bank of Abu Dhabi on Khalifa Street. Around 100,000 spectators came to watch the event and it was shown live on TV. The turnout left an impression on him.

“Before climbing the NBAD building in 2003, I was being watched by about 10,000 people, but more than 100,000 showed up to watch me in Abu Dhabi,” Robert previously told The National.

He also described the scene as feeling “as gigantic and as big as the Rolling Stone concert” in a post on Instagram last year.

Alain Robert climbs the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority building in February 2007. AFP
Alain Robert climbs the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority building in February 2007. AFP

However, this wouldn’t be Robert’s only experience in the country. Two years later, he also scaled 160 metres up the Etisalat building in front of 50,000 and returned in 2007 to climb 185 metres to the top of Abu Dhabi Investment Authority's headquarters.

Robert previously explained he caught the climbing bug aged 11 after he forgot the keys to the seven-storey building of his family’s apartment in Valence. It was his first climb.

He has also climbed Burj Khalifa's 828 metres and Cayan Tower, Dubai Marina's 307-metre twisting building, in 70 minutes.

These days he continues climbing, although not as much as he did when he was younger. Robert climbed Burj Khalifa for a second time, alongside urban free solo climber Alexis Landot, in 2023.

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Sir Tim Berners-Lee was born in London in a household of mathematicians and computer scientists. Both his mother, Mary Lee, and father, Conway, were early computer scientists who worked on the Ferranti 1 - the world's first commercially-available, general purpose digital computer. Sir Tim studied Physics at the University of Oxford and held a series of roles developing code and building software before moving to Switzerland to work for Cern, the European Particle Physics laboratory. He developed the worldwide web code as a side project in 1989 as a global information-sharing system. After releasing the first web code in 1991, Cern made it open and free for all to use. Sir Tim now campaigns for initiatives to make sure the web remains open and accessible to all.

The Vile

Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah

Director: Majid Al Ansari

Rating: 4/5

How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

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Various Artists 
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
​​​​​​​

In numbers: China in Dubai

The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000

Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000

Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent

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PSA DUBAI WORLD SERIES FINALS LINE-UP

Men’s: 
Mohamed El Shorbagy (EGY)
Ali Farag (EGY)
Simon Rosner (GER)
Tarek Momen (EGY)
Miguel Angel Rodriguez (COL)
Gregory Gaultier (FRA)
Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY)
Nick Matthew (ENG)

Women's: 
Nour El Sherbini (EGY)
Raneem El Welily (EGY)
Nour El Tayeb (EGY)
Laura Massaro (ENG)
Joelle King (NZE)
Camille Serme (FRA)
Nouran Gohar (EGY)
Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG)

The specs

  Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now

WHAT%20IS%20THE%20LICENSING%20PROCESS%20FOR%20VARA%3F
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Gothia Cup 2025

4,872 matches 

1,942 teams

116 pitches

76 nations

26 UAE teams

15 Lebanese teams

2 Kuwaiti teams

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Updated: August 28, 2025, 6:43 AM