As the early morning mist clears with the sunrise, a unique group of international practitioners of the ancient art of Mamluk archery gathers on a dune top overlooking scattered camel pens and small local farms. They have come from the UK, Turkey and as far away as Austin, Texas, to participate in this year's Mamluk Games, held at Al Kaber Stables, Umm Al Quwain.
The archery practised here today is an ancient form of the sport, with the heritage of the combat form that originated in the 11th century. Starting in 1171, most of the Mamluks under the Ayyubid Dynasty of the medieval Sultanate of Egypt were taken from the Turkic-Kipchaks of the Central Steppe. The Kipchaks, who already had a strong tradition of mounted combat and archery, contributed to the development of Mamluk archery in the medieval Near East, from where the style and traditions on show in the games were re-enacted in the first three-day Mamluk Games.
Mahmoud Qalyoubi, head coach for Mamluk Academy UAE and the host of the first Mamluk Games, explains the cultural relevance. "The Mamluks ruled out of Cairo, parts of North Africa and the western side of the Arabian Peninsula. Their influence was significant in developing this region from all aspects of life, specifically their knowledge of horseback archery. Today, we preserve this knowledge by carrying on the tradition."
The term "Mamluk", derived from Arabic, translates to "one who is owned", meaning "slave". It explicitly refers to non-Arab, ethnically diverse people who were enslaved mercenaries assigned to high-ranking military and administrative duties in service to the ruling Arab and Ottoman dynasties in the Muslim world. They often attained high ranks and garnered wide respect for their skills within their communities.
Over time, they evolved into a powerful military knightly class in various Muslim societies under dynastic Arab rulers, particularly in Egypt and Syria, but also within the Ottoman Empire, the Levant, Mesopotamia and as far away as India.
Mahmoud said: "The present-day Mamluk Academy is headquartered in Ankara, Turkey, with multiple other clubs across the world. The idea of the first edition of the Mamluk Games is a competition to bring all the different clubs together to revive traditional historical archery disciplines within the region. This competition included challenges on the ground but focused highly on the horseback aspect of the tradition. Our participants represented their respective clubs from countries such as Germany, Turkey, UAE, UK and US."
The primary focus of the Mamluks' military prowess was their cavalry. The Arabic term "Furusiyya" refers to equestrianism, specifically military equestrianism. These talents were on show, with riders participating in various challenges involving a hand-made Mamluk-style recurve bow.
Targets are set on a course and each rider is timed throughout several runs to hit as many targets as accurately as possible.
"The uniqueness of the first Mamluk Games competition was that it combined both ground archery and horseback archery as opposed to one or the other," Mahmoud said. "Furthermore, all competition disciplines and tracks were true historical representations of how the Mamluks were training and testing the skills of their archers."
Though small, the three-day event brings the ancient arts back to a region that could have seen the original Mamluk warrior cross it many centuries ago. "I wouldn't call it a sport; it is a tradition," he said. "This tradition is being revived through various efforts across the globe. At Mamluk Academy, we are committed to passing the correct historical knowledge to our students to keep the flow of expertise running for generations to come."
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
MO
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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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
Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
Results
2.30pm: Park Avenue – Conditions (PA) Dh80,000 (Dirt) 2,000m; Winner: Rb Seqondtonone, Abdul Aziz Al Balushi (jockey), Helal Al Alawi (trainer)
3.05pm: Al Furjan – Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,200m; Winner: Bosphorus, Dane O’Neill, Bhupat Seemar
3.40pm: Mina – Rated Condition (TB) Dh105,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Royal Mews, Tadhg O’Shea, Bhupat Seemar
4.15pm: Aliyah – Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (T) 1,900m; Winner: Ursa Minor, Ray Dawson, Ahmad bin Harmash
4.50pm: Riviera Beach – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 2,200m; Winner: Woodditton, Saif Al Balushi, Ahmad bin Harmash
5.25pm: Riviera – Handicap (TB) Dh2,000 (T) 2,000m; Winner: Al Madhar, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi
6pm: Creek Views – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Al Salt, Dane O’Neill, Erwan Charpy
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
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
Honeymoonish
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The Details
Kabir Singh
Produced by: Cinestaan Studios, T-Series
Directed by: Sandeep Reddy Vanga
Starring: Shahid Kapoor, Kiara Advani, Suresh Oberoi, Soham Majumdar, Arjun Pahwa
Rating: 2.5/5
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Sustainable Development Goals
1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere
2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation
10. Reduce inequality within and among countries
11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its effects
14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development
