Mohammad Ibrahim twists an assembled section of wooden furniture, put together by apprentices, as he supervises a joinery workshop on the outskirts of Amman.
Mr Ibrahim is testing the woodwork for strength, checking how well it has been assembled.
We are trying to reach a new generation of trainees, to learn these crafts and keep them going
Hana Faouri,
training manager at Turquoise Mountain
Joinery relies on precisely cutting and piecing together sections of wood, without using screws and brackets.
Cheaper, mass-produced imported furniture and declining incomes have mostly relegated joinery to a dying skill in the Levant.
In the region, the small industry's crisis has been compounded by the war in Syria in the last decade, which has cost the country a significant proportion of its artisans.
“Joinery still has its customers,” Mr Ibrahim says. “If these students end up with a few customers each it would be enough”.
One of the standard joinery techniques he teaches is called “the two lovers”. Another is known as the “dove’s tail”. While the technique names have a poetic ring, the workshop's atmosphere is professional.
The top three or four students can qualify to take courses in putting mother-of-pearl inlays into wood, wood carving and mosaics, which require even more precision.
The courses are run by Turquoise Mountain, a charity supervised by Prince Charles, who is due to visit Jordan this week with his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall.
The charity is helping preserve joinery and other crafts in the region, such as fine stonework, relying significantly on refugees from Syria to pass on their knowledge.
With help from the organisation, which also works in Myanmar and Saudi Arabia, Mr Ibrahim trained at a workshop in Jordan run by a master Syrian carpenter, who taught him the skill of making wood mosaics.
“For a long time, I only watched him. The craft taught me to be calmer, and more organised,” says Mr Ibrahim.
About half of the dozen or so students in the class in Amman are from Syria.
The country was renowned for inlay work and other crafts, such as textiles, before a 2011 revolt against the five decade rule of the Al Assad family and the ensuing civil war.
Prince Charles’ connections helped secure a spacious villa that became a training ground for the students. It is situated near the impoverished outskirts of Amman, where many of the apprentices live.
The white stone villa with a tower in the middle belonged to Sheikh Nasser Al Sabah, a late senior member of the Kuwaiti royal family, who was a patron of the arts.
Before he died last year, Sheikh Al Sabah lent the villa to Turquoise Mountain to use as a training centre.
The students train at an annex in the terraced garden. One is Musaab Al Saidi, who fled his home town of Homs in central Syria to Jordan when he was a boy in 2013. He studied engineering at a university in Zarqa, near Amman.
Restrictions on Syrian refugees make it difficult for Musaab to find blue collar work in Jordan.
He attended the joinery class after passing entry procedures to learn how to work with his hands, and possibly make an income.
“Even when I see two pieces of wood connected together it is an achievement,” Mr Musaab says.
Other students do not have a high school qualification. Some have been working odd jobs, usually in construction, before taking the course.
Hana Faouri, training manager at Turquoise Mountain, says the crafts being taught are “endangered” in the region.
“We are trying to reach a new generation of trainees, to learn these crafts and keep them going,” she says.
Prince Charles' trip to Jordan on Tuesday, and later to Egypt, aims to promote environmental and heritage preservation, as well as job creation.
The hilltop villa of the late Kuwaiti benefactor will be among his first ports of call.
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Origin
Dan Brown
Doubleday
The%20specs
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Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Fixtures
Tuesday - 5.15pm: Team Lebanon v Alger Corsaires; 8.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Pharaohs
Wednesday - 5.15pm: Pharaohs v Carthage Eagles; 8.30pm: Alger Corsaires v Abu Dhabi Storms
Thursday - 4.30pm: Team Lebanon v Pharaohs; 7.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Carthage Eagles
Friday - 4.30pm: Pharaohs v Alger Corsaires; 7.30pm: Carthage Eagles v Team Lebanon
Saturday - 4.30pm: Carthage Eagles v Alger Corsaires; 7.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Team Lebanon
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylturbo
Transmission: seven-speed DSG automatic
Power: 242bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Price: Dh136,814
Teams
India (playing XI): Virat Kohli (c), Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Hanuma Vihari, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami
South Africa (squad): Faf du Plessis (c), Temba Bavuma, Theunis de Bruyn, Quinton de Kock, Dean Elgar, Zubayr Hamza, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Senuran Muthusamy, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Vernon Philander, Dane Piedt, Kagiso Rabada, Rudi Second
BACK%20TO%20ALEXANDRIA
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
The Written World: How Literature Shaped History
Martin Puchner
Granta
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Tips to avoid getting scammed
1) Beware of cheques presented late on Thursday
2) Visit an RTA centre to change registration only after receiving payment
3) Be aware of people asking to test drive the car alone
4) Try not to close the sale at night
5) Don't be rushed into a sale
6) Call 901 if you see any suspicious behaviour
SANCTIONED
- Kirill Shamalov, Russia's youngest billionaire and previously married to Putin's daughter Katarina
- Petr Fradkov, head of recently sanctioned Promsvyazbank and son of former head of Russian Foreign Intelligence, the FSB.
- Denis Bortnikov, Deputy President of Russia's largest bank VTB. He is the son of Alexander Bortnikov, head of the FSB which was responsible for the poisoning of political activist Alexey Navalny in August 2020 with banned chemical agent novichok.
- Yury Slyusar, director of United Aircraft Corporation, a major aircraft manufacturer for the Russian military.
- Elena Aleksandrovna Georgieva, chair of the board of Novikombank, a state-owned defence conglomerate.
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
ANALYSTS’ TOP PICKS OF SAUDI BANKS IN 2019
Analyst: Aqib Mehboob of Saudi Fransi Capital
Top pick: National Commercial Bank
Reason: It will be at the forefront of project financing for government-led projects
Analyst: Shabbir Malik of EFG-Hermes
Top pick: Al Rajhi Bank
Reason: Defensive balance sheet, well positioned in retail segment and positively geared for rising rates
Analyst: Chiradeep Ghosh of Sico Bank
Top pick: Arab National Bank
Reason: Attractive valuation and good growth potential in terms of both balance sheet and dividends
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
In Full Flight: A Story of Africa and Atonement
John Heminway, Knopff
The Settlers
Director: Louis Theroux
Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz
Rating: 5/5
If you go
The Flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Johannesburg from Dubai and Abu Dhabi respectively. Economy return tickets cost from Dh2,650, including taxes.
The trip
Worldwide Motorhoming Holidays (worldwidemotorhomingholidays.co.uk) operates fly-drive motorhome holidays in eight destinations, including South Africa. Its 14-day Kruger and the Battlefields itinerary starts from Dh17,500, including campgrounds, excursions, unit hire and flights. Bobo Campers has a range of RVs for hire, including the 4-berth Discoverer 4 from Dh600 per day.
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
