Peter, a South African guide in safari suit, meets us at the reception area - an unpromising makeshift car park close to the junction of the main road and the entrance to the reserve.
We leave our car and get into his 4x4 for the 10-minute trip to the resort. He explains the activities: falconry, horse riding (only for those who seriously know how to handle headstrong ponies), camel treks, archery and nature drives. Each guest is entitled to two excursions per day and they are seen as a significant part of the experience; the activities also ensure that you are up at 6am when the desert is at its most inspiring.
The lobby is large and attractive with high, wooden rafters, a library at the side with squishy sofas, newspapers and old Wilfred Thesiger pictures on the wall; among them that of a hawking party and Dubai Creek in 1950. And through the other end is a glimpse of what Al Maha is all about - red sand dunes reaching out to fill the whole horizon, interrupted only by a few trees and the occasional white of an oryx or the subtler tones of the Arabian gazelles.
The reserve stretches over 225 square kilometres and accounts for nearly five per cent of Dubai's total land area. Guests' only neighbours have four legs. The resort would not exist but for the foresight of Sheikh Rashid, the former ruler of Dubai, in the 1960s.
Concerned about the rapid disappearance of the region's wildlife, largely due to hunting, he arranged, for herds of the oryx and other species to be captured and removed to the safety of a small wildlife reserve in Arizona, USA, which has a similar climate to Dubai.
Some 35 years later, Sheikh Mohammed, then Crown Prince, organised for 90 offspring of the original Arabian Oryx to be flown over to the newly prepared sanctuary three months before the opening of Al Maha in 1997.
Other indigenous species from his own personal breeding and conservation programme were also reintroduced, and 6,200 indigenous trees, shrubs and grasses were planted and aided by underground irrigation. The animals are fed daily to prevent the overgrazing which had originally wiped out much of the natural habitat.
More reintroductions and natural breeding have swollen the population to the point that herds of oryx and gazelles are always in sight, and the vegetation, having matured, is now self-seeding.
The average stay is two days, although some clients, mostly Emirati, return every year for two or three weeks to enjoy the remoteness of the desert experience and rarely leave their villa. But otherwise it's a combination of tourists taking in Al Maha as part of a tour of the region or Gulf residents using it as a weekend retreat.
With activities being early morning and evening, guests lounge around the spa with its oasis-like fabulous pool and large airy rooms.
From outside the individual villas, or "Bedouin suites", look like tents, but on the inside they are large five-star hotel rooms with fabulous bathrooms, vast double beds, masses of cupboard space, a hallway with a desk perfect for the laptop (internet access is free, easy and fast) and plasma television screens.
Best of all is when you step outside the French windows on to the large decked terrace with its own plunge pool and the spectacular views of the desert landscape. You can see why some guests never leave their own bit of the tented encampment.
Staff are warm and friendly but I did wonder how they had failed to notice that the bottom of the pool was thick with sand. The maintenance men came commendably quickly but such was the problem (clearly caused by more than one day's worth of strong winds) that it took them nearly three hours to clean it up.
Given that guests can't get into the rooms until 2pm, that effectively meant we lost the whole afternoon - and the only chance on our one night stay - to take advantage of the best thing about the villa.
Surprisingly disappointing. We ordered room service when we arrived and my colleague's sandwich contained cheese rather than the aubergine described in the menu, and the bread was verging on stale.
Dinner is a five-course affair with certain set courses and a choice of starter and main; but while everything else about the resort plays to the need for simplicity, it was over-complicated and not authentic Arabian fare. Dishes were heavy and more suited to a gentleman's club in a cold clime than sitting on a veranda under the stars.
The breakfast buffet was good though, and lunch was better with a choice of lighter dishes such as meze and salads.
The strong smell of jasmine at night around the villa; staring out across the horizon; the serenity; the surprising loudness of birdsong; the nature drive and discovering that what looked like empty desert was home to tiny creatures such as the spiny-tailed lizard (the dhub) and the Arabian toad-headed agama; the camel trek at sunset; just being there; the spa.
Not being able to lie out on the terrace of our suite on the afternoon that we arrived, and not being confident enough in my rusty equine skills to join my colleague at 6am for a gallop across the open desert - though I did gain some comfort on hearing that an American who claimed he was a strong rider was sent back after five minutes for not being good enough.
