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A rare glimpse into daily life at the court of the Founding Father is to be made available to the public through a collection of digitised photographs.
To celebrate the UAE's 50th anniversary, NYU Abu Dhabi’s Al Mawrid Arab Centre for the Study of Art is launching a project that will start with 11 specially selected photographs taken by Butti bin Bishr during his time working with Sheikh Zayed.
Born on May 18, 1941, bin Bishr worked as the director of Oman Bank in Al Ain. He occupied a number of different administrative positions at the court of Sheikh Zayed, before becoming private secretary and then the director of his office.
Bin Bishr died on February 22, 2011.
The full collection, which is being unveiled in collaboration with bin Bishr's granddaughter, Maryam Al Falasi, will be released over the coming months.
It will include 723 photographic prints and 136 unique documents and letters that were created between 1968 and 1978 when bin Bishr worked for Sheikh Zayed. They offer a rare insight into daily life and diplomatic events at the Founding Father's court.
“The images and documents that make up this collection offer invaluable insights into the life and work of both the late HH Sheikh Zayed and HE Butti bin Bishr, and the years in which the Emirates emerged as a new and united nation," said Shamoon Zamir, founder of Akkasah, NYU Abi Dhabi's photography archive.
"The collection will be an important resource for both scholars and for the citizens and residents of the UAE."
In the 10 years since bin Bishr's death, his granddaughter has cared for his valuable collections of images and documents. Ms Al Falasi decided to approach Akkasah to appraise the archives, which took two days.
"I’ve always been passionate about this archive because of how dear these photographs were to my grandfather," Ms Al Falasi said.
"Digitising his archive is a way for me to contribute to his legacy and ultimately to the UAE’s history.
"Through the preservation of these photographs and documents, I’m honouring his memory.”
The archivists were able to perform a digitise-and-return collaboration in which Ms Al Falasi continues to retain the original items instead of them being put on display.
More than 2,800 images are online at Akkasah.org as a result of this kind of collaboration.
The archive is open to scholars, students and the general public by appointment.
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Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
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
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
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ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
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THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick
Hometown: Cologne, Germany
Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)
Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes
Favourite hobby: Football
Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk
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SQUADS
South Africa:
JP Duminy (capt), Hashim Amla, Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock (wkt), AB de Villiers, Robbie Frylinck, Beuran Hendricks, David Miller, Mangaliso Mosehle (wkt), Dane Paterson, Aaron Phangiso, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Tabraiz Shamsi
Bangladesh
Shakib Al Hasan (capt), Imrul Kayes, Liton Das (wkt), Mahmudullah, Mehidy Hasan, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim (wkt), Nasir Hossain, Rubel Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Shafiul Islam, Soumya Sarkar, Taskin Ahmed
Fixtures
Oct 26: Bloemfontein
Oct 29: Potchefstroom
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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MATCH INFO
Euro 2020 qualifier
Norway v Spain, Saturday, 10.45pm, UAE
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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
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if you go
The flights
Air Astana flies direct from Dubai to Almaty from Dh2,440 per person return, and to Astana (via Almaty) from Dh2,930 return, both including taxes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Ritz-Carlton Almaty cost from Dh1,944 per night including taxes; and in Astana the new Ritz-Carlton Astana (www.marriott) costs from Dh1,325; alternatively, the new St Regis Astana costs from Dh1,458 per night including taxes.
When to visit
March-May and September-November
Visas
Citizens of many countries, including the UAE do not need a visa to enter Kazakhstan for up to 30 days. Contact the nearest Kazakhstan embassy or consulate.
Global Fungi Facts
• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
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• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil
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Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
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
