Abu Dhabi has always been rich in natural resources. Until the 1930s it was pearls that brought wealth, an industry that declined with the introduction of cheaper Japanese cultured pearls.
From the 1960s, oil and gas transformed the economy of Abu Dhabi and the UAE, creating the prosperous modern country of today,
What, though, of the intervening period, when work was scarce, and many in the seven emirates were among the poorest people in the world? The answer, some thought, might be guano, the polite way of describing seabird excrement.
Thanks to the birds' fishy diet, guano is rich in phosphate, nitrogen and potassium, and makes a superb fertiliser. On the islands on which the birds nest it can accumulate over centuries until it is many metres deep.
Growing demand
From the middle of the 19th century, guano fertiliser was in great demand among farmers in Europe and the United States, as economies grew and a hungry population demanded ever more intensive agriculture and larger crop yields.
So precious was guano that the US passed a law in 1858 allowing it to take possession of guano-rich islands anywhere in the world if they were uninhabited. The UK obtained copious supplies from the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean. In 1949, the UK imported nearly 88,000 tonnes of guano from the Seychelles, worth nearly £5 million (Dh25m) in today’s money.
That year is important because it was when an enterprising London export-import company, JC Gilbert Ltd, believed it had discovered a new, potentially valuable source of guano to spread on the fields of Britain’s farms: the offshore islands of Abu Dhabi.
Many of the islands in the Arabian Gulf were already a local source of seabird fertiliser. A survey of the seabed in 1954 reported that prisoners from Bahrain’s jails were employed to dig guano from the Baina Islands to use on government gardens.
Reaching out
An advert placed in the UK journal Farming in 1949 by JC Gilbert offered “screened genuine bird guano” with “guaranteed 8-10 per cent ammonia, 20-30 per cent phosphates”.
There was “no government restriction on the amount that can be applied per acre or the crop for which it can be used”. Another advert from the same year in the Gardeners’ Chronicle promises “Bird Guano – quick-acting fertiliser. Ready for use." The price for a 50kg bag was 40 old shillings, or £2, the equivalent of £90 (Dh436) in today's money. “Share it with your neighbours,” the company urged.
JC Gilbert’s plan, however, had one formidable obstacle to overcome. British civil service bureaucracy.
There was no sign of problems at first. A headed letter on Crown notepaper from the British political agency in Bahrain noted a request from August 1949 “on the subject of the import of guano in the United Kingdom from Abu Dhabi”, and the response that “as far as we can see the procedure proposed is unobjectionable”.
Not so fast, came the response from London. How could it be certain that this was 100 per cent genuine Abu Dhabi guano? Could the necessary paperwork confirm it? This was important because some islands in the Arabian Gulf were subject to differing territorial claims. If some of the Abu Dhabi guano turned out to come from an island another Gulf country had its eye on, the British Foreign Office feared a diplomatic incident could occur.
London proposed a special import form. “This guano is declared by (insert name) to have been collected on (name) island. (Name) Island is regarded by His Majesty’s Government as belonging to (name of emirate), a territory under the protection of His Majesty.”
Here was a difficulty though. How could London be sure the guano really had been collected from an island that really belonged to Abu Dhabi. After all, there were a lot of islands and a lot of competing claims. “I assume the British importer will eventually appoint a responsible agent in Abu Dhabi to handle the consignment and who will keep me informed as to the shipments they are making,” an official in Bahrain replied.
Exporting guano
A list of guano exporters from the Gulf was also supplied, including 7,350 bags to the UK, 840 bags to Italy, nearly 10,000 bags to India and 2,800 bags to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka).
This didn’t really address the central question of what was authentic Abu Dhabi guano. The correspondence dragged on for months, into the spring of 1950. Eventually a compromise was reached. London was satisfied the unnamed island was not the subject of territorial claims from either Qatar or Saudi Arabia.
In addition to the proposed form, the certificate of origin would be signed both by the supplier and the British local agent as being a genuine product of Abu Dhabi. Finally exports could begin. Unfortunately the records do not show how much Abu Dhabi guano was sent to green England’s fields and gardens, nor for how long.
Today, artificial fertilisers have replaced guano, the collection of which is regarded as damaging to the environment and a risk to seabird colonies are risk.
