With views of both Atlantis hotels and an apartment-sized master bedroom suite, it’s fitting that the house belonging to Raza Beig, chief executive and founding director of celebrated fashion chain Splash, is maximalist to its core.
“My father does not believe in minimalism,” his son Ali Raza Beig jokes. Art is everywhere, from the Chinese jade artefacts displayed in the cinema room, to the M F Husain on the wall.
“This house is built for a family and built around the art,” says Ali, 24. “My father needed to showcase the art he has collected over the past three decades. It became a passion of his, every single wall and every display area is for art.”
Located on a Palm Jumeirah frond, the six-bedroom house sits on a 1,365-square-metre plot and has its own private beach accessible from the deck down a short flight of marble steps. Once the property of Argentinian Manchester City star Carlos Tevez, the villa – listed by Dubai Sotheby's International Realty – is near what was once David and Victoria Beckham’s pied-a-terre when they visited the city, and a few houses down from Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s famous villa, Jannat.
“My father’s dream was always to have a beach house, and I was very lucky to grow up here,” says Beig. “Over the years, we’ve carried out a few renovations, such as extending it at the back.”
Japanese wood acoustics and hand-matched floors
As befitting a beachfront villa, life here feels unrushed and unhurried, a vibe exemplified by the fact the home took the Beig family three years to complete, with one bathroom, in particular, requiring six months to perfect.
“It took that long because of the sourcing of all the different materials to looking at different plans,” says Ali. “When my father travelled, he posted maybe 1,000 pictures to the family group chat and we all used to conceptualise. One of the biggest delays when doing the house was the bathroom flooring in my father’s room, which took six months because all the marble tiles were hand-matched.”
Attention to detail is evident throughout the villa, which retains the relaxed feel of a family home despite (or because of, depending on your point of view) the millions of dirhams worth of art on the walls.
Entering through the spacious hallway with its Picasso on one side and marbled elevator on the other, the home has the Palm stretching out into the distance, creating what Ali calls a “billion-dollar view”. The ground floor has two bedrooms – a guestroom and main suite – along with Ali’s favourite room, the home cinema, complete with massage chairs and Japanese wood acoustics.
The living area is informally sectioned off to create entertainment and relaxation areas for children, adults and guests, and the house has been extended to create additional seating that looks out on to the infinity pool and deck. Evening gatherings here during the cooler months feature music, food and even performances.
A fun, bespoke aspect of the house is the Halal Cafe off the main living area, where the family gathers to eat, talk and drink coffee courtesy of the built-in machine. With additional bistro-style tables and chairs, it’s the perfect place for everything from conducting business meetings to enjoying a leisurely breakfast.
The kitchen, custom-designed for Beig’s mother, features push-button cupboards and a 12-burner range.
Living art gallery
Walking upstairs is to explore an art gallery with walls covered floor to ceiling in Asian, Indian, Chinese, Japanese and Korean works. These include myriad depictions of girl and womanhood in homage to the female influence of Raza’s mother and five sisters. A recently acquired Sacha Jafri triptych of Mount Everest is also displayed.
Of his father’s acquisition of the piece, Ali says: “He has an affinity with the grandest because no dream is too small.”
Off the large, marble-decorated landing with its skylit olive tree, are four bedrooms and a gym. It addition to containing an array of state-of-the-art equipment, it is also home to the first shirt worn by Pele at the 1958 World Cup, signed and framed.
Three of the bedrooms channel serious hotel suite energy, each with its separate living and sleeping areas and en-suite bathrooms, with Raza’s suite larger than those of his two youngest children.
The master suite belongs to Ali. With its twin doors and lengthy entrance hall, it brings to mind a separate apartment within the house.
It offers dual-aspect views across the front of the house and the beach, and features a separate living area, workspace and bedroom.
The walk-in wardrobe is “Kylie-inspired”, Ali jokes, of the chic Jenner-Kardashian aesthetic.
Outside, a vast balcony connects to his father’s room, with plenty of seating for relaxing and entertaining in the cooler months.
Ample storage pervades, each door opening to yield its own treasures, including a vintage trainer cupboard filled with rare early pieces from the likes of Jeremy Scott and the late Virgil Abloh.
Kept busy with his fine art company, Artfi, and his mission to “democratise art”, Beig looks forward to the next chapter in his family’s residence, irrespective of location.
“For me, home is wherever my family is,” he says. “But we will always be surrounded by art.”
