Anchored on the west side of Dubai’s Sheikh Zayed expressway is one of the city’s architectural jewels, a four decade-old building that was constructed to house Dubai Petroleum’s headquarters on the order of the late Sheikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, father of the current ruler of Dubai.
Last year this beautiful art-deco inspired structure was threatened by a new developer that was taking over the area to construct high-rise office blocks. Thankfully, global events have intervened to stop this tragic event from occurring, for the time being at least. When it is vacated, the building must be preserved for the future of this country. And what better way to honour the building that has literally fuelled the development of Dubai into a global city than to turn it into a public institution, an art museum for the people?
This four-storey building was designed by none other than Victor Hanna Bishara, possibly the most famous Arab American architect who ever lived. Bishara, who passed away in 1996, was responsible for various projects that literally altered the skyline of Stamford, Connecticut. He was also chosen to help design the world’s greatest entertainment park, Disneyland in California.
Three years ago I learnt with mixed emotions that Dubai had planned to build a Dh50 billion art museum district on the Creek. Rather than building one from scratch and in consideration of the financial climate, Dubai would do well to learn from the experiences of other cities that have renovated older buildings and turned them into national institutions. In London the Tate Modern museum was created from a former oil-fired power station. The grand structure of the Musée d’Orsay in Paris’s left bank housed a train station for decades. Closer to home, Kuwait’s century-old Al Sharqiya School serves today as one of two permanent art museums in the Gulf. Sharjah inaugurated the first Islamic Civilisations Museum in the Gulf last year in a magnificently converted souq.
Dubai need not reinvent the wheel, not with so many beautiful buildings that can be re-energised to serve future generations. I have tried to get this message across in numerous ways but I am hoping that this column will reach those who have the power to order the preservation of this and other historic buildings. We previously lost other fascinating structures in Dubai to “modernisation”. Think of the old Dnata head office in Deira and how its intricate beehive structure is now so tragically hidden in glass. I hope no one gets the brilliant idea of covering the Sheikh Rashid World Trade Centre tower in the same way.
I recently had the pleasure of visiting Dubai Petroleum’s headquarters and realised that its location, size and structure are a perfect setting for an art museum. The main building houses a serenely enclosed courtyard ideal for a permanent collection of Middle Eastern art that Dubai had planned to build. But converting this building wouldn’t cost a fraction of the original plans for an art district.
The smaller east-wing of the building could house works from Emiratis or young artists from across the region. An annex to the building completed 14 years ago could serve as a site for temporary exhibitions. Finally, the beautiful open spaces that surround the main structure could host a sculpture garden.
We will be sending the right message by preserving this building: that Dubai is as much about honouring the past as it is about seeking a better future for its inhabitants and that culture is part of the city’s fabric. This is our opportunity to convert an older structure that has served the city so well and was first designed by a world class architect. We can approach regional art collectors to adopt rooms in their names to house pieces from their collections on long-term loan or permanently. Video art, photography, paintings, etchings, sculpture and animation can all be accommodated in the Dubai Petroleum building.
I have been inside and I have seen the light, literally. It shines through 15 hexagonal stars on the roof of the main building, flooding the lobby garden. This building is ideal for open spaces and viewing halls as its many offices are separated by easily removable plywood that when cleared will open vast spaces perfect for displaying installations and exhibits.
Dubai can count on numerous investors and bankers in addition to the art collectors, galleries and artists it has served so well in decades past to share their own collections with the museum and with the public.
This need not cost even Dh50 million since the building is more or less ready. Preserving it will be the best way to honour art and culture and to honour history and Sheikh Rashid. The building would be a tribute to Dubai, the beautiful city that we love.
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Scoreline
Al Wasl 1 (Caio Canedo 90 1')
Al Ain 2 (Ismail Ahmed 3', Marcus Berg 50')
Red cards: Ismail Ahmed (Al Ain) 77'
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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BLACKBERRY
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Sanju
Produced: Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Rajkumar Hirani
Director: Rajkumar Hirani
Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Vicky Kaushal, Paresh Rawal, Anushka Sharma, Manish’s Koirala, Dia Mirza, Sonam Kapoor, Jim Sarbh, Boman Irani
Rating: 3.5 stars
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
(All games 4-3pm kick UAE time) Bayern Munich v Augsburg, Borussia Dortmund v Bayer Leverkusen, Hoffenheim v Hertha Berlin, Wolfsburg v Mainz , Eintracht Frankfurt v Freiburg, Union Berlin v RB Leipzig, Cologne v Schalke , Werder Bremen v Borussia Monchengladbach, Stuttgart v Arminia Bielefeld
The biog
Siblings: five brothers and one sister
Education: Bachelors in Political Science at the University of Minnesota
Interests: Swimming, tennis and the gym
Favourite place: UAE
Favourite packet food on the trip: pasta primavera
What he did to pass the time during the trip: listen to audio books
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Company Profile:
Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Pakistanis%20at%20the%20ILT20%20
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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
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.
THREE
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THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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The specs
Engine: 5.0-litre supercharged V8
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Power: 575bhp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: Dh554,000
On sale: now
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.
Company%20Profile
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APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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