When Mohamed Al Safar, 31, a collector of trainers, ran out of space in his Dubai apartment for his 2,000-plus pairs of rare shoes worth an estimated $1 million (Dh3.6m), he chose the next best place to house them: a penthouse in the Burj Khalifa.
Here, in a luxurious apartment more than 100 floors up in the world’s tallest tower, Al Safar proudly displays his prized possessions in the living room, all neatly lined up in transparent boxes, shielded from dust and direct sunlight. The room temperature is always maintained at the optimum.
“This is just one third of my collection. The rest are in my home in California,” he says. “I usually spend half a year in the US, but since the Covid-19 situation, I haven’t been able to travel much.”
Al Safar, a Bahraini national, is probably one of the biggest collectors of rare trainers in the UAE. He is the director of his family-owned Al Safar Group, which has interests in education, hospitality, property and food retail, and has its headquarters in Bahrain. He splits his time between the US, the UAE and Bahrain.
I've always liked collecting things even as a kid, so as my obsession with sneakers grew, my interest in owning the rare ones started
Al Safar says his interest in trainers was sparked when he was in school in Bahrain. “We were all in uniform, but we were allowed to wear whatever footwear we wanted. So it became our only form of expression,” he recalls. “I’ve always liked collecting things even as a kid, so as my obsession with sneakers grew, my interest in owning the rare ones started.”
This passion was further fuelled when he went to study in the US. “I immersed myself in the sneaker culture there, and very soon made contact with insiders and collectors who’d get me the most in-demand pairs. And my collection just grew,” he says.
But unlike others, Al Safar has no plans to make money from his collection, which he estimates is now worth well over $1m. “There are two types of sneakerhead,” he says. “Those who will buy sneakers to rock and those who will buy them to make a profit. I only buy what I like. I am not interested in making money out of them.”
Sometimes his obsession gets the better of him, he jokes, sharing a story about how he once paid $35,000 to a collector in Chicago to personally deliver a pair of trainers to him in Dubai.
"It was a pair of Jordan 4 Undefeated and the seller told me the rapper Travis Scott was interested in them, too. So I made [the seller] an offer he couldn't refuse – a free trip to Dubai with hotel stays and everything. That's how I got the shoes."
I made [the seller] an offer he couldn't refuse – a free trip to Dubai with hotel stays and everything. That's how I got the shoes
Among Al Safar’s favourite pairs in his collection are two variants of a Jordan 4 Retro Travis Scott (Friends and Family) model, now going for $30,000 each on leading trainers and streetwear reseller site StockX.
A ‘Friends and Family’ model means it was given to affiliates of the person or company that made the sneaker and was not sold to the public.
There’s also a Jordan 4 Eminem (Dh73,461) and Jordan 4 Wahlburgers (Dh91,826), created in collaboration with actor Mark Wahlberg. A previously unseen model that never made it to production by Yeezy, the brand from rapper Kanye West, is also proudly displayed.
Air Jordan, a collaboration between basketball star Michael Jordan and Nike, is one of the world’s most successful footwear brands, taking in $3.1 billion in wholesale revenue last year, according to Forbes. Nike has often highlighted Jordan as a driver of its growth.
Al Safar’s obsession is not limited to shoes. Holding pride of place in his Burj Khalifa penthouse is a monogrammed 400-kilogram, 317-centimetre-long oversized park bench created by Louis Vuitton menswear designer Virgil Abloh for the fashion house’s spring/summer 2020 runway presentation in Paris last year.
The businessman, who considers himself a loyal fan of the French luxury brand, says he had to haggle a bit to obtain the piece of furniture, but it was well worth the $40,000 he spent on it, which included transportation costs.
“They know me very well, so I called them after the show and told them I really wanted it. They were a bit surprised, but said they would send it,” Al Safar explains. “It came to Dubai in one single piece but we had to make adjustments since it wouldn’t fit in the Burj Khalifa’s lifts.”
His apartment is also filled with rare collectibles, mostly from the fashion world. There’s a Kaws BFF Dior Plush figure, from a collaboration with Dior and American artist Kaws, now going for $18,000 on StockX; a range of skateboards, toys and accessories from cult brand Supreme; sold-out items from Louis Vuitton's collaboration with designer, DJ and entrepreneur Nigo, creator of Japanese streetwear brand A Bathing Ape (known as Bape); as well as rare bags, luggage and sunglasses from the French maison.
