You may never have heard of Ibn Rushd, or Averroes as he is referred to in European literature. Yet this 12th-century Islamic judge, physician, mathematician and philosopher of Al Andalus, or today's Andalucía, became an intellectual bridge between Islamic and Western thought. Born in Cordoba and dying in Marrakech, it was his commentaries on the works of Aristotle that, subsequently translated, reputedly sowed the seeds of Europe's Renaissance.
I'm here in his birthplace to preview a new "Averroes tour" run by the Palacio del Bailio, Cordoba's only five-star property. Originally a 16th-century noble's mansion and estate, today it's an officially catalogued monument thanks to a remarkable Roman mosaic floor in the basement - unmissable thanks to a glass floor in the dining room above. The tour aims not merely to show us Cordoba's highlights but to underline the importance of its Moorish heritage. Nearly a millennium after the life of Averroes, his idealism remains relevant today.
As Gema Martin Munoz, director of the government-backed Casa Arabe (an organisation aimed at strengthening cultural ties with the Arab world) explains to us at a special background talk, Averroes offered a modern way of thinking. Al Andalus, she emphasises, was one culture with three religions. For around eight centuries the Moors of North Africa invaded and colonised Al-Andalus; cultures and blood mingled, academia and artistry thrived and, at its height, perhaps three-quarters of the Iberian population were, through conversion or otherwise, Muslim. Born of an era many scholars claim was the zenith of Islamic learning and culture, southern Spain was ultimately left with several magnificent sights that draw thousands of tourists to this day. By the 16th century, that had changed. Muslims and Jews were expelled from Spain or forcibly converted, and the country became insular, homogenous and very Catholic.
Cordoba's main sights stand in a compact area by a sharp bend of the River Guadalquivir. Narrow winding lanes and streets, close-knit houses, the odd plaza, fragments of city walls, Moorish gateways and even a Roman temple: all make for enjoyable straightforward wandering. They converge upon the city's jewel, the celebrated Mezquita, an eighth-century mosque that was once the world's largest before it was turned into a cathedral in the 1520s. On the basis of saving the best until last, we enjoy several detours along the way.
We begin with a gentle stroll towards the site of an ancient Roman temple, its reconstructed fluted columns jutting skyward against a distinctly modern backdrop of shops and offices. "Corduba", as the Romans called their city once famed for olive oil, had substantial perimeter walls and, following one of those now imperceptible boundaries, our guide leads us along San Fernando Street towards the river. He turns abruptly into a cluster of labyrinthine lanes that funnels us into the Plaza Jeronimo Paez, a pretty square edged by the Archaeological Museum.
Tucked away nearby in a street alongside an imposing section of Moorish-era fortifications, we pause at the modest Casa Andalusi Museum. Its rooms are arranged around a dinky garden courtyard and it shows the core elements of a traditional 12th-century house - essentially a small riad - that would have been common throughout Moorish Cordoba. The proprietor, a Palestinian woman (born, she said, in Jerusalem) in somewhat stagey flowing blue robes and turban, speaks briefly, emphasising how Cordoba had thrived in an atmosphere of universal brotherhood. She also draws our attention to a paper-making display complete with wooden models, since Moorish Cordoba was the first European city to make the material. Well, wasn't this just normal in a city that a thosand years ago boasted 600 inns, 800 bath houses, 60 hospitals, paved streets, and a library of half a million manuscripts lovingly produced by 30,000 calligraphers?
Just outside those crenellated walls near the Almodovar Gate stands a sage-like statue of Averroes, a book resting on his knee. Our guide (by now rambling and ill-served by a last-minute translator) attempts to convey the significance of the man and his era, in particular his much-vaunted tolerance and embracing of diversity. A trio of Kuwaitis pause briefly to take pictures before retiring to a nearby cafe. "Cordoba gets quite a few Arab tourists," he notes, though their main focus remains the Mezquita and especially its recently launched night tours.
