Forty million people per year come to the Mall of the Emirates. Thousands make a living there, and many more come to spend money in shops, hotels and even an indoor ski slope, all in a site that spans 2.4 million square feet. It is a visible reminder and celebration of the UAE's astonishing transformation over the past 50 years. But over the next few days it will also be a place on which many are reflecting, after news broke on Friday of the passing of Majid Al Futtaim, the man who made this development, and many others, possible.
In a tweet, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, wrote of Al Futtaim's "deep commitment to society". His charity work included, for example, the yearly "Make a Difference" Ramadan campaign, in which people would donate as much as 60 tonnes of books, toys and clothes for underprivileged families in the region. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, also paid tribute to him following the news: “May God have mercy on our brother Majid Al Futtaim, the creative businessman.”
He was exactly that. A hugely talented commercial operator, Al Futtaim also possessed creativity to a degree that made him more than a successful property developer; it placed him at the heart of the UAE's history.
While the transformation of Dubai and the UAE is based on the ideas of its leaders, the quick emergence of a thriving business environment in the past few decades has been an integral part of the plan. Al Futtaim was a textbook example of someone who worked alongside Dubai's rulers to realise their dream.
A brief list of his endeavours demonstrate quite how significant he was in this regard. His group – Majid Al Futtaim group (MAF), set up in 1992 – includes 28 malls, 13 hotels and four city projects. All in all, MAF employs 34,000 people. And much before Mall of the Emirates drew millions of visitors each year, back in 1995, it was a mall in the older part of town, City Centre Deira, which was the group's flagship retail offering. In the early 2000s, MAF's portfolio expanded rapidly, with its properties opening the UAE's first multiplex cinema and the region's first Apple store in 2003.
One of his most significant achievements was the development of Dubai Creek, an area that encompasses a vast expanse of the city's most important commercial and tourism districts. Today, the neighbourhood around the Dubai Creek shows how rapid development does not have to come at the expense of a location's traditional identity. Historically, the Creek was a centre of the country's pearl fishing industry. And while it is now at the heart of a modern metropolis, there are plenty of reminders of this heritage and culture, too.
MAF has also been an important part of exporting the UAE's ambition into markets including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Oman, Bahrain, Lebanon, Kuwait, Qatar, Jordan and Uganda. The company brought with it more than technical expertise, but also the deeper appreciation that mega-projects can be cornerstones of prosperity.
Back in the UAE, the presence of vast numbers of visitors from around the globe in today's Dubai can, in the wake of Al Futtaim's death, be a part of his memory. His life is proof that gifted people can rise to the top in the UAE and realise their ambitions. And in an ever-globalising country, his legacy will be the success of the next generation of businesspeople making the Emirates their home.
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
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
Pearls on a Branch: Oral Tales
Najlaa Khoury, Archipelago Books
Company%20profile
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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
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
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
NYBL PROFILE
Company name: Nybl
Date started: November 2018
Founder: Noor Alnahhas, Michael LeTan, Hafsa Yazdni, Sufyaan Abdul Haseeb, Waleed Rifaat, Mohammed Shono
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Software Technology / Artificial Intelligence
Initial investment: $500,000
Funding round: Series B (raising $5m)
Partners/Incubators: Dubai Future Accelerators Cohort 4, Dubai Future Accelerators Cohort 6, AI Venture Labs Cohort 1, Microsoft Scale-up
The Gandhi Murder
- 71 - Years since the death of MK Gandhi, also christened India's Father of the Nation
- 34 - Nationalities featured in the film The Gandhi Murder
- 7 - million dollars, the film's budget
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The bio
Studied up to grade 12 in Vatanappally, a village in India’s southern Thrissur district
Was a middle distance state athletics champion in school
Enjoys driving to Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah with family
His dream is to continue working as a social worker and help people
Has seven diaries in which he has jotted down notes about his work and money he earned
Keeps the diaries in his car to remember his journey in the Emirates
AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Day 5, Dubai Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Given the problems Sri Lanka have had in recent times, it was apt the winning catch was taken by Dinesh Chandimal. He is one of seven different captains Sri Lanka have had in just the past two years. He leads in understated fashion, but by example. His century in the first innings of this series set the shock win in motion.
Stat of the day This was the ninth Test Pakistan have lost in their past 11 matches, a run that started when they lost the final match of their three-Test series against West Indies in Sharjah last year. They have not drawn a match in almost two years and 19 matches, since they were held by England at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi in 2015.
The verdict Mickey Arthur basically acknowledged he had erred by basing Pakistan’s gameplan around three seam bowlers and asking for pitches with plenty of grass in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. Why would Pakistan want to change the method that has treated them so well on these grounds in the past 10 years? It is unlikely Misbah-ul-Haq would have made the same mistake.
TWISTERS
Director: Lee Isaac Chung
Starring: Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Anthony Ramos
Rating: 2.5/5
Company%20profile
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Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
