There is a lot of discussion and debate in the UAE about why more people don't ride motorcycles here. Of course, I've met many people who have bikes here, and there are many others involved in clubs or who go off roading or who just stick to the track. But you don't see a lot of bikers on the roads on a regular basis.
Yes, the safety issue is the biggest point of contention. With a mix of so many nationalities on our roads, with so many levels of quality for drivers, and with a general disregard for speed and other laws on the road, it can get pretty dangerous sometimes. But riding motorcycles takes focus and anticipation wherever you are. There are no guarantees of safety anywhere, but, honestly, in my time here, I've found it no more dangerous than in other areas I've ridden.
Others point to the lack of good riding roads in the area. The real fun of riding a motorcycle is putting it into a turn, preferably setting up for another and another after that. Most of the roads in the Emirates are arrow straight, which is what comes to most people's minds. But there are definitely a few really exceptional routes for a bike in the UAE.
The roads around Hatta offer great mountain views; the twisting route of Jabel Hafeet is challenging going up and downright scary coming down; the ride from Liwa out to Moreeb Dune not only has great turns and elevations but gets you right into the heart of the desert while still being on tarmac; and the seaside route cutting through Musandam from the UAE border leading to Khasab is, quite frankly, one of the best motorcycle routes in the world. There are other gems out there, too; you just have to look, or ask other bikers.
And these are just the opportunities for bikes with smooth tyres. Where else would you have the opportunity to bike over the dunes of a legendary desert for hours or, if you really wanted to, days on end?
There are, in fact, many people here who have taken up off-road motorcycling. I've had the opportunity a couple of times to hoon across the sand and dunes on a 450cc, knobby tyred bike, and I have to say it was one of the most rewarding and magnificent experiences I've every enjoyed. It embodies the essence of motorcycling to an extreme: physical challenge, mental focus and concentration and the thrill of speed and danger. Couple this with lonely, windswept views of the wilderness, exploring places few people get to see and the occasional encounter with the desert's elusive wildlife, and it's a wonder more people don't get out there. For most expats, it's an experience they would never get to experience in their home country.
If you've never motorcycled before but always wanted to, and you can get over the ridiculous rider training here and get someone who really knows how to teach you, I think you should give it a go. And if you did motorcycle in the past but are put off by it here, like Patricia, I say talk with people in the bike clubs or go to the track and see how people feel about it.
And put some money aside for another bike. Just in case.
motoring@thenational.ae
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 smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
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
Profile box
Company name: baraka
Started: July 2020
Founders: Feras Jalbout and Kunal Taneja
Based: Dubai and Bahrain
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $150,000
Current staff: 12
Stage: Pre-seed capital raising of $1 million
Investors: Class 5 Global, FJ Labs, IMO Ventures, The Community Fund, VentureSouq, Fox Ventures, Dr Abdulla Elyas (private investment)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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