Almost in the shadow of the Mezquita's belfry (originally a minaret, of course, but then smothered by the existing tower) we visit the Art on Leather Museum to see modern examples of guadameci - the embossing, tooling and gilding of leather hides - which was perfected in Al-Andalus. Elaborate designs, some using coloured glass and metal, featuring mostly plant motifs and geometric patterns were worked onto silver-coated sheepskin that in turn covered caskets or were simply framed.
The truly dedicated could spend days in the old quarter's little knot of streets, delving into Cordoba's atmospheric nooks and crannies, be it the Juderia (or Jewish quarter), the medieval Episcopal Palace, or a clutch of churches. From the Romans on, its astonishing heritage lies like layers of an onion, one era's monuments often fused with or grafted onto the next to create a unique melange. Away from the usual crowds I venture into St Bartholomew's Chapel (attached to the University of Cordoba's Faculty of Philosophy and Letters), where mudejars - Muslim Spaniards under Christian rule - had incorporated Moorish styles, especially decorative tile work, or zellij, to exquisite effect.
Down by the Guadalquivir the handsome Puente Romano, or Roman Bridge, remains as vital now as it must have been when built in the first century and then repaired in the eighth by a Moorish governor. Like virtually every visitor here, we cross it for some of the best views of the Mezquita and a nearby reconstructed water mill - one of several that, with their groans and creaks, reputedly kept Queen Isabel awake and cranky during a visit in the late 1400s.
Cordoba's triumph and the ultimate architectural fusion remains the marvellous Mezquita, or Great Mosque. Still punctuated with elaborate horseshoe gateways, we first orbit its high walls along a rectangle of streets keeping a steady eye off the surrounding souvenir shops, fast-food disasters and undistinguished restaurants. Built in the eighth century and expanded by a succession of caliphs over about 200 years, its construction was pragmatic from the word go. Using land bought from Christians, much of it was erected using material salvaged from other buildings - the Roman pillars are particularly obvious. Notwithstanding its slight misalignment to Mecca, by the time it acquired a bone of the Prophet Mohammed in the 800s, this was the Islamic world's fourth most important mosque and place of pilgrimage after those in Saudi Arabia and Jerusalem.
A good guide (and ours for the mosque was excellent) will show you all its various additions and nuances of design, and explain the distinctive forest of double-arched pillars banded rust-red and creamy-white. And then there's the 16th-century cathedral, somehow wedged into the heart of it all, loftily domed and with incongruous Renaissance touches here and there. It may comprise barely a quarter of the walled mosque but, officially and for purposes of worship, the entirety remains strictly a cathedral. You might take heart, though, from the feeling that the mihrab - possibly saved from ruination by being bricked up for centuries until the 1800s - remains the most photographed part of the interior.
Cordoba's story, I came to realise, is just part a complex jigsaw that still preoccupies Spanish academics, and Averroes was controversial even in his own time. One could easily enjoy the city, as thousands do, simply for its aesthetic appeal but a tour like this helps sketch the larger picture.
