Picture this. It’s 1994 and you are an inquisitive 7-year-old with little patience to spare in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, a quiet, slow-paced city where sprawling air-conditioned malls are still years away.
Where housewives swear that you can buy everything from hairpins to steel trunks at the old open-air souq on Khalifa Street. Where television sets still have antennas and catching the latest movie releases means frequently sending your parents back and forth to the local video library to check if The Lion King cassette had been returned by the previous customer.
Where you spend days creating your own VHS tapes by recording your favourite cartoon shows on TV. Rewind, record, repeat. Where mobile phones are bigger than your shoes and only used by fathers for work or “emergencies”. And research for school projects means thumbing through a 12-volume encyclopaedia set.
A time warp where there is no internet. Not even dial-up. And certainly no data connection. Evenings are spent playing with friends and cousins in the local parks, yelling to be pushed higher on the swings and pushing each other around on the slides.
There are no 80-storey towers to give you a panoramic view of the city and the Corniche. And giving directions is based on informal names of buildings, streets and landmarks that people have come to accept instead of street numbers. And then there is the Volcano Fountain.
Now picture this. You’re at the intersection of Khalifa Street and Muroor looking towards the Corniche. The sun has just set and the humidity is rising. A slight breeze blows your way from the sea. The white and gold taxis zip past you blaring their horns as the drivers make their way to the mosque for evening prayers. And right there in front of you, just a few metres away, is a giant pyramid-shaped structure spewing “lava”.
As evening transitions to night, the fountain transforms into a fiery red inferno that seems to tower over you as you draw closer. There are people scattered around the structure. Some are on their evening walk, while others are taking pictures with the fountain in the background. You are tempted to touch the “lava”, but it’s still quite a trek to the summit.
The fountain is perched atop five tiered circular platforms. There are men at its base hawking peanuts roasted in metal woks placed in cardboard boxes filled with hot charcoal and sand. If you pay a dirham, you can buy more than a handful, which will be served to you in narrow tapered cones made out of newspaper.
Farther ahead you can see vendors serving Pepsi, Kwality and Igloo ice creams to children from big coolers on wheels. With a cone of roasted peanuts in one hand and an ice cream in the other, you approach the stairs and make your way up the first tier. Each tier is surrounded by white metal fencing, and there are shrubs and flowering plants neatly planted in rows along the circumference.
By the time you reach the second tier, you’re tired and look beseechingly at your father, who carries you up the rest of the way. When he sets you down next to the fountain, you allow yourself the luxury of following the water with your gaze as it leaps forth from the peak and cascades down the slopes to the bottom, the lights changing the hue of the water every few minutes.
You circle the fountain, dipping your hands into the water, and take in the magnificence of it all. You look around and Abu Dhabi city stretches before you on one side while the Corniche, outlined by the lamp posts’ glittering orbs, disappears into the darkness on the other end. You close your eyes and breathe in the smell of the sea mixed with the earthy aroma of freshly roasted peanuts. You hear the roar of the water as it circulates through the fountain. You hand what’s left of the peanuts and ice cream to your parents and proceed to run down the steps in a mock race with your brother, not looking back till you reach the bottom. You place your hand on the white fence and swing silently as you wait for your parents, gazing every now and then at the fountain, its roar still resounding in your ears.
It’s a long walk back home to Hamdan Street, or at least it seems that way, for a 7-year-old, and the fountain is already a distant memory. You don’t think twice about it because, after all, it’s always going to be right where you left it. Even as you pass it every day on your way to school or on the way to your best friend’s house for a party, you don’t pay attention to it, but you know it’s right there. Standing vigil over the Corniche and the city.
Until one day it’s no longer where you left it. All that’s left of the towering structure is a giant mound of sand that peeps over blue construction boards. New memories are planted in the spacious green parks that take its place, and the city gradually replaces one beloved space with another.
