When Emirati entrepreneur Ishaq Ali Albastaki first came up with the idea for RC Cities, his miniature gaming venue and coffee shop, his business proposal was rejected by many of the top malls in Dubai.
“They wouldn't let me bring all the sand I wanted,” he says, laughing. “Even when I told them the sand was sanitised, they were not convinced.”
Undeterred, Albastaki, 50, continued to scout for locations and finally settled on a location in Meydan. RC Cities, short for remote control cities, opened in July. Here, guests of all ages can let their imagination run wild with hundreds of true-to-life miniature models of all kinds of construction vehicles, from bulldozers to excavators, as well as popular 4x4s models, all remote-controlled.
Sand is an important element for the first two “cities” opened at launch at RC Cities – Construction City and Crawler City. At Construction City, guests can dig, scoop and carry sand and build their own cities as they control the miniature vehicles from a distance. Meanwhile, at Crawler City, they can take their favourite four-wheel drives dune bashing or just race with their friends in the mini desert landscape built exactly for that.
There's more coming, Albastaki tells The National. “We will soon have a Maritime City, a Formula One City and many more.” Visitors can currently choose from 50 construction machinery and around 100 four-wheel drives, and they are both equally popular.”
Renting the remote control vehicles for 30 minutes costs Dh35 for the miniature four-wheel drives or Dh50 for construction machinery. “This is just the introductory price for people to get familiar with our concept. I’m currently running at a loss to attract people initially,” Al Bastaki says, adding that he spent nearly Dh600,000 on the miniature models.
Guests can also bring their own remote control of RC vehicles, he says, but there are limitations on size and speed to fit into the play area.
Albastaki came up with the idea for RC Cities about five years ago when, during his travels, he noticed RC fans renting spaces so they could get together and play. Albastaki is a collector of all kinds of RC vehicles, an obsession which began seven years ago. His initial idea was a permanent space where fans of all ages could come and play and meet like-minded people, while also enjoying food and drinks.
The RC community is growing globally, even in the UAE. In August, model car racers from all over the country took part in a competition to win an all-expenses-paid trip to the Tamiya Mini 4WD World Challenge in Shizouka, Japan, in November.
Albastaki believes RC Cities is the first concept of its kind in which visitors do not need to bring their own models and he is already drawing up franchise plans to take it far and wide. While they are fun and educational for younger visitors, RC vehicles are serious business, Albastaki says.
“It’s not like video games,” he says. “Here, you can learn, develop and get creative. There's a lot of physics involved and plenty of engineering skills.”
Albastaki also plans to introduce 3D printing so that visitors can come in and construct bridges, roads and houses.
He is motivated by the number of visitors RC Cities has welcomed so far. “At the weekend, I can see 20 to 40 people waiting for their turn,” he says. “And I've met people from around the world who have come in just to see my shop. So it's very encouraging.”
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
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
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher: Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
The stats
Ship name: MSC Bellissima
Ship class: Meraviglia Class
Delivery date: February 27, 2019
Gross tonnage: 171,598 GT
Passenger capacity: 5,686
Crew members: 1,536
Number of cabins: 2,217
Length: 315.3 metres
Maximum speed: 22.7 knots (42kph)
Avatar%20(2009)
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJames%20Cameron%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESam%20Worthington%2C%20Zoe%20Saldana%2C%20Sigourney%20Weaver%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Pari
Produced by: Clean Slate Films (Anushka Sharma, Karnesh Sharma) & KriArj Entertainment
Director: Prosit Roy
Starring: Anushka Sharma, Parambrata Chattopadhyay, Ritabhari Chakraborty, Rajat Kapoor, Mansi Multani
Three stars
