On the final leg of the journey to Abu Dhabi, gusts of freezing rain sweep down from the thickly wooded hills, shrouded in cloud. Damp sheep graze on a strip of grass between the road and an ever-widening band of angry grey-green water.
The road bends round to the right and dips below a bridge carrying the railway, and suddenly it is there: a curve of white and pastel terraced houses and an endless forbidding panorama of sea that vanishes into the mist. The rain hammers down even more furiously.
What? Sorry, you must have misheard. Abu Dhabi? This is Aberdovey, a tiny seaside town on the coast of Wales, perched on the edge of Cardigan Bay.
It's a common mistake, at least for anyone with a connection to the UK. Abu Dhabi is the capital of the UAE, with a population that exceeds one million. Just more than 1,000 people live full time in Aberdovey, in the county of Gwynedd. It is also spelled Aberdyfi, but it's when you say it out loud that confusion reigns.
Decades of confusion
There are stories of mix-ups over the two destinations going back more than 60 years. Susan Hillyard arrived in Abu Dhabi with her husband and infant daughter in 1954, the first European family to live in what was then little more than a fishing village with palm frond huts.
The news was broken by her husband, who worked in the oil industry and called home to announce their new posting. What on Earth, Susan Hillyard recorded in her memoir Before The Oil, was British Petroleum doing in north Wales?
A call for examples via the Abu Dhabi Good Old Days Facebook group produces nearly 40 anecdotes in less than a day. There were returning visitors quizzed about how they had managed such a splendid tan in Wales at Christmas, or how they played on the beach in the dead of winter.
Others were asked about why they would fly from England to Wales when it was just a short hop by train or bus. And it's not just British expats who experienced the confusion. Emirati students in the UK recalled being told the same thing, as well as having their Welsh ancestry questioned.
It was the same for the author of this article, who moved to Abu Dhabi in early 2008 for the launch of The National, leaving the family behind to finish the school year. Distraught – mostly at the thought of managing two teenagers – my wife was consoled by colleagues. "At least he'll be home at the weekends."
At the time we were living in Shropshire, an English county that borders Wales and is barely 80 kilometres from Aberdovey. Ten years later, and now more than 6,000 kilometres from Abu Dhabi, we are back in Shropshire and it is Aberdovey that beckons.
By the seaside
There was a first visit in Spring 2019, when the sun sparkled on the water and the kilometres of wide, golden sands were alive with families and joyously barking dogs, racing along the beach or splashing in the sea. Our Dubai rescue Saluki-cross was among them, probably earning the distinction of being the only canine to swim in both Abu Dhabi and Aberdovey; the Arabian Gulf and the Irish Sea.
Between April and October, the dogs are banished from the water’s edge to make way for the hordes of visitors that in normal times, by some estimates, swell the summer population to more than 5,000.
In February, it is peak time to visit Abu Dhabi. In Aberdovey, it is not. Google Maps estimates a drive time of just under two hours from Shropshire, at a stately average of 40 kilometres per hour.
After several days of mixed sunshine, the clouds are closing in. The A489 winds among hills and over narrow stone bridges; past black and centuries-old white timber frame houses and stone cottages that seem to have been grown rather than built.
Machynlleth, in Powys, is a charming market town that's home to the Welsh Museum of Modern Art, and a taste for culture, as well as eating. From here, the countryside flattens out to the estuary of the River Dyfi, crossed by another 200-year-old stone bridge and a flood warning.
After the bridge, there's sharp left turn for Aberdovey, now less than 15kms, but still about 20 minutes away. Rock music trivia fans should watch out for a lane about 300 metres on the right that's marked with a dead end sign. This leads to Bron Yr Aur, the remote cottage where Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, freed from the distractions of electricity and running water, wrote Led Zeppelin's third and fourth albums, including the first draft of Stairway to Heaven. You can pass by it, but it's not open to the public.
Now the heavens really open, windscreen wipers swishing furiously. Sky and sea merge on the horizon and the dashboard temperature gauge dashboard drops to 7°C.
Aberdovey is near, but Abu Dhabi seems further away than ever.
