Dozens of shop owners gathered opposite the Iranian souq in Ajman on Thursday, watching firefighters hose down the charred remains of their life's work
Some took shelter beneath the shade of Ajman Speciality Hospital's car park as cooling operations were under way on the popular market where their stalls once stood.
For Fardees Ahmad, in his 50s, the loss of his two shops that sold household items meant an end to his 30-year business.
He and other shop workers had not been at the souq when the fire broke out because authorities closed it in March to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
"I have been here for over 30 years and, after a five-month closure, everything is gone. I don't have money to pay my home rent or to pay wages for my employees.
"I was stunned and I don't know what to do, I am left with nothing," said Mr Ahmad, from Iran.
Shop owners who had been struggling to stay financially afloat amid the market closure said they had no idea how they would support their families now.
We lost everything in this fire. The shop we had for the past 11 years and that was providing for 20 members of my family is now gone
Mohammed Arif Islam, 25, had been looking after a clothes shop on behalf of his father, who had travelled to their home country of Bangladesh when flight restrictions came into force.
"We lost everything in this fire. The shop we had for the past 11 years and that was providing for 20 members of my family is now gone," he said.
"This business provided for my mother, my brothers and sisters with the youngest being 5 and 6 years old, and for myself. I don't know what we will do."
He said most shop owners do not have insurance and are waiting for guidance from authorities on what to do next.
Hundreds of thousands of dirhams worth of products were lost in the fire that broke out at 6.30pm on Wednesday.
Officials said flammable goods stored in the souq caused the fire to spread quickly, sending plumes of thick black smoke into the air and prompting the evacuation of the neighbouring hospital.
Almost 100 firefighters, including crews from Dubai, Sharjah and Umm Al Quwain helped extinguish the blaze by 9pm.
Nobody was hurt but damage to the popular souq, in Ajman's new industrial area, was extensive. Brig Abdulaziz Al Shamsi, director-general of the emirate's civil defence, said 125 shops were destroyed after parts of the market collapsed. Investigations into the cause of the fire are under way.
On Thursday, some shop owners said they worried about paying off debts to suppliers, from whom they had bought products but were unable to sell them once the market closed in March.
Some shop owners bought from suppliers but had not yet been paid off due to the closure of the souq.
Mohammed Hussain, 37, worked at a carpet shop for the past 11 years and was at the souq when the fire began.
"I come here all the time, just like every other worker does, to see what will happen with us. Last night, while sitting next to a cafeteria opposite the market, I saw the fire.
"I am devastated. We are more than 600 workers in this market who have now lost our jobs after around five months of a shutdown because of the coronavirus," said Mr Hussain, from Bangladesh.
A few said they believed the fire to have begun after sparks from a welder ignited a stall in the back of the market.
One shopkeeper said he ran over to try help but the fire spread quickly.
Another, who preferred not to be named, appealed for help, saying his shop was not insured.
"I went to an insurance company myself to insure my shop. They refused because there were no walls separating the shops," he said.
"We are about 140 shop owners in this market who have collectively lost ... our life's work in just two hours. Please help us."
JAPANESE GRAND PRIX INFO
Schedule (All times UAE)
First practice: Friday, 5-6.30am
Second practice: Friday, 9-10.30am
Third practice: Saturday, 7-8am
Qualifying: Saturday, 10-11am
Race: Sunday, 9am-midday
Race venue: Suzuka International Racing Course
Circuit Length: 5.807km
Number of Laps: 53
Watch live: beIN Sports HD
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Types of policy
Term life insurance: this is the cheapest and most-popular form of life cover. You pay a regular monthly premium for a pre-agreed period, typically anything between five and 25 years, or possibly longer. If you die within that time, the policy will pay a cash lump sum, which is typically tax-free even outside the UAE. If you die after the policy ends, you do not get anything in return. There is no cash-in value at any time. Once you stop paying premiums, cover stops.
Whole-of-life insurance: as its name suggests, this type of life cover is designed to run for the rest of your life. You pay regular monthly premiums and in return, get a guaranteed cash lump sum whenever you die. As a result, premiums are typically much higher than one term life insurance, although they do not usually increase with age. In some cases, you have to keep up premiums for as long as you live, although there may be a cut-off period, say, at age 80 but it can go as high as 95. There are penalties if you don’t last the course and you may get a lot less than you paid in.
Critical illness cover: this pays a cash lump sum if you suffer from a serious illness such as cancer, heart disease or stroke. Some policies cover as many as 50 different illnesses, although cancer triggers by far the most claims. The payout is designed to cover major financial responsibilities such as a mortgage or children’s education fees if you fall ill and are unable to work. It is cost effective to combine it with life insurance, with the policy paying out once if you either die or suffer a serious illness.
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Notable salonnières of the Middle East through history
Al Khasan (Okaz, Saudi Arabia)
Tamadir bint Amr Al Harith, known simply as Al Khasan, was a poet from Najd famed for elegies, earning great renown for the eulogy of her brothers Mu’awiyah and Sakhr, both killed in tribal wars. Although not a salonnière, this prestigious 7th century poet fostered a culture of literary criticism and could be found standing in the souq of Okaz and reciting her poetry, publicly pronouncing her views and inviting others to join in the debate on scholarship. She later converted to Islam.
Maryana Marrash (Aleppo)
A poet and writer, Marrash helped revive the tradition of the salon and was an active part of the Nadha movement, or Arab Renaissance. Born to an established family in Aleppo in Ottoman Syria in 1848, Marrash was educated at missionary schools in Aleppo and Beirut at a time when many women did not receive an education. After touring Europe, she began to host salons where writers played chess and cards, competed in the art of poetry, and discussed literature and politics. An accomplished singer and canon player, music and dancing were a part of these evenings.
Princess Nazil Fadil (Cairo)
Princess Nazil Fadil gathered religious, literary and political elite together at her Cairo palace, although she stopped short of inviting women. The princess, a niece of Khedive Ismail, believed that Egypt’s situation could only be solved through education and she donated her own property to help fund the first modern Egyptian University in Cairo.
Mayy Ziyadah (Cairo)
Ziyadah was the first to entertain both men and women at her Cairo salon, founded in 1913. The writer, poet, public speaker and critic, her writing explored language, religious identity, language, nationalism and hierarchy. Born in Nazareth, Palestine, to a Lebanese father and Palestinian mother, her salon was open to different social classes and earned comparisons with souq of where Al Khansa herself once recited.
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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
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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.
