From the moment he laid eyes on the "I love UAE' Dh1 coin with its unique design, Nihad Hassan knew that it was the beginning of a new passion.
“I was amazed by its shape and design, I had never seen anything like it. It had a heart shape with the UAE map inside it and 'I love UAE' in words. My uncle gave it to me and when I googled it, I found out that it was issued in 2010 in celebration of the I Love UAE national campaign,” said Nihad, a 17-year-old Indian living in Abu Dhabi.
“A unique bond was established when I first saw the coin and that’s when the hunt began and I started collecting more and more,” he said.
Nihad has managed to collect around 32 different Dh1 coins during the past year and is still looking for more to add to his collection.
“Some of the coins are rare and were very hard to get, but my uncle who runs a fruit and vegetable shop in Abu Dhabi managed to find many of them. I got three of them from the supermarket and the rest were collected with the help of my father who works at a governmental authority.
“It wasn’t an easy process as you can wait for so long to find one, it needs patience and desire.”
Nihad said that he learned a lot about the country’s history, culture and attractions through his passion.
“The oldest coin I have is the '35th Anniversary of the National Bank of Dubai' Dh1, which was issued between 1963 and 1998 and shows the bank building. Each coin tells a story about the country and its development. My favourite one is the '75th Anniversary of Sharjah International Airport' Dh1, which has three flying birds,” he said.
For those interested in following suit, however, he warned that coin collecting is a hobby that takes hard work and dedication.
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“All the coins are displayed on a canvas board. I feel they are my treasure and I always feel proud when showing them to others – it represents my hard work and my passion,” he said.
“I have also started to collect other currencies and I have some from the US, India, Lebanon, Jordan, Kuwait, the Philippines and more.”
His collection includes the '27th Chess Olympiad' Dh1 issued in 1986, 'Dubai Police Golden Jubilee' Dh1 and the '60th anniversary of Abu Dhabi Police' Dh1, which was recently added to the collection.
“I want to collect as much as I can and then show them to Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, this is what I’m looking forward to do,” said Nihad.
“It’s a journey that will never end as long as there are coins in the world. It’s part of any country's heritage, even if the world stops using them sometime in the future.”
Nihad has asked the public to help him find the Dh1 coin that was issued in 2015 on the seventh anniversary of the accession of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed as Crown Prince of Dubai.
To contact Nihad, send him an email at nihadhassan2009@gmail.com.
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1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
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4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
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Countdown to Zero exhibition will show how disease can be beaten
Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease, an international multimedia exhibition created by the American Museum of National History in collaboration with The Carter Center, will open in Abu Dhabi a month before Reaching the Last Mile.
Opening on October 15 and running until November 15, the free exhibition opens at The Galleria mall on Al Maryah Island, and has already been seen at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
It’ll be summer in the city as car show tries to move with the times
If 2008 was the year that rocked Detroit, 2019 will be when Motor City gives its annual car extravaganza a revamp that aims to move with the times.
A major change is that this week's North American International Auto Show will be the last to be held in January, after which the event will switch to June.
The new date, organisers said, will allow exhibitors to move vehicles and activities outside the Cobo Center's halls and into other city venues, unencumbered by cold January weather, exemplified this week by snow and ice.
In a market in which trends can easily be outpaced beyond one event, the need to do so was probably exacerbated by the decision of Germany's big three carmakers – BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi – to skip the auto show this year.
The show has long allowed car enthusiasts to sit behind the wheel of the latest models at the start of the calendar year but a more fluid car market in an online world has made sales less seasonal.
Similarly, everyday technology seems to be catching up on those whose job it is to get behind microphones and try and tempt the visiting public into making a purchase.
Although sparkly announcers clasp iPads and outline the technical gadgetry hidden beneath bonnets, people's obsession with their own smartphones often appeared to offer a more tempting distraction.
“It's maddening,” said one such worker at Nissan's stand.
The absence of some pizzazz, as well as top marques, was also noted by patrons.
“It looks like there are a few less cars this year,” one annual attendee said of this year's exhibitors.
“I can't help but think it's easier to stay at home than to brave the snow and come here.”
The UN General Assembly President in quotes:
YEMEN: “The developments we have seen are promising. We really hope that the parties are going to respect the agreed ceasefire. I think that the sense of really having the political will to have a peace process is vital. There is a little bit of hope and the role that the UN has played is very important.”
PALESTINE: “There is no easy fix. We need to find the political will and comply with the resolutions that we have agreed upon.”
OMAN: “It is a very important country in our system. They have a very important role to play in terms of the balance and peace process of that particular part of the world, in that their position is neutral. That is why it is very important to have a dialogue with the Omani authorities.”
REFORM OF THE SECURITY COUNCIL: “This is complicated and it requires time. It is dependent on the effort that members want to put into the process. It is a process that has been going on for 25 years. That process is slow but the issue is huge. I really hope we will see some progress during my tenure.”
