Think of Jumeirah and the images that come to mind are of ladies who lunch, and enjoy treatments in beauty spas while shopping in expensive boutiques. But there is another Jumeirah: a home to many local families who have lived there long before the "Jumeirah Janes" moved in.
"Here we are all working women and if we buy something it is using money from our own salary, I don't think we count as Jumeirah Janes," laughs Halima Al Suwaidi.
Halima's grandfather belonged to one of the oldest Emirati families in the area and owned a one-roomed house next to the beach in Jumeirah 1, just a stone's throw from the shore.
When the area around their houses was being developed in the mid 1980s, about 20 families and neighbours were moved to new, bigger, homes, a street farther from the beach just off what is now Al Wasl Road.
Over the years, as the families have grown, their homes have been extended and modernised, but still offer a traditional way of life among the many newer homes rented by expatriates.
All the single-storey houses, which are almost dwarfed by some of the villas around them, have separate majlises for men and women, and many of them have chicken coops out the front.
Halima, 36, who is in the army and not married, lived in one room in her old home with her sister, two brothers and their parents. Now there are 10 of them living in what is now a six-bedroom home.
"We moved into this house a couple of days before the electricity was put on, we were so eager," Halima recalls. "Everyone moved here at the same time. We all knew each other so it was exciting."
Most of the families have maintained friendships spanning two or three generations. But despite having the best of intentions, it is clear things are changing.
"These days neighbours are not connecting like they used to, even though they have spent a long time together," Halima says. "To me, the old way of living in much smaller houses, was much cosier and comfortable. Even the kids now, they don't play with each other like we used to.
"Where we lived before we used to take care of all the neighbours' little ones, now it's different. Now the ladies don't really even go out together unless it's a special occasion like a wedding."
She also thinks there is too much of a split between the expatriates and the local families in the area.
"Personally I think people that come here as foreigners, they fear us or something, they don't want to mix with us. I would really like to meet more people and get to know other cultures."
Her mother, Amna Al Noubi, remembers Jumeirah as it used to be. Al Wasl Road, now one of the main routes through new Dubai, was a single dirt lane with traffic - usually of the donkey variety - moving in both directions, carefully sidestepping each other.
Halima's younger sister Abrar, 15, who has grown up in the house, struggles to comprehend the times her sister and mother speak about.
"I like knowing about the past but it just doesn't seem real," she says. "I can't imagine living with no cars and no roads."
Another of the street's residents who remembers how life used to be is Fatima Ahmad, who thinks she is about 55 years old.
Her house is one of the larger ones in the area and is also one of the most visited on the block. She has at least three separate majlises for men and women, and also a seating area - furnished with settees and a television - in the front garden.
There are also chickens in a coop by the road and a large parrot in a cage in the driveway. The doorway to her private compound - made up of a main house and several outhouses - is at least four metres high, overshadowing all the others in the street.
"It used to be an empty desert when we were living by the beach," she remembers. "Then the Government gave us this plot and we built this house."
Many Arabs moved away from the beach, she says, because there was a lot of development and the women did not want to be disturbed by the many men working on site.
Most families moved to Al Barsha and Mirdiff, but some remained in Jumeirah.
Living in the house now are Mrs Ahmad, her three sons, two of whom have wives and children, and her two nieces. Her two daughters are married and live in their husbands' homes. She also took in two of her brother's daughters about seven years ago.
Although she likes the old way of living, with all her family under one roof, Mrs Ahmad understands that times have changed and new families need their own space.
"Rents are really expensive and my sons here got married, but where are they going to go? When a girl gets married they need to be moving into their own houses because they get visitors and it's a very tight space here. They have a lot of extended family that doesn't come to visit because it's small."
Before she moved into her present home, Mrs Ahmad lived by the beach with her fisherman husband, who has since passed away.
Over time, her old neighbourhood has been razed to the ground to make way for palatial villas and high-end shopping malls.
"I am really glad and thankful for the development in the country," Mrs Ahmad says proudly. "Before, there really was nothing. You were born here and you grew up here but the movement was so limited, all you had was your legs, or a donkey or a camel if you had one.
"I'm thankful for the development of roads, cars and petrol. And now I look up at the sky and see planes. I am really glad that this has been the way forward for us."
With the recent school holidays, Mrs Ahmad's house has been a hive of activity with extended family travelling from all over the UAE to return to their childhood home.
"I wouldn't live anywhere else," she smiles. "But I hope my sons and daughters do move elsewhere. I want the best for them. They have children, and will have more children, so I want them to have a bigger space.
"A lot has changed as the older generation has passed away. When you enter someone's home, or you knock on their door, it's not the same any more. There would always be people outside and sitting having meals together."
In the house directly behind Mrs Ahmad's, another family gathering is taking place. Mariam Al Suwaidi, 33, moved away from her family's home to Doha, Qatar, 11 years ago when she married a Qatari national, but returns at every opportunity.
"It's not about the house you are living in, it's about how you think about your family and how you take care of them, I don't have to be here to do that," she says.
"It depends on the person. Our mother encouraged us to go to college and complete our education. This never used to happen so it is natural that people move on and move away."
Mrs Al Suwaidi, a mother of four, always returns to her childhood home when her own children are on school holidays.
"They are always wanting to come here," she laughs. "Every vacation they insist we come here because everyone is here. They have a great time, it's how it used to be."
munderwood@thenational.ae
Company%20Profile
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THE BIO
Favourite book: ‘Purpose Driven Life’ by Rick Warren
Favourite travel destination: Switzerland
Hobbies: Travelling and following motivational speeches and speakers
Favourite place in UAE: Dubai Museum
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
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
Breaking News: The Remaking of Journalism and Why It Matters Now
Alan Rushbridger, Canongate
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
MATCH INFO
Europa League semi-final, second leg
Atletico Madrid (1) v Arsenal (1)
Where: Wanda Metropolitano
When: Thursday, May 3
Live: On BeIN Sports HD
Origin
Dan Brown
Doubleday
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
TICKETS
Tickets start at Dh100 for adults, while children can enter free on the opening day. For more information, visit www.mubadalawtc.com.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The Orwell Prize for Political Writing
Twelve books were longlisted for The Orwell Prize for Political Writing. The non-fiction works cover various themes from education, gender bias, and the environment to surveillance and political power. Some of the books that made it to the non-fiction longlist include:
- Appeasing Hitler: Chamberlain, Churchill and the Road to War by Tim Bouverie
- Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me by Kate Clanchy
- Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez
- Follow Me, Akhi: The Online World of British Muslims by Hussein Kesvani
- Guest House for Young Widows: Among the Women of ISIS by Azadeh Moaveni
Scores in brief:
- New Medical Centre 129-5 in 17 overs bt Zayed Cricket Academy 125-6 in 20 overs.
- William Hare Abu Dhabi Gymkhana 188-8 in 20 overs bt One Stop Tourism 184-8 in 20 overs
- Alubond Tigers 138-7 in 20 overs bt United Bank Limited 132-7 in 20 overs
- Multiplex 142-6 in 17 overs bt Xconcepts Automobili 140 all out in 20 overs
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