Unlikely links
Is Aberdovey aware of its unlikely link to the Middle East? It feels increasingly unlikely. Its most far-flung connection seems to be to a women’s toilet twinned with Malawi as a charitable gesture, and located in the town’s Literary Institute, a community and cultural centre that dates back to 1882.
The Literary Institute seems a good place to start in finding out what links there may be, and an exploratory email results in a suggestion to contact the Town Council for potential interviews. The town clerk thinks it is a “good idea” and says it will be put on the agenda of the next council meeting. That was nearly four months ago, and nothing more has been heard.
Parking on the windswept seafront, it seems that almost everyone has left town. A lone sailing boat rocks furiously at anchor just off the beach and the rain seems to be coming in horizontally. Even the hardiest dog walkers have abandoned the beach. The canoes and sailing dinghies that are such an attraction in the summer months are drawn up on racks behind the lighthouse station.
I visit the Literary Institute and find, with a firm push, that the door to the reading room is unlocked. It is empty, but for leaflets, two cabinets of stuffed seabirds and a copy of the Daily Express, still bashing on about Brexit. The room has a window overlooking the river mouth and the sea beyond – mainland Britain's western rim before the rest of the world begins.
Walking back to town, I try to trace the origin of a mysterious bell tolling somewhere near the town’s wooden jetty. There’s a local legend of Cantre'r Gwaelod, a lost kingdom sunk beneath Cardigan Bay like a Welsh Atlantis. A song records that the city’s bells can sometimes be heard from beneath the waves. Research later reveals the sound to be a “time and tide” bell, designed by sculptor Marcus Vergette, to ring when the tide catches its clapper.
The bell is a reminder of our connection to the sea, but also climate change. As sea levels rise, so the bell will toll ever sooner.
It’s a gloomy thought to match the weather. On a whim, I decide to send a message from Aberdovey to Abu Dhabi, as the only shop open with postcards is also the town’s post office.
I ask for a stamp for Abu Dhabi. “First or second class?” No, Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates. “Don’t suppose you get asked that very often,” I say to the counter clerk.
“Not very much.” He pauses. “Not ever, to be honest.”
Then I head over to Coast Deli & Dining, a pocket-sized cafe that braves all the seasons and serves locally sourced food. It’s here that I have arranged to meet Andi Byrnes, who writes the blog Aberdovey Londoner.
Over cappuccini (plural of cappuccino, not a typo) and Welsh rarebit, toasted cheese on sourdough bread, with slices of the local seaweed delicacy laver bread, we discuss the merits of Aberdovey.
There is a strong connection to the sea, with a history of economies dependent on fishing and ship-building that is now largely in the past
Many years ago, Byrnes's parents bought a second home in the town and she's now lived here for a couple of years after selling up in London. She's an archeologist by training, ironically in deserts, although has never visited the UAE.
The character of Aberdovey, she says, changes with the seasons. There’s what she calls “the summer personality”, when life is all about sailing, playing on the beach and eating freshly caught seafood from Dai Hughes, a local fisherman who sells from direct from his boat.
“In winter, it’s a completely different experience. The beach changes, the people change.” She loves both times of the year. “I’m a great walker and there’s this wonderful beach where you can walk for miles.”
She talks about the history of the place (and later sends an email packed with suggestions of things to do). Until the railway connected it to the outside world in 1877, Aberdovey could only be reached by sea or winding footpaths over the hills.
It was an important port on the Welsh coast, though, transporting slate from the nearby mines, and with a fishing fleet and shipbuilding yards. It was a railway, and the road that followed, that transformed Aberdovey into a holiday destination.
Today’s attractions include the nearby Snowdonia National Park, while the area’s old narrow gauge steam trains now transport tourists instead of slate.
Shifting fortunes
Both Aberdovey and Abu Dhabi have seen changes in the past 60 years, which also raises the question of not what makes them so different, but what they might have in common.
There is a strong connection to the sea, of course, with a history of economies dependent on fishing and ship-building that is now largely in the past.
Aberdovey sits where the river meets the sea; its name in Welsh, literally means estuary (Aber) of the Difei. Abu Dhabi’s name is also descriptive. Father of the Gazelle, meaning a place where antelope go for water.
Like Abu Dhabi, Aberdovey has seen an influx of outsiders, with profound changes of character. Both have an official first language that is not English, even if the latter is widely used.