If You Go
The flight Etihad Airways return flights from Abu Dhabi to Madrid start from Dh3,185, including taxes
The stay Double rooms at the Palacio del Bailio (www.hospes.com; 0034 957 498 993) start from €160 (Dh836)
The package Averroes tours start at €622 (Dh3,351) per double room for two nights including breakfast and taxes. The package includes a three-hour guided tour of Cordoba including the Mezquita, a visit to nearby Medina Azahara, dinner for two, and access to the hotel spa's Roman baths
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ICC Awards for 2021
MEN
Cricketer of the Year – Shaheen Afridi (Pakistan)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Babar Azam (Pakistan)
Test Cricketer of the Year – Joe Root (England)
WOMEN
Cricketer of the Year – Smriti Mandhana (India)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Lizelle Lee (South Africa)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Tammy Beaumont (England)
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
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
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
UAE WARRIORS RESULTS
Featherweight
Azouz Anwar (EGY) beat Marcelo Pontes (BRA)
TKO round 2
Catchweight 90kg
Moustafa Rashid Nada (KSA) beat Imad Al Howayeck (LEB)
Split points decision
Welterweight
Gimbat Ismailov (RUS) beat Mohammed Al Khatib (JOR)
TKO round 1
Flyweight (women)
Lucie Bertaud (FRA) beat Kelig Pinson (BEL)
Unanimous points decision
Lightweight
Alexandru Chitoran (ROU) beat Regelo Enumerables Jr (PHI)
TKO round 1
Catchweight 100kg
Marc Vleiger (NED) beat Mohamed Ali (EGY)
Rear neck choke round 1
Featherweight
James Bishop (NZ) beat Mark Valerio (PHI)
TKO round 2
Welterweight
Abdelghani Saber (EGY) beat Gerson Carvalho (BRA)
TKO round 1
Middleweight
Bakhtiyar Abbasov (AZE) beat Igor Litoshik (BLR)
Unanimous points decision
Bantamweight
Fabio Mello (BRA) beat Mark Alcoba (PHI)
Unanimous points decision
Welterweight
Ahmed Labban (LEB) v Magomedsultan Magomedsultanov (RUS)
TKO round 1
Bantamweight
Trent Girdham (AUS) beat Jayson Margallo (PHI)
TKO round 3
Lightweight
Usman Nurmagomedov (RUS) beat Roman Golovinov (UKR)
TKO round 1
Middleweight
Tarek Suleiman (SYR) beat Steve Kennedy (AUS)
Submission round 2
Lightweight
Dan Moret (USA) v Anton Kuivanen (FIN)
TKO round 2
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
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Guns N’ Roses’s last gig before Abu Dhabi was in Hong Kong on November 21. We were there – and here’s what they played, and in what order. You were warned.
- It’s So Easy
- Mr Brownstone
- Chinese Democracy
- Welcome to the Jungle
- Double Talkin’ Jive
- Better
- Estranged
- Live and Let Die (Wings cover)
- Slither (Velvet Revolver cover)
- Rocket Queen
- You Could Be Mine
- Shadow of Your Love
- Attitude (Misfits cover)
- Civil War
- Coma
- Love Theme from The Godfather (movie cover)
- Sweet Child O’ Mine
- Wichita Lineman (Jimmy Webb cover)
- Wish You Were Here (instrumental Pink Floyd cover)
- November Rain
- Black Hole Sun (Soundgarden cover)
- Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (Bob Dylan cover)
- Nightrain
Encore:
- Patience
- Don’t Cry
- The Seeker (The Who cover)
- Paradise City
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 White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
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
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
ENGLAND SQUAD
Goalkeepers Pickford (Everton), Pope (Burnley), Henderson (Manchester United)
Defenders Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Chilwell (Chelsea), Coady (Wolves), Dier (Tottenham), Gomez (Liverpool), James (Chelsea), Keane (Everton), Maguire (Manchester United), Maitland-Niles (Arsenal), Mings (Aston Villa), Saka (Arsenal), Trippier (Atletico Madrid), Walker (Manchester City)
Midfielders: Foden (Manchester City), Henderson (Liverpool), Grealish (Aston Villa), Mount (Chelsea), Rice (West Ham), Ward-Prowse (Southampton), Winks (Tottenham)
Forwards: Abraham (Chelsea), Calvert-Lewin (Everton), Kane (Tottenham), Rashford (Manchester United), Sancho (Borussia Dortmund), Sterling (Manchester City)
UAE Falcons
Carly Lewis (captain), Emily Fensome, Kelly Loy, Isabel Affley, Jessica Cronin, Jemma Eley, Jenna Guy, Kate Lewis, Megan Polley, Charlie Preston, Becki Quigley and Sophie Siffre. Deb Jones and Lucia Sdao – coach and assistant coach.
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
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UAE%20medallists%20at%20Asian%20Games%202023
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Analysis
Members of Syria's Alawite minority community face threat in their heartland after one of the deadliest days in country’s recent history. Read more
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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What is blockchain?
Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.
Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.
However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.
Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.
