AL AIN // Ali bin Saeed ,70, has never owned a pair of sunglasses. His younger cousin Mohammed takes them off indoors; Mohammed's son Ahmed, however, wears them regardless of where he goes.
"My eyes are strong and are used to the worst possible seasons here," says Ali, a former soldier whose children number in double figures. "So why do I need a pair of flimsy feminine sunglasses?"
Sitting outside in the family garden under a small forest of palm and mango trees and a kaleidoscope of butterflies, Ali shares a breakfast of coffee, dates and laban with Mohammed, a 52-year-old retired Army brigadier general, and 21-year-old Ahmed.
Mangos and banana trees were introduced to the local farms in the 1990s, particularly in Al Ain, and have since become a summer must.
"Eating light and dressing light were key to remaining healthy in this season," says Ali, as he pulls out the traditional moqasar he used to wear in the summer. The outfit, a shortened khandura, stops just below his knees, and the sleeves do not reach the elbow.
Instead of black abayas, which only became popular in the 1950s, the women wore colourful cotton thoubs, with broad, butterfly-like sleeves to help keep them stay cool, and light head scarfs - all sewn by the women themselves.
"Because we have air conditioning now, we don't need to wear the shortened khandura anymore," says Mohammed, who still remembers the days before electricity. Ahmed, he says, has never worn a moqasar.
"Life is so much easier for us than it was for the older generations," Ahmed says. "I never have to worry about the summer as I can simply travel to cooler countries."
The hotter part of the summer, known as al Qaiz, is traditionally associated with myths of the "headless" camels and donkeys - "hemar al qaylah".
"Because of mirages, fogs in the early hours and being sunstruck, we would often see strange things during the day and for some reason it was always some headless animal wandering about," Ali recalls.
As a protection, he swore by a henna mix that used to be prepared by the women of the family. The mix was put on the head to keep it cool and reduce headaches from the heat.
"It used to have such a nice smell as it was mixed with flowers," he says. The women braided it into their hair, making a sticky mask that was kept for a week before being washed.
"We used to bathe fully only once a week as water was scarce," he says. Instead, they used desert sand to wipe off dirt.
The coastal tribes and residents of the islands would move to an oasis such as Al Ain in the summer. There, the falaj irrigation system served as a major water source.
The three men's family, the al Neyadi, is one of the major tribes in Al Ain. They helped find and build some of the underwater channels commissioned by Sheikh Zayed, the founding President of the UAE, in the 1950s. Whoever found a water source was paid 500 rupees.
"We were lucky in Al Ain for having water," Ali says. "Those living in the other emirates weren't as lucky and people often died while travelling or trying to find shelter from the heat."
Ali and Mohammed both recall painful memories of drought and food shortages around the time of the Second World War and in the years before the UAE was founded.
"We would have one meal a day of just a single dish, one day rice only, one day only bread, and some days only bird seeds and wheat," Ali says.
Before the discovery of oil, every bit of the palm tree was used. Dates were an important food source, while the fronds were used as fans and brooms. Desert herbs and shrubs were both medicines and moisturisers.
With the spread of electricity in 1970s and the introduction of fans, refrigerators, and eventually air conditioning, life in the summer became more bearable.
At the same time, many Emiratis started to travel to Europe, Asia or India for the summer.
"Of course I like the AC and modern benefits," says Ali, "but sometimes, I just like to sit outside in the daytime and reconnect with my past."
For exercise, he climbed a palm tree in the middle of the day using a traditional belt of twisted dried fronds for support as he cut off some dried up branches using a curved khanjar, or traditional dagger.
Despite the modern mitigations, Mohammed and Ali agreed that summers are getting hotter, and are worse than those of the past.
"It is hotter than before, but there was also far more rain during the summer," says Mohammed. "These days, maybe it is just better to travel than suffer the heat."
@Email:rghazal@thenational.ae
'Panga'
Directed by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari
Starring Kangana Ranaut, Richa Chadha, Jassie Gill, Yagya Bhasin, Neena Gupta
Rating: 3.5/5
Results
- Brock Lesnar retained the WWE Universal title against Roman Reigns
- Braun Strowman and Nicolas won the Raw Tag Team titles against Sheamus and Cesaro
- AJ Styles retained the WWE World Heavyweight title against Shinsuke Nakamura
- Nia Jax won the Raw Women’s title against Alexa Bliss
- Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon beat Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn
- The Undertaker beat John Cena
- The Bludgeon Brothers won the SmackDown Tag Team titles against the Usos and New Day
- Ronda Rousey and Kurt Angle beat Triple H and Stephanie McMahon
- Jinder Mahal won the United States title against Randy Orton, Rusev and Bobby Roode
- Charlotte retained the SmackDown Women’s title against Asuka
- Seth Rollins won the Intercontinental title against The Miz and Finn Balor
- Naomi won the first WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal
- Cedric Alexander won the vacant Cruiserweight title against Mustafa Ali
- Matt Hardy won the Andre the Giant Battle Royal
ALRAWABI%20SCHOOL%20FOR%20GIRLS
%3Cp%3ECreator%3A%20Tima%20Shomali%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%C2%A0Tara%20Abboud%2C%C2%A0Kira%20Yaghnam%2C%20Tara%20Atalla%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
ICC Awards for 2021
MEN
Cricketer of the Year – Shaheen Afridi (Pakistan)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Babar Azam (Pakistan)
Test Cricketer of the Year – Joe Root (England)
WOMEN
Cricketer of the Year – Smriti Mandhana (India)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Lizelle Lee (South Africa)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Tammy Beaumont (England)
How to volunteer
The UAE volunteers campaign can be reached at www.volunteers.ae , or by calling 800-VOLAE (80086523), or emailing info@volunteers.ae.