Fabulous. The reserve and resort could so easily have been built to feel like a theme park but instead they are authentic and unique. Echoing Africa's leading safari lodges, this is another world: Arabia and the desert as it has always been.
Gazing across the great expanse of desert teeming with a full diversity of life in its natural habitat, it is extraordinary to think that Dubai with all its concrete, noise and light, is less than an hour away. A weekend at Al Maha is an aspirin for the soul.
In summer, a Bedouin suite costs from US$880 (Dh3,239) per night, including meals, taxes and activities. It's worth looking out for promotions - in February, rooms were offered at a 60 per cent discount and, until Sept 17, there is a 15 per cent discount and guests staying for two nights get a third complimentary night. Visit www.emirateshotelsresorts.com for details.
Al Maha Desert Resort & Spa, near Junction 8, off the E66 (www.al-maha.com; 04 303 4222).
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Mina Cup winners
Under 12 – Minerva Academy
Under 14 – Unam Pumas
Under 16 – Fursan Hispania
Under 18 – Madenat
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
ENGLAND SQUAD
For first two Test in India Joe Root (captain), Jofra Archer, Moeen Ali, James Anderson , Dom Bess, Stuart Broad , Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Ben Foakes, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Dom Sibley, Ben Stokes, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes. Reserves James Bracey, Mason Crane, Saqib Mahmood, Matthew Parkinson, Ollie Robinson, Amar Virdi.
Our House, Louise Candlish,
Simon & Schuster
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Traits of Chinese zodiac animals
Tiger:independent, successful, volatile
Rat:witty, creative, charming
Ox:diligent, perseverent, conservative
Rabbit:gracious, considerate, sensitive
Dragon:prosperous, brave, rash
Snake:calm, thoughtful, stubborn
Horse:faithful, energetic, carefree
Sheep:easy-going, peacemaker, curious
Monkey:family-orientated, clever, playful
Rooster:honest, confident, pompous
Dog:loyal, kind, perfectionist
Boar:loving, tolerant, indulgent
Overview
Cricket World Cup League Two: Nepal, Oman, United States tri-series, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu
Fixtures
Wednesday February 5, Oman v Nepal
Thursday, February 6, Oman v United States
Saturday, February 8, United States v Nepal
Sunday, February 9, Oman v Nepal
Tuesday, February 11, Oman v United States
Wednesday, February 12, United States v Nepal
A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH
Directed by: Shaka King
Starring: Daniel Kaluuya, Lakeith Stanfield, Jesse Plemons
Four stars
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
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The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable
Amitav Ghosh, University of Chicago Press
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
Essentials
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct from the UAE to Geneva from Dh2,845 return, including taxes. The flight takes 6 hours.
The package
Clinique La Prairie offers a variety of programmes. A six-night Master Detox costs from 14,900 Swiss francs (Dh57,655), including all food, accommodation and a set schedule of medical consultations and spa treatments.
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Going grey? A stylist's advice
If you’re going to go grey, a great style, well-cared for hair (in a sleek, classy style, like a bob), and a young spirit and attitude go a long way, says Maria Dowling, founder of the Maria Dowling Salon in Dubai.
It’s easier to go grey from a lighter colour, so you may want to do that first. And this is the time to try a shorter style, she advises. Then a stylist can introduce highlights, start lightening up the roots, and let it fade out. Once it’s entirely grey, a purple shampoo will prevent yellowing.
“Get professional help – there’s no other way to go around it,” she says. “And don’t just let it grow out because that looks really bad. Put effort into it: properly condition, straighten, get regular trims, make sure it’s glossy.”
The bio
Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite travel destination: Maldives and south of France
Favourite pastime: Family and friends, meditation, discovering new cuisines
Favourite Movie: Joker (2019). I didn’t like it while I was watching it but then afterwards I loved it. I loved the psychology behind it.
Favourite Author: My father for sure
Favourite Artist: Damien Hurst
The Birkin bag is made by Hermès.
It is named after actress and singer Jane Birkin
Noone from Hermès will go on record to say how much a new Birkin costs, how long one would have to wait to get one, and how many bags are actually made each year.
Washmen Profile
Date Started: May 2015
Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Laundry
Employees: 170
Funding: about $8m
Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures
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
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
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
Springtime in a Broken Mirror,
Mario Benedetti, Penguin Modern Classics
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
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