Al Safar gingerly removes each item from its box and carefully packs it up again. He says he cleans each item, including the shoes, himself. “I don’t trust anyone with them,” he says, with a laugh. “And I love to do it myself. It makes me happy.”
The father-of-two says his wife and parents fully support his obsession. “My parents actually encouraged my collections since I was a kid, and my wife gets every pair of sneakers I buy, so she doesn’t complain. She also has her own obsession with handbags,” he says.
On his shopping list is a pair of Jordan 4 Eminem Encore, released to celebrate the rapper's album of the same name in 2004 – one website calls them "the rarest Jordan 4s to date".
“That’s the pair I’m dying to get,” he says. “Eminem is one of my favourite rappers of all time and I need this shoe to complete his Jordan set.”
StockX currently has the pair listed at $30,000.
Super 30
Produced: Sajid Nadiadwala and Phantom Productions
Directed: Vikas Bahl
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Pankaj Tripathi, Aditya Srivastav, Mrinal Thakur
Rating: 3.5 /5
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More from Janine di Giovanni
Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
SPECS
Mini John Cooper Works Clubman and Mini John Cooper Works Countryman
Engine: two-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Transmission: nine-speed automatic
Power: 306hp
Torque: 450Nm
Price: JCW Clubman, Dh220,500; JCW Countryman, Dh225,500
If you go
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Seattle from Dh5,555 return, including taxes.
The car
Hertz offers compact car rental from about $300 (Dh1,100) per week, including taxes. Emirates Skywards members can earn points on their car hire through Hertz.
The national park
Entry to Mount Rainier National Park costs $30 for one vehicle and passengers for up to seven days. Accommodation can be booked through mtrainierguestservices.com. Prices vary according to season. Rooms at the Holiday Inn Yakima cost from $125 per night, excluding breakfast.
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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.
Fire and Fury
By Michael Wolff,
Henry Holt
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UFC%20FIGHT%20NIGHT%3A%20SAUDI%20ARABIA%20RESULTS
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Results
Stage seven
1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates, in 3:20:24
2. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers, at 1s
3. Pello Bilbao (ESP) Bahrain-Victorious, at 5s
General Classification
1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates, in 25:38:16
2. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers, at 22s
3. Pello Bilbao (ESP) Bahrain-Victorious, at 48s
Uefa Nations League: How it works
The Uefa Nations League, introduced last year, has reached its final stage, to be played over five days in northern Portugal. The format of its closing tournament is compact, spread over two semi-finals, with the first, Portugal versus Switzerland in Porto on Wednesday evening, and the second, England against the Netherlands, in Guimaraes, on Thursday.
The winners of each semi will then meet at Porto’s Dragao stadium on Sunday, with the losing semi-finalists contesting a third-place play-off in Guimaraes earlier that day.
Qualifying for the final stage was via League A of the inaugural Nations League, in which the top 12 European countries according to Uefa's co-efficient seeding system were divided into four groups, the teams playing each other twice between September and November. Portugal, who finished above Italy and Poland, successfully bid to host the finals.