In Abu Dhabi it is Arabic, in Aberdovey it is Welsh, still spoken by some of the long-standing inhabitants and marked first on official signs. "Araf" (stop) it says at road junctions, "Dim Mynediad" (no entry) on the narrow road outside the cigydd (butcher). But many of the homes and business are now English-owned.
“It’s really very cosmopolitan,” says Byrnes, referring to the numerous restaurants and cafes, the art galleries, the yacht club, hotels and shops selling the latest summer fashions. If you need an organic jute basket or rug, there’s even a place for that.
The same could be said for Abu Dhabi, albeit on a much grander scale. The city has gained a much higher international profile in recent years, thanks to everything from Manchester City and Etihad to Louvre Abu Dhabi and the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.
Maybe this is bringing a subtle shift to the old Abu Dhabi / Aberdovey confusion. When living in London, Byrnes would occasionally escape city life to decompress for a few days in Aberdovey. “Abu Dhabi?” A neighbour asked her. “Isn’t that a long way to go for the weekend?”
HIJRA
Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy
Director: Shahad Ameen
Rating: 3/5
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Landfill in numbers
• Landfill gas is composed of 50 per cent methane
• Methane is 28 times more harmful than Co2 in terms of global warming
• 11 million total tonnes of waste are being generated annually in Abu Dhabi
• 18,000 tonnes per year of hazardous and medical waste is produced in Abu Dhabi emirate per year
• 20,000 litres of cooking oil produced in Abu Dhabi’s cafeterias and restaurants every day is thrown away
• 50 per cent of Abu Dhabi’s waste is from construction and demolition
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The%20specs
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The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
Saturday (UAE kick-off times)
Watford v Leicester City (3.30pm)
Brighton v Arsenal (6pm)
West Ham v Wolves (8.30pm)
Bournemouth v Crystal Palace (10.45pm)
Sunday
Newcastle United v Sheffield United (5pm)
Aston Villa v Chelsea (7.15pm)
Everton v Liverpool (10pm)
Monday
Manchester City v Burnley (11pm)
Graduated from the American University of Sharjah
She is the eldest of three brothers and two sisters
Has helped solve 15 cases of electric shocks
Enjoys travelling, reading and horse riding
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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UAE
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Norway
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Canada
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Series information
Pakistan v Dubai
First Test, Dubai International Stadium
Sun Oct 6 to Thu Oct 11
Second Test, Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Tue Oct 16 to Sat Oct 20
Play starts at 10am each day
Teams
Pakistan
1 Mohammed Hafeez, 2 Imam-ul-Haq, 3 Azhar Ali, 4 Asad Shafiq, 5 Haris Sohail, 6 Babar Azam, 7 Sarfraz Ahmed, 8 Bilal Asif, 9 Yasir Shah, 10, Mohammed Abbas, 11 Wahab Riaz or Mir Hamza
Australia
1 Usman Khawaja, 2 Aaron Finch, 3 Shaun Marsh, 4 Mitchell Marsh, 5 Travis Head, 6 Marnus Labuschagne, 7 Tim Paine, 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Peter Siddle, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Jon Holland
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MATCH INFO
Everton 2 (Tosun 9', Doucoure 93')
Rotherham United 1 (Olosunde 56')
Man of the Match Olosunde (Rotherham)
MATCH INFO
BRIGHTON 0
MANCHESTER UNITED 3
McTominay 44'
Mata 73'
Pogba 80'
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)
A State of Passion
Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi
Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah
Rating: 4/5
THE SPECS
Aston Martin Rapide AMR
Engine: 6.0-litre V12
Transmission: Touchtronic III eight-speed automatic
Power: 595bhp
Torque: 630Nm
Price: Dh999,563
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
What's%20in%20my%20pazhamkootan%3F
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Boulder shooting victims
• Denny Strong, 20
• Neven Stanisic, 23
• Rikki Olds, 25
• Tralona Bartkowiak, 49
• Suzanne Fountain, 59
• Teri Leiker, 51
• Eric Talley, 51
• Kevin Mahoney, 61
• Lynn Murray, 62
• Jody Waters, 65
War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
The essentials
What: Emirates Airline Festival of Literature
When: Friday until March 9
Where: All main sessions are held in the InterContinental Dubai Festival City
Price: Sessions range from free entry to Dh125 tickets, with the exception of special events.