Five%20calorie-packed%20Ramadan%20drinks
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERooh%20Afza%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E100ml%20contains%20414%20calories%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETang%20orange%20drink%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E100ml%20serving%20contains%20300%20calories%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECarob%20beverage%20mix%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E100ml%20serving%20contains%20about%20300%20calories%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EQamar%20Al%20Din%20apricot%20drink%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E100ml%20saving%20contains%2061%20calories%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EVimto%20fruit%20squash%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E100ml%20serving%20contains%2030%20calories%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
Queen
Nicki Minaj
(Young Money/Cash Money)
RESULT
Manchester United 2 Tottenham Hotspur 1
Man United: Sanchez (24' ), Herrera (62')
Spurs: Alli (11')
Coffee: black death or elixir of life?
It is among the greatest health debates of our time; splashed across newspapers with contradicting headlines - is coffee good for you or not?
Depending on what you read, it is either a cancer-causing, sleep-depriving, stomach ulcer-inducing black death or the secret to long life, cutting the chance of stroke, diabetes and cancer.
The latest research - a study of 8,412 people across the UK who each underwent an MRI heart scan - is intended to put to bed (caffeine allowing) conflicting reports of the pros and cons of consumption.
The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, contradicted previous findings that it stiffens arteries, putting pressure on the heart and increasing the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke, leading to warnings to cut down.
Numerous studies have recognised the benefits of coffee in cutting oral and esophageal cancer, the risk of a stroke and cirrhosis of the liver.
The benefits are often linked to biologically active compounds including caffeine, flavonoids, lignans, and other polyphenols, which benefit the body. These and othetr coffee compounds regulate genes involved in DNA repair, have anti-inflammatory properties and are associated with lower risk of insulin resistance, which is linked to type-2 diabetes.
But as doctors warn, too much of anything is inadvisable. The British Heart Foundation found the heaviest coffee drinkers in the study were most likely to be men who smoked and drank alcohol regularly.
Excessive amounts of coffee also unsettle the stomach causing or contributing to stomach ulcers. It also stains the teeth over time, hampers absorption of minerals and vitamins like zinc and iron.
It also raises blood pressure, which is largely problematic for people with existing conditions.
So the heaviest drinkers of the black stuff - some in the study had up to 25 cups per day - may want to rein it in.
Rory Reynolds
Results
Catchweight 60kg: Mohammed Al Katheeri (UAE) beat Mostafa El Hamy (EGY) TKO round 3
Light Heavyweight: Ibrahim El Sawi (EGY) no contest Kevin Oumar (COM) Unintentional knee by Oumer
Catchweight 73kg: Yazid Chouchane (ALG) beat Ahmad Al Boussairy (KUW) Unanimous decision
Featherweight: Faris Khaleel Asha (JOR) beat Yousef Al Housani (UAE) TKO in round 2 through foot injury
Welterweight: Omar Hussein (JOR) beat Yassin Najid (MAR); Split decision
Middleweight: Yousri Belgaroui (TUN) beat Sallah Eddine Dekhissi (MAR); Round-1 TKO
Lightweight: Abdullah Mohammed Ali Musalim (UAE) beat Medhat Hussein (EGY); Triangle choke submission
Welterweight: Abdulla Al Bousheiri (KUW) beat Sofiane Oudina (ALG); Triangle choke Round-1
Lightweight: Mohammad Yahya (UAE) beat Saleem Al Bakri (JOR); Unanimous decision
Bantamweight: Ali Taleb (IRQ) beat Nawras Abzakh (JOR); TKO round-2
Catchweight 63kg: Rany Saadeh (PAL) beat Abdel Ali Hariri (MAR); Unanimous decision
The biog
Name: Marie Byrne
Nationality: Irish
Favourite film: The Shawshank Redemption
Book: Seagull by Jonathan Livingston
Life lesson: A person is not old until regret takes the place of their dreams
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