SERIE A FIXTURES
Friday Sassuolo v Torino (Kick-off 10.45pm UAE)
Saturday Atalanta v Sampdoria (5pm),
Genoa v Inter Milan (8pm),
Lazio v Bologna (10.45pm)
Sunday Cagliari v Crotone (3.30pm)
Benevento v Napoli (6pm)
Parma v Spezia (6pm)
Fiorentina v Udinese (9pm)
Juventus v Hellas Verona (11.45pm)
Monday AC Milan v AS Roma (11.45pm)
Sanju
Produced: Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Rajkumar Hirani
Director: Rajkumar Hirani
Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Vicky Kaushal, Paresh Rawal, Anushka Sharma, Manish’s Koirala, Dia Mirza, Sonam Kapoor, Jim Sarbh, Boman Irani
Rating: 3.5 stars
RESULTS
Bantamweight:
Zia Mashwani (PAK) bt Chris Corton (PHI)
Super lightweight:
Flavio Serafin (BRA) bt Mohammad Al Khatib (JOR)
Super lightweight:
Dwight Brooks (USA) bt Alex Nacfur (BRA)
Bantamweight:
Tariq Ismail (CAN) bt Jalal Al Daaja (JOR)
Featherweight:
Abdullatip Magomedov (RUS) bt Sulaiman Al Modhyan (KUW)
Middleweight:
Mohammad Fakhreddine (LEB) bt Christofer Silva (BRA)
Middleweight:
Rustam Chsiev (RUS) bt Tarek Suleiman (SYR)
Welterweight:
Khamzat Chimaev (SWE) bt Mzwandile Hlongwa (RSA)
Lightweight:
Alex Martinez (CAN) bt Anas Siraj Mounir (MAR)
Welterweight:
Jarrah Al Selawi (JOR) bt Abdoul Abdouraguimov (FRA)
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Stormy seas
Weather warnings show that Storm Eunice is soon to make landfall. The videographer and I are scrambling to return to the other side of the Channel before it does. As we race to the port of Calais, I see miles of wire fencing topped with barbed wire all around it, a silent ‘Keep Out’ sign for those who, unlike us, aren’t lucky enough to have the right to move freely and safely across borders.
We set sail on a giant ferry whose length dwarfs the dinghies migrants use by nearly a 100 times. Despite the windy rain lashing at the portholes, we arrive safely in Dover; grateful but acutely aware of the miserable conditions the people we’ve left behind are in and of the privilege of choice.
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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Norway
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Canada
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Who is Mohammed Al Halbousi?
The new speaker of Iraq’s parliament Mohammed Al Halbousi is the youngest person ever to serve in the role.
The 37-year-old was born in Al Garmah in Anbar and studied civil engineering in Baghdad before going into business. His development company Al Hadeed undertook reconstruction contracts rebuilding parts of Fallujah’s infrastructure.
He entered parliament in 2014 and served as a member of the human rights and finance committees until 2017. In August last year he was appointed governor of Anbar, a role in which he has struggled to secure funding to provide services in the war-damaged province and to secure the withdrawal of Shia militias. He relinquished the post when he was sworn in as a member of parliament on September 3.
He is a member of the Al Hal Sunni-based political party and the Sunni-led Coalition of Iraqi Forces, which is Iraq’s largest Sunni alliance with 37 seats from the May 12 election.
He maintains good relations with former Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki’s State of Law Coaliton, Hadi Al Amiri’s Badr Organisation and Iranian officials.
Asia Cup 2018 final
Who: India v Bangladesh
When: Friday, 3.30pm, Dubai International Stadium
Watch: Live on OSN Cricket HD
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo hybrid
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 390bhp
Torque: 400Nm
Price: Dh340,000 ($92,579
Springtime in a Broken Mirror,
Mario Benedetti, Penguin Modern Classics
UAE rugby season
FIXTURES
West Asia Premiership
Dubai Hurricanes v Dubai Knights Eagles
Dubai Tigers v Bahrain
Jebel Ali Dragons v Abu Dhabi Harlequins
UAE Division 1
Dubai Sharks v Dubai Hurricanes II
Al Ain Amblers v Dubai Knights Eagles II
Dubai Tigers II v Abu Dhabi Saracens
Jebel Ali Dragons II v Abu Dhabi Harlequins II
Sharjah Wanderers v Dubai Exiles II
LAST SEASON
West Asia Premiership
Winners – Bahrain
Runners-up – Dubai Exiles
UAE Premiership
Winners – Abu Dhabi Harlequins
Runners-up – Jebel Ali Dragons
Dubai Rugby Sevens
Winners – Dubai Hurricanes
Runners-up – Abu Dhabi Harlequins
UAE Conference
Winners – Dubai Tigers
Runners-up – Al Ain Amblers
Results
United States beat UAE by three wickets
United States beat Scotland by 35 runs
UAE v Scotland – no result
United States beat UAE by 98 runs
Scotland beat United States by four wickets
Fixtures
Sunday, 10am, ICC Academy, Dubai - UAE v Scotland
Admission is free
THE SPECS
Engine: 3-litre V6
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 424hp
Torque: 580 Nm
Price: From Dh399,000
On sale: Now