Hot Tip: If waiting for your book to be signed looks like it will be timeconsuming, ask the festival’s bookstore if they have pre-signed copies of the book you’re looking for. They should have a bunch from some of the festival’s biggest guest authors.
Information: www.emirateslitfest.com
MATCH INFO
Quarter-finals
Saturday (all times UAE)
England v Australia, 11.15am
New Zealand v Ireland, 2.15pm
Sunday
Wales v France, 11.15am
Japan v South Africa, 2.15pm
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
SPECS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dual%20electric%20motors%20with%20102kW%20battery%20pack%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E570hp%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20890Nm%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERange%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Up%20to%20428km%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh1%2C700%2C000%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
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Results
2.15pm: Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 1,200m
Winner: Maqam, Fabrice Veron (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer).
2.45pm: Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 1,200m
Winner: Mamia Al Reef, Szczepan Mazur, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami.
3.15pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 2,000m
Winner: Jaahiz, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel.
3.45pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 1,000m
Winner: Qanoon, Szczepan Mazur, Irfan Ellahi.
4.15pm: Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Cup Handicap (TB) Dh200,000 1,700m.
Winner: Philosopher, Tadhg O’Shea, Salem bin Ghadayer.
54.45pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 1,700m
Winner: Jap Al Yassoob, Fernando Jara, Irfan Ellahi.
Company profile
Name: Fruitful Day
Founders: Marie-Christine Luijckx, Lyla Dalal AlRawi, Lindsey Fournie
Based: Dubai, UAE
Founded: 2015
Number of employees: 30
Sector: F&B
Funding so far: Dh3 million
Future funding plans: None at present
Future markets: Saudi Arabia, potentially Kuwait and other GCC countries
ABU%20DHABI'S%20KEY%20TOURISM%20GOALS%3A%20BY%20THE%20NUMBERS
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Hot%20Seat
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UAE%20medallists%20at%20Asian%20Games%202023
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Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Guide to intelligent investing
Investing success often hinges on discipline and perspective. As markets fluctuate, remember these guiding principles:
- Stay invested: Time in the market, not timing the market, is critical to long-term gains.
- Rational thinking: Breathe and avoid emotional decision-making; let logic and planning guide your actions.
- Strategic patience: Understand why you’re investing and allow time for your strategies to unfold.
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
MATCH INFO
Karnatake Tuskers 114-1 (10 ovs)
Charles 57, Amla 47
Bangla Tigers 117-5 (8.5 ovs)
Fletcher 40, Moores 28 no, Lamichhane 2-9
Bangla Tiger win by five wickets
HAJJAN
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ARGYLLE
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Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
The%20specs
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Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
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The low down on MPS
What is myofascial pain syndrome?
Myofascial pain syndrome refers to pain and inflammation in the body’s soft tissue. MPS is a chronic condition that affects the fascia (connective tissue that covers the muscles, which develops knots, also known as trigger points).
What are trigger points?
Trigger points are irritable knots in the soft tissue that covers muscle tissue. Through injury or overuse, muscle fibres contract as a reactive and protective measure, creating tension in the form of hard and, palpable nodules. Overuse and sustained posture are the main culprits in developing trigger points.
What is myofascial or trigger-point release?
Releasing these nodules requires a hands-on technique that involves applying gentle sustained pressure to release muscular shortness and tightness. This eliminates restrictions in connective tissue in orderto restore motion and alleviate pain. Therapy balls have proven effective at causing enough commotion in the tissue, prompting the release of these hard knots.
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
Water waste
In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.
Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.
A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.
The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.
Voices: How A Great Singer Can Change Your Life
Nick Coleman
Jonathan Cape
Rajasthan Royals 153-5 (17.5 ov)
Delhi Daredevils 60-4 (6 ov)
Rajasthan won by 10 runs (D/L method)
Company%C2%A0profile
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Name: Brendalle Belaza
From: Crossing Rubber, Philippines
Arrived in the UAE: 2007
Favourite place in Abu Dhabi: NYUAD campus
Favourite photography style: Street photography
Favourite book: Harry Potter
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