The fountain hasn’t disappeared entirely, though. It springs back to life when you find that old faded photograph of you posing awkwardly in front of it and you can almost feel the spray from the fountain wetting the back of your head and clothes. Or when you meet someone who grew up in Abu Dhabi and you collectively reminisce about the many evenings that were spent near it. Every now and then you rebuild the fountain bit by bit from snatches of memories, personal and borrowed, till it feels like that 80-foot inferno is right there in front of you, waiting for you to climb those stairs once again, just like you did when you were 7 years old.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
RESULTS
Bantamweight:
Zia Mashwani (PAK) bt Chris Corton (PHI)
Super lightweight:
Flavio Serafin (BRA) bt Mohammad Al Khatib (JOR)
Super lightweight:
Dwight Brooks (USA) bt Alex Nacfur (BRA)
Bantamweight:
Tariq Ismail (CAN) bt Jalal Al Daaja (JOR)
Featherweight:
Abdullatip Magomedov (RUS) bt Sulaiman Al Modhyan (KUW)
Middleweight:
Mohammad Fakhreddine (LEB) bt Christofer Silva (BRA)
Middleweight:
Rustam Chsiev (RUS) bt Tarek Suleiman (SYR)
Welterweight:
Khamzat Chimaev (SWE) bt Mzwandile Hlongwa (RSA)
Lightweight:
Alex Martinez (CAN) bt Anas Siraj Mounir (MAR)
Welterweight:
Jarrah Al Selawi (JOR) bt Abdoul Abdouraguimov (FRA)
Water waste
In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.
Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.
A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.
The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.
The Little Things
Directed by: John Lee Hancock
Starring: Denzel Washington, Rami Malek, Jared Leto
Four stars
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
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
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
match info
Maratha Arabians 138-2
C Lynn 91*, A Lyth 20, B Laughlin 1-15
Team Abu Dhabi 114-3
L Wright 40*, L Malinga 0-13, M McClenaghan 1-17
Maratha Arabians won by 24 runs
Zayed Sustainability Prize
The specs: Lamborghini Aventador SVJ
Price, base: Dh1,731,672
Engine: 6.5-litre V12
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 770hp @ 8,500rpm
Torque: 720Nm @ 6,750rpm
Fuel economy: 19.6L / 100km
More from Aya Iskandarani
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Clinicy%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202017%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Prince%20Mohammed%20Bin%20Abdulrahman%2C%20Abdullah%20bin%20Sulaiman%20Alobaid%20and%20Saud%20bin%20Sulaiman%20Alobaid%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Riyadh%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2025%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20HealthTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETotal%20funding%20raised%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20More%20than%20%2410%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Middle%20East%20Venture%20Partners%2C%20Gate%20Capital%2C%20Kafou%20Group%20and%20Fadeed%20Investment%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
The biog
Prefers vegetables and fish to meat and would choose salad over pizza
Walks daily as part of regular exercise routine
France is her favourite country to visit
Has written books and manuals on women’s education, first aid and health for the family
Family: Husband, three sons and a daughter
Fathiya Nadhari's instructions to her children was to give back to the country
The children worked as young volunteers in social, education and health campaigns
Her motto is to never stop working for the country
MATCH INFO
Europa League final
Marseille 0
Atletico Madrid 3
Greizmann (21', 49'), Gabi (89')
MATCH INFO
New Zealand 176-8 (20 ovs)
England 155 (19.5 ovs)
New Zealand win by 21 runs
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Continental champions
Best Asian Player: Massaki Todokoro (Japan)
Best European Player: Adam Wardzinski (Poland)
Best North & Central American Player: DJ Jackson (United States)
Best African Player: Walter Dos Santos (Angola)
Best Oceanian Player: Lee Ting (Australia)
Best South American Player: Gabriel De Sousa (Brazil)
Best Asian Federation: Saudi Jiu-Jitsu Federation
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
Australia tour of Pakistan
March 4-8: First Test, Rawalpindi
March 12-16: Second Test, Karachi
March 21-25: Third Test, Lahore
March 29: First ODI, Rawalpindi
March 31: Second ODI, Rawalpindi
April 2: Third ODI, Rawalpindi
April 5: T20I, Rawalpindi
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
