On the evening of January 11, 1693, the ground of southeastern Sicily began to shake violently as an earthquake with the maximum rating of XI on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale gripped the region for a full four minutes. “It was in this country impossible to keep upon our legs, or in one place on the dancing Earth,” recalls one prominent account.
An eight-metre-high tsunami followed the quake, which had been preceded two days prior by a massive foreshock. The trio of disasters decimated an area the size of Connecticut or half of Qatar. Some 70 cities were destroyed – the regional seat of Catania was levelled, smaller towns like Noto, Avola, Mellili and Ragusa lost their cores and buildings fell as far away as Malta.
Italy’s most powerful-ever earthquake killed as many as 90,000 Sicilians, including two-thirds of Catania's inhabitants. Official documents written in its wake referred to “the city that once was Catania”. Yet the devastation did not last long.
The government, then controlled by the Spanish crown, moved swiftly to begin reconstruction, with the effort placed almost entirely in the hands of Sicilians. Spain’s official representative, the Sicilian Giuseppe Lanza, was given full oversight and worked with a council of nobles and church officials to devise plans for the most devastated cities.
Rather than being sent to Madrid, all taxes collected in the area were given over to rebuilding. To encourage renewal, property prices were cut by a third and building regulations were lifted in Catania and the neighbouring Noto Valley, or Val di Noto. Within weeks, many citizens who had fled returned and built temporary shelters. By late 1694 several homes and shops had been rebuilt and reopened.
At first glance, Sicily and Ukraine seem like opposites. Yet both are prisoners of geography…
The council brought on a few leading lights of the day to advise, such as Flemish architect and engineer Carlos de Grunenberg, but relied primarily on local talent. A great wave of Sicilian engineers, architects, planners and artisans, many trained in Rome, returned to contribute. They embarked on a surge of design and construction that has rarely been matched in post-Renaissance Europe, creating a style all their own, Sicilian Baroque, that added a new flamboyance to the highly decorative form that had emerged a century prior.
Alonzo di Benedetto, thought to have been Catania’s only surviving architect after the quake, oversaw a team that built many of the city’s better-known palaces, or palazzi. Locals such as Rosario Gagliardi, Vincenzo Sinatra, Giovanni Battista Vaccarini, Andrea Palma and Marchese Landolina gained legendary status for their planning, palazzi, facades, and cathedrals in Catania, Ragusa, Noto, Modica, Scicli and beyond. In just over half a century, this tide of Sicilian skill turned tragedy into triumph, transforming their homeland from a place of devastation to one of the continent’s great flowerings of creativity and rebirth.
I had to land somewhere after fleeing the violence in my adopted home of Ukraine, and decided to scratch a long-standing itch and visit the Mediterranean’s largest island. I had not expected to find a lesson here, but taking in the architectural wonders of Catania, Syracuse, and Noto while keeping up with the latest in Ukraine, I couldn’t get it out of my mind.
At first glance, Sicily and Ukraine seem like opposites: Mediterranean openness versus Slavic strength; an arid island and a lush, nearly landlocked nation. Yet both are prisoners of geography, ruled for eons by one more powerful neighbour or another. Both are seen as European satellites, part of the continent’s periphery.
Both were conquered and ruled in the Middle Ages by supposed outsiders: the Aghlabid emirs for Sicily; the Mongols for Ukraine. Both cultures, as a result, today represent something of a melting pot. Ukrainians, for instance, love their rice dish plov, which originated in Central Asia, while Sicilian cuisine is dominated by the pistachios and citrus introduced during the Emirate of Sicily. To top it off, for centuries before Ukraine took the crown, Sicily ranked among the world’s top producers of wheat.
Of course, an earthquake is not a war. One is a natural disaster and the other is man-made, and often comes with much more personalised horror, as appears to be the case in Ukraine, particularly if early reports of war crimes in places like Bucha are accurate. But the devastation Ukraine faces today echoes that of southeastern Sicily way back when.
Hundreds of hospitals and government buildings and more than 1,000 civilian structures have been bombed. Thousands have been killed and vast swathes of major eastern cities, such as Mariupol and Kharkiv, have been razed, as seen in recent satellite images. Mariupol’s mayor said on the weekend that the city will need $10 billion just to rebuild its infrastructure.
As Russian forces withdraw from some areas and negotiations appear to gain momentum, this seems a good time to look ahead. Spring is all about rebirth, particularly when you’re strolling the sun-kissed phoenixes of Noto, Catania, and Syracuse, where architectural glories built three centuries ago are only now getting their due. Unesco handed World Heritage status to Catania’s historic core and the Val di Noto in 2002, and to Syracuse three years later – all largely attributed to the Sicilian Baroque structures built in the wake of the quake.