Know your Camel lingo
The bairaq is a competition for the best herd of 50 camels, named for the banner its winner takes home
Namoos - a word of congratulations reserved for falconry competitions, camel races and camel pageants. It best translates as 'the pride of victory' - and for competitors, it is priceless
Asayel camels - sleek, short-haired hound-like racers
Majahim - chocolate-brown camels that can grow to weigh two tonnes. They were only valued for milk until camel pageantry took off in the 1990s
Millions Street - the thoroughfare where camels are led and where white 4x4s throng throughout the festival
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Al Jazira's foreign quartet for 2017/18
Romarinho, Brazil
Lassana Diarra, France
Sardor Rashidov, Uzbekistan
Mbark Boussoufa, Morocco
MATCH INFO
Rugby World Cup (all times UAE)
Final: England v South Africa, Saturday, 1pm
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Results
- Brock Lesnar retained the WWE Universal title against Roman Reigns
- Braun Strowman and Nicolas won the Raw Tag Team titles against Sheamus and Cesaro
- AJ Styles retained the WWE World Heavyweight title against Shinsuke Nakamura
- Nia Jax won the Raw Women’s title against Alexa Bliss
- Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon beat Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn
- The Undertaker beat John Cena
- The Bludgeon Brothers won the SmackDown Tag Team titles against the Usos and New Day
- Ronda Rousey and Kurt Angle beat Triple H and Stephanie McMahon
- Jinder Mahal won the United States title against Randy Orton, Rusev and Bobby Roode
- Charlotte retained the SmackDown Women’s title against Asuka
- Seth Rollins won the Intercontinental title against The Miz and Finn Balor
- Naomi won the first WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal
- Cedric Alexander won the vacant Cruiserweight title against Mustafa Ali
- Matt Hardy won the Andre the Giant Battle Royal
The years Ramadan fell in May
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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more from Janine di Giovanni
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
More on Quran memorisation:
The five pillars of Islam
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Monster Hunter: World
Capcom
PlayStation 4, Xbox One
More on animal trafficking
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
RESULTS
West Asia Premiership
Thursday
Jebel Ali Dragons 13-34 Dubai Exiles
Friday
Dubai Knights Eagles 16-27 Dubai Tigers
The five pillars of Islam
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MATCH INFO
Osasuna 1 Real Madrid 4
Osasuna: García (14')
Real Madrid: Isco (33'), Ramos (38'), Vázquez (84'), Jovic (90' 2)
The years Ramadan fell in May
The years Ramadan fell in May
More on Quran memorisation:
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Wallabies
Updated team: 15-Israel Folau, 14-Dane Haylett-Petty, 13-Reece Hodge, 12-Matt Toomua, 11-Marika Koroibete, 10-Kurtley Beale, 9-Will Genia, 8-Pete Samu, 7-Michael Hooper (captain), 6-Lukhan Tui, 5-Adam Coleman, 4-Rory Arnold, 3-Allan Alaalatoa, 2-Tatafu Polota-Nau, 1-Scott Sio.
Replacements: 16-Folau Faingaa, 17-Tom Robertson, 18-Taniela Tupou, 19-Izack Rodda, 20-Ned Hanigan, 21-Joe Powell, 22-Bernard Foley, 23-Jack Maddocks.
Zayed Sustainability Prize
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
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Jiu-jitsu calendar of events for 2017-2018:
August 5:
Round-1 of the President’s Cup in Al Ain.
August 11-13:
Asian Championship in Vietnam.
September 8-9:
Ajman International.
September 16-17
Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games, Ashgabat.
September 22-24:
IJJF Balkan Junior Open, Montenegro.
September 23-24:
Grand Slam Los Angeles.
September 29:
Round-1 Mother of The Nation Cup.
October 13-14:
Al Ain U18 International.
September 20-21:
Al Ain International.
November 3:
Round-2 Mother of The National Cup.
November 4:
Round-2 President’s Cup.
November 10-12:
Grand Slam Rio de Janeiro.
November 24-26:
World Championship, Columbia.
November 30:
World Beach Championship, Columbia.
December 8-9:
Dubai International.
December 23:
Round-3 President’s Cup, Sharjah.
January 12-13:
Grand Slam Abu Dhabi.
January 26-27:
Fujairah International.
February 3:
Round-4 President’s Cup, Al Dhafra.
February 16-17:
Ras Al Khaimah International.
February 23-24:
The Challenge Championship.
March 10-11:
Grand Slam London.
March 16:
Final Round – Mother of The Nation.
March 17:
Final Round – President’s Cup.
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
RESULT
Manchester City 5 Swansea City 0
Man City: D Silva (12'), Sterling (16'), De Bruyne (54' ), B Silva (64' minutes), Jesus (88')
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
The biog
Simon Nadim has completed 7,000 dives.
The hardest dive in the UAE is the German U-boat 110m down off the Fujairah coast.
As a child, he loved the documentaries of Jacques Cousteau
He also led a team that discovered the long-lost portion of the Ines oil tanker.
If you are interested in diving, he runs the XR Hub Dive Centre in Fujairah
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
More coverage from the Future Forum
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Hidden killer
Sepsis arises when the body tries to fight an infection but damages its own tissue and organs in the process.
The World Health Organisation estimates it affects about 30 million people each year and that about six million die.
Of those about three million are newborns and 1.2 are young children.
Patients with septic shock must often have limbs amputated if clots in their limbs prevent blood flow, causing the limbs to die.
Campaigners say the condition is often diagnosed far too late by medical professionals and that many patients wait too long to seek treatment, confusing the symptoms with flu.
