Perhaps I'd led a sheltered life but I had never seen a tube of miswak-flavoured toothpaste before I came to the UAE.
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When I first saw a tube in the supermarket, a closer look revealed that miswak was actually Salvadora persica, a shaggy, rather untidy shrub that I'd seen growing along the desert roads between Abu Dhabi and Al Ain. The idea of using toothpaste made from the landscape was too intriguing to resist, and I immediately popped a tube into my shopping trolley to take home and try.
Although I didn't realise it at the time, this was my introduction to the important role that plants play not only in traditional Arab medicine but also in Islam. Using chewed and softened roots and stems as toothbrushes, or siwak as they are known in Arabic, actually predates Islam, but in using siwak, Muslims are able to follow the example of the Prophet Mohammed, who was, according to the hadith, a firm supporter of its use.
The extent to which the use of siwak became associated with the Prophet Mohammed can be seen in the traditional Algerian name siwak al Nabi, or siwak of the Prophet, for the tree from which it was harvested. The efficacy of Salvadora persica in traditional medicine has been supported by recent research, which showed that the plant has significant analgesic, anti-inflammatory and blood clotting properties.
Traditional Arab and Islamic medicine has long been recognised alongside Chinese, Ayurvedic and western herbalism as one of the world's four great medical traditions.
A recent rise in the popularity of herbal remedies, coupled with increased environmental awareness, has resulted in renewed efforts to protect and research plants whose potential therapeutic value is yet to be fully understood.
An official announcement is expected at the Liwa Date Festival establishing an Emirate-wide seed bank to help protect Abu Dhabi's flora from habitat destruction and climate change. One of the key functions of the seed bank will be to provide material that will allow researchers to establish the medicinal properties of native species.
Meanwhile, the Zayed Complex for Herbal Research and Traditional Medicine has been working with the World Health Organization for several years and has recently published scientific research detailing the therapeutic potential of species including Neurada procumbens, Calligonum comosum, Portulaca oleraceae and even the commercial date palm, Phoenix dactylifera.
There is a traditional Arabic saying that there are as many uses for the date palm as there are days in the year. The palm has been cultivated for millennia, and its fruit has long been understood as a rich source of carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. Date seeds are also an excellent sources of dietary fibre. They contain considerable amounts of minerals, beneficial fats and protein.
Traditional herbal medicine has used both dates and date seeds, as well as the palm's gummy sap, in the treatment of everything from coughs and colds to asthma, diarrhoea and even cancer. Dates have also been regarded as an aphrodisiac, contraceptive, laxative and diuretic.
While this might all seem too good to be true, recent studies have shown that the fruit possesses antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, gastric and liver-protective properties. Its potential as an antiviral agent has also meant that Phoenix dactylifera extract is being investigated as a possible component in experimental vaccines for HIV.
Though not as ubiquitous or recognisable as the date palm, the sidr, or Zizyphus spina-christi, is one of the most commonly planted trees in the UAE. It is renowned for its toughness and its ability to resist heat and drought. A tropical evergreen of Sudanese origin, Zizyphus spina-christi has been used for wood and as a source of food and medicine since at least Egypt's pharaonic period.
The tree is also highly respected by Muslims, being mentioned twice in the Quran. It is identified as the tree of the seventh heaven and the last tree, named Sidrat al Muntaha, reached by the Prophet Mohammed when he ascended to paradise. For this reason, some Muslims believe it is lucky to sit under the tree. In certain parts of Saudi Arabia, Iran and Iraq there was a tradition of washing dead bodies with water in which Zizyphus leaves had been soaked because the water was believed to have preservative qualities.
With such an illustrious pedigree, it is perhaps not surprising that various parts of the tree have been used to treat a host of ailments throughout the Arab world. These range from the use of root powder as a general pain killer and treatment for toothache, arthritis and bruises, to the use of the fruit, seeds and leaves in hot drinks as a means of soothing labour pains, burns, diarrhoea and stomach ache. The fruits of a closely related species, Zizyphus jujube, are also widely used in traditional Chinese and Korean medicine, where they are believed to alleviate stress.
That three of the most common trees in the UAE should have effective medicinal properties may come as a surprise, but it bodes well for Abu Dhabi's new seed bank. It is estimated that there are anywhere between 400 and 600 indigenous plant species in the UAE, and if even a fraction of these were found to have therapeutic potential, it might just provide the commercial imperative needed to kick-start serious native species growing programmes. Not only would this benefit traditional medicine in the UAE, but it also might provide a truly local, sustainable and distinctive palette with which to plant Abu Dhabi's parks, gardens and public spaces, a much needed tonic for the nation.
Ask Nick: A neighbour's cat is using my garden and potted plants as a litter tray. Will this harm them and is there anything I can do to deter it?
Cat urine leaves an unpleasant smell in the garden, and plants and turf that are repeatedly exposed to it may die because of the high levels of nitrogen it contains. Cat faeces can also pose health risks, particularly to the unborn human foetus, so wear gloves and wash your hands thoroughly after cleaning up.
Ask your neighbour to place an extra litter tray in their garden to see if this helps and try deterring the cats from your own by covering your pots and beds with a horizontal layer of chicken wire with holes cut for your plants to poke through. This can then be dressed with a layer of pebbles or mulch.
Garden buy: Hand-painted bird houses
Give visiting birds a stylish - and ethical - place to shelter. These colourful bird houses are supplied by Fairwind, one of the first fair trade gift retailers and campaigners in the UK. Made from metal and available in red, green and light blue, the bird houses are hand-painted in Kashmir, providing local artisans with much-needed employment. The bird houses measure 13cm x 12cm x 16cm. Dh94, www.fairwindonline.com.
More coverage from the Future Forum
WISH
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FULL%20FIGHT%20CARD
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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
- 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 five new places of worship
Church of South Indian Parish
St Andrew's Church Mussaffah branch
St Andrew's Church Al Ain branch
St John's Baptist Church, Ruwais
Church of the Virgin Mary and St Paul the Apostle, Ruwais
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Akeed
Based: Muscat
Launch year: 2018
Number of employees: 40
Sector: Online food delivery
Funding: Raised $3.2m since inception
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Friday (UAE kick-off times)
Borussia Dortmund v Paderborn (11.30pm)
Saturday
Bayer Leverkusen v SC Freiburg (6.30pm)
Werder Bremen v Schalke (6.30pm)
Union Berlin v Borussia Monchengladbach (6.30pm)
Eintracht Frankfurt v Wolfsburg (6.30pm)
Fortuna Dusseldof v Bayern Munich (6.30pm)
RB Leipzig v Cologne (9.30pm)
Sunday
Augsburg v Hertha Berlin (6.30pm)
Hoffenheim v Mainz (9pm)
The specs
Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 400hp
Torque: 475Nm
Transmission: 9-speed automatic
Price: From Dh215,900
On sale: Now
Without Remorse
Directed by: Stefano Sollima
Starring: Michael B Jordan
4/5
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
'Top Gun: Maverick'
Rating: 4/5
Directed by: Joseph Kosinski
Starring: Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Miles Teller, Glen Powell, Ed Harris
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Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Another way to earn air miles
In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.
An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.
“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.
Guns N’ Roses’s last gig before Abu Dhabi was in Hong Kong on November 21. We were there – and here’s what they played, and in what order. You were warned.
- It’s So Easy
- Mr Brownstone
- Chinese Democracy
- Welcome to the Jungle
- Double Talkin’ Jive
- Better
- Estranged
- Live and Let Die (Wings cover)
- Slither (Velvet Revolver cover)
- Rocket Queen
- You Could Be Mine
- Shadow of Your Love
- Attitude (Misfits cover)
- Civil War
- Coma
- Love Theme from The Godfather (movie cover)
- Sweet Child O’ Mine
- Wichita Lineman (Jimmy Webb cover)
- Wish You Were Here (instrumental Pink Floyd cover)
- November Rain
- Black Hole Sun (Soundgarden cover)
- Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (Bob Dylan cover)
- Nightrain
Encore:
- Patience
- Don’t Cry
- The Seeker (The Who cover)
- Paradise City
HOW TO WATCH
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The%20Emperor%20and%20the%20Elephant
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Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
Normcore explained
Something of a fashion anomaly, normcore is essentially a celebration of the unremarkable. The term was first popularised by an article in New York magazine in 2014 and has been dubbed “ugly”, “bland’ and "anti-style" by fashion writers. It’s hallmarks are comfort, a lack of pretentiousness and neutrality – it is a trend for those who would rather not stand out from the crowd. For the most part, the style is unisex, favouring loose silhouettes, thrift-shop threads, baseball caps and boyish trainers. It is important to note that normcore is not synonymous with cheapness or low quality; there are high-fashion brands, including Parisian label Vetements, that specialise in this style. Embraced by fashion-forward street-style stars around the globe, it’s uptake in the UAE has been relatively slow.
Ziina users can donate to relief efforts in Beirut
Ziina users will be able to use the app to help relief efforts in Beirut, which has been left reeling after an August blast caused an estimated $15 billion in damage and left thousands homeless. Ziina has partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to raise money for the Lebanese capital, co-founder Faisal Toukan says. “As of October 1, the UNHCR has the first certified badge on Ziina and is automatically part of user's top friends' list during this campaign. Users can now donate any amount to the Beirut relief with two clicks. The money raised will go towards rebuilding houses for the families that were impacted by the explosion.”