But long before those honours, the reconstruction drove cultural change and economic growth. The rebuilding in Catania and Val di Noto inspired wealthy Sicilians across the island, notably in Palermo, to have their palaces and districts remade in a similar style. By the late 18th century, Catania had become one of Italy’s most modern cities, a hub for the Sicilian aristocracy and a regular stop for Grand Tour travellers from across the continent.
Tourism is today a crucial source of income for Sicily and the Unesco honours have driven increased tourist arrivals, which hit record numbers in 2007. Following the 2008-9 financial crisis, Sicily’s tourism sector and economy recovered more quickly than the rest of Italy – a testament to the lasting impact of post-quake reconstruction.
Years ago a British journalist described southeastern Sicily’s widely praised post-earthquake reconstruction this way: “The buildings conceived in the wake of this disaster expressed a light-hearted freedom of decoration whose incongruous gaiety was intended, perhaps, to assuage the horror.”
Both of these tragedies left their people wondering if they could ever get their lives back, their pride, not to mention their homes. Yet both can end up as turning points in their history, opportunities to find the strength to build a place worthy of their resilience.
Ukrainians could certainly find much worse ways to assuage their horrors than to rebuild with a commitment and a creativity that sparks a national rebirth.
How Islam's view of posthumous transplant surgery changed
Transplants from the deceased have been carried out in hospitals across the globe for decades, but in some countries in the Middle East, including the UAE, the practise was banned until relatively recently.
Opinion has been divided as to whether organ donations from a deceased person is permissible in Islam.
The body is viewed as sacred, during and after death, thus prohibiting cremation and tattoos.
One school of thought viewed the removal of organs after death as equally impermissible.
That view has largely changed, and among scholars and indeed many in society, to be seen as permissible to save another life.
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
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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)
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Royal wedding inspired menu
Ginger, citrus and orange blossom iced tea
Avocado ranch dip with crudites
Cucumber, smoked salmon and cream cheese mini club sandwiches
Elderflower and lemon syllabub meringue
Directed by Sam Mendes
Starring Dean-Charles Chapman, George MacKay, Daniel Mays
4.5/5
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
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
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
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Who is Mohammed Al Halbousi?
The new speaker of Iraq’s parliament Mohammed Al Halbousi is the youngest person ever to serve in the role.
The 37-year-old was born in Al Garmah in Anbar and studied civil engineering in Baghdad before going into business. His development company Al Hadeed undertook reconstruction contracts rebuilding parts of Fallujah’s infrastructure.
He entered parliament in 2014 and served as a member of the human rights and finance committees until 2017. In August last year he was appointed governor of Anbar, a role in which he has struggled to secure funding to provide services in the war-damaged province and to secure the withdrawal of Shia militias. He relinquished the post when he was sworn in as a member of parliament on September 3.
He is a member of the Al Hal Sunni-based political party and the Sunni-led Coalition of Iraqi Forces, which is Iraq’s largest Sunni alliance with 37 seats from the May 12 election.
He maintains good relations with former Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki’s State of Law Coaliton, Hadi Al Amiri’s Badr Organisation and Iranian officials.
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
The specs: 2019 Jeep Wrangler
Price, base: Dh132,000
Engine: 3.6-litre V6
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 285hp @ 6,400rpm
Torque: 347Nm @ 4,100rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 9.6L to 10.3L / 100km
Western Region Asia Cup Qualifier
Results
UAE beat Saudi Arabia by 12 runs
Kuwait beat Iran by eight wickets
Oman beat Maldives by 10 wickets
Bahrain beat Qatar by six wickets
Semi-finals
UAE v Qatar
Bahrain v Kuwait
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
Engine 3.6L V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km
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BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
'Midnights'
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About Takalam
Date started: early 2020
Founders: Khawla Hammad and Inas Abu Shashieh
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: HealthTech and wellness
Number of staff: 4
Funding to date: Bootstrapped
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
Essentials
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct from the UAE to Geneva from Dh2,845 return, including taxes. The flight takes 6 hours.
The package
Clinique La Prairie offers a variety of programmes. A six-night Master Detox costs from 14,900 Swiss francs (Dh57,655), including all food, accommodation and a set schedule of medical consultations and spa treatments.
The Pope's itinerary
Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial
Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport
