My Sharjah Rent takes you inside a reader's home to have a look at what they get for their money, how much they pay in rent and asks them what they like and don't like
Even though Laith Mazen has been working as a pilot for Air Arabia since 2017, he spent the first few years commuting for work to Sharjah airport from his home in Dubai – something he now says was a bad idea.
Last August, he moved from Dubai, where he’d been for 11 years, to a one-bedroom apartment in Aljada by Arada, which he loves. Today he says that, for as long as he is in the UAE, he has no plans to live anywhere else – and plans to buy a property in the area soon.
The National met Mr Mazen, from Jordan, to explore his apartment and discover what makes it so special.
What do you love about this apartment?
I live by myself in a one-bedroom flat. I have two bathrooms and one balcony, which is great. I don't have a view of any park, but there's a lot of greenery and trees around, in between the buildings. I can also see a swimming pool from here.
Why did you choose to live in this area?
At first I didn't know any specific place in Sharjah, but when I wanted to move because of the traffic in Dubai and because I fly from Sharjah airport. I started asking colleagues – pilots and cabin crew – about nice places to live. A lot of them recommended Aljada.
I hadn't been here before, but when I went to look around, I loved it. That’s when I started asking for places to rent over here.
I was the first tenant to move in on the fourth floor. It wasn't really populated, but it's really nice. I like the people, they're decent people, and it’s quiet. It gets a little busy over the weekend when you go to the restaurants and stuff, but it’s interesting.
What do you love most about the neighbourhood?
I like the architecture and the vibe of the whole area, not just the house. Aljada is comforting.
When I have friends over from Dubai, as I’ve mostly lived in Dubai, at first they think it’s too far away and don’t want to come, but when they do they really love it. They don't realise there's something like this in Sharjah.
Seeing is believing, as they say, but Aljada you’ve got to see it, to feel the vibe. For example, during Ramadan, the decorations in the streets and the lights, it’s really amazing. It’s something to look forward to.
How have you put your personal stamp on the property?
When I moved in, I decided to get rid of my old furniture and bought everything new. So I have my own touch in the furniture, but otherwise the design is nice and not much needs doing.
I love it. It's pretty. When I'm sitting in the living room and the sun is in my face, it has got a good vibe.
What facilities do you have access to?
I've got the gym and the swimming pool. There’s an underground car park and, of course, there are a lot of shops and stores, restaurants and so on.
You’ve basically got everything you need here. You don’t need to go out.
Would you consider buying a property in Aljada?
Definitely. Even two of my friends who came to visit loved the place so much, they bought apartments here because of me.
I’ve actually started the process of buying. I’m still just deciding which area I like best – which building to buy in.
Do you miss Dubai?
Dubai is a little busier, it has a lot of different communities, but for me the commute was pretty long. I like it here because it’s close to the 311, so even if I want to go to Dubai, it’s a couple of minutes and then I’m on the motorway.
But I rarely go to Dubai now since I moved to Aljada, probably just once every month or two to meet some friends. Most of the time I don’t even go to downtown Sharjah – I just work and hang out in Aljada. I usually walk around the whole area every night.
How long do you plan on staying in this property?
In this apartment, until I buy, but as long as I’m in the UAE, I’ll probably be in Aljada.
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
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
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Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
if you go
The flights
Emirates have direct flights from Dubai to Glasgow from Dh3,115. Alternatively, if you want to see a bit of Edinburgh first, then you can fly there direct with Etihad from Abu Dhabi.
The hotel
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Located in the heart of Mackintosh's Glasgow, the Dakota Deluxe is perhaps the most refined hotel anywhere in the city. Doubles from Dh850
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Events and tours
There are various Mackintosh specific events throughout 2018 – for more details and to see a map of his surviving designs see glasgowmackintosh.com
For walking tours focussing on the Glasgow Style, see the website of the Glasgow School of Art.
More information
For ideas on planning a trip to Scotland, visit www.visitscotland.com
MATCH INFO
Inter Milan v Juventus
Saturday, 10.45pm (UAE)
Watch the match on BeIN Sports
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.
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Australia
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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
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
The five pillars of Islam
More on Quran memorisation:
RESULT
Liverpool 4 Southampton 0
Jota (2', 32')
Thiago (37')
Van Dijk (52')
Man of the match: Diogo Jota (Liverpool)
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Types of bank fraud
1) Phishing
Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.
2) Smishing
The SMS equivalent of phishing. Fraudsters falsify the telephone number through “text spoofing,” so that it appears to be a genuine text from the bank.
3) Vishing
The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.
4) SIM swap
Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.
5) Identity theft
Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.
6) Prize scams
Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.
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Mobile phone packages comparison
Know your cyber adversaries
Cryptojacking: Compromises a device or network to mine cryptocurrencies without an organisation's knowledge.
Distributed denial-of-service: Floods systems, servers or networks with information, effectively blocking them.
Man-in-the-middle attack: Intercepts two-way communication to obtain information, spy on participants or alter the outcome.
Malware: Installs itself in a network when a user clicks on a compromised link or email attachment.
Phishing: Aims to secure personal information, such as passwords and credit card numbers.
Ransomware: Encrypts user data, denying access and demands a payment to decrypt it.
Spyware: Collects information without the user's knowledge, which is then passed on to bad actors.
Trojans: Create a backdoor into systems, which becomes a point of entry for an attack.
Viruses: Infect applications in a system and replicate themselves as they go, just like their biological counterparts.
Worms: Send copies of themselves to other users or contacts. They don't attack the system, but they overload it.
Zero-day exploit: Exploits a vulnerability in software before a fix is found.
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GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