Abu Dhabi, though, is a significant global player in fertilisers, with Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) holding a majority stake in Fertglobe, the region’s largest producer of nitrogen fertilisers.
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Zakat definitions
Zakat: an Arabic word meaning ‘to cleanse’ or ‘purification’.
Nisab: the minimum amount that a Muslim must have before being obliged to pay zakat. Traditionally, the nisab threshold was 87.48 grams of gold, or 612.36 grams of silver. The monetary value of the nisab therefore varies by current prices and currencies.
Zakat Al Mal: the ‘cleansing’ of wealth, as one of the five pillars of Islam; a spiritual duty for all Muslims meeting the ‘nisab’ wealth criteria in a lunar year, to pay 2.5 per cent of their wealth in alms to the deserving and needy.
Zakat Al Fitr: a donation to charity given during Ramadan, before Eid Al Fitr, in the form of food. Every adult Muslim who possesses food in excess of the needs of themselves and their family must pay two qadahs (an old measure just over 2 kilograms) of flour, wheat, barley or rice from each person in a household, as a minimum.
MATCH INFO
Bangla Tigers 108-5 (10 ovs)
Ingram 37, Rossouw 26, Pretorius 2-10
Deccan Gladiators 109-4 (9.5 ovs)
Watson 41, Devcich 27, Wiese 2-15
Gladiators win by six wickets
Specs
Engine: 2-litre
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 255hp
Torque: 273Nm
Price: Dh240,000
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.
War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
Dates for the diary
To mark Bodytree’s 10th anniversary, the coming season will be filled with celebratory activities:
- September 21 Anyone interested in becoming a certified yoga instructor can sign up for a 250-hour course in Yoga Teacher Training with Jacquelene Sadek. It begins on September 21 and will take place over the course of six weekends.
- October 18 to 21 International yoga instructor, Yogi Nora, will be visiting Bodytree and offering classes.
- October 26 to November 4 International pilates instructor Courtney Miller will be on hand at the studio, offering classes.
- November 9 Bodytree is hosting a party to celebrate turning 10, and everyone is invited. Expect a day full of free classes on the grounds of the studio.
- December 11 Yogeswari, an advanced certified Jivamukti teacher, will be visiting the studio.
- February 2, 2018 Bodytree will host its 4th annual yoga market.
Read more about the coronavirus
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The years Ramadan fell in May
Company%20profile
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Company profile
Name: Tharb
Started: December 2016
Founder: Eisa Alsubousi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: Luxury leather goods
Initial investment: Dh150,000 from personal savings
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Dr Amal Khalid Alias revealed a recent case of a woman with daughters, who specifically wanted a boy.
A semen analysis of the father showed abnormal sperm so the couple required IVF.
Out of 21 eggs collected, six were unused leaving 15 suitable for IVF.
A specific procedure was used, called intracytoplasmic sperm injection where a single sperm cell is inserted into the egg.
On day three of the process, 14 embryos were biopsied for gender selection.
The next day, a pre-implantation genetic report revealed four normal male embryos, three female and seven abnormal samples.
Day five of the treatment saw two male embryos transferred to the patient.
The woman recorded a positive pregnancy test two weeks later.
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
SPEC%20SHEET
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COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Blah
Started: 2018
Founder: Aliyah Al Abbar and Hend Al Marri
Based: Dubai
Industry: Technology and talent management
Initial investment: Dh20,000
Investors: Self-funded
Total customers: 40
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
India Test squad
Virat Kohli (c), Mayank Agarwal, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wk), Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Shubman Gill
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre turbo 4-cyl
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Power: 190bhp
Torque: 300Nm
Price: Dh169,900
On sale: now
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Our legal advisor
Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
Recent winners
2002 Giselle Khoury (Colombia)
2004 Nathalie Nasralla (France)
2005 Catherine Abboud (Oceania)
2007 Grace Bijjani (Mexico)
2008 Carina El-Keddissi (Brazil)
2009 Sara Mansour (Brazil)
2010 Daniella Rahme (Australia)
2011 Maria Farah (Canada)
2012 Cynthia Moukarzel (Kuwait)
2013 Layla Yarak (Australia)
2014 Lia Saad (UAE)
2015 Cynthia Farah (Australia)
2016 Yosmely Massaad (Venezuela)
2017 Dima Safi (Ivory Coast)
2018 Rachel Younan (Australia)
