Abu Omar Al Itani is a brawny fisherman who talks and walks briskly under Lebanon’s relentless sun.
He points a deeply bronzed hand to Beirut’s famous Raouche Rocks, then gestures broadly to the rocky beach adjacent.
“We’ve been in this area for over 120 years,” he announces proudly. “Since my great grandfather was alive.”
He points to a jungle of concrete waterbreakers next to the beach.
“He had a farm here. He had cows and had even built a freshwater well.”
The small beach — Dalieh, as it is commonly called — is mostly an outcropping of rock upon which fishermen fish, children swim and families picnic.
It is one of the only remaining beachfronts on Beirut’s sparkling Mediterranean coastline that remain accessible for free use by the public. That makes it a popular locale for Beirut residents from all socio-economic backgrounds, placing the Dalieh beach at odds with its surroundings.
Decades of development have transformed the once-coastal farmlands of the Raouche area into an upmarket commercial and residential area. Polished cafes and luxurious hotels now line the expanse of the area’s corniche.
Some of Abu Omar’s relatives rest in the shade of a wooden shack, taking a brief respite from the day’s work. At another makeshift station nearby, employees sell refreshments to parched tourists.
Others promote boat tours to tourists under the sweltering sun — for $8 a head. In Lebanon’s current economic climate, not many Lebanese take them up on the offer.
“Just Lebanese diaspora visiting for the summer who can afford to,” Abu Omar says. Otherwise it’s mostly a clientele of Arab tourists and foreigners.
On the face of it, it looks like a tourism business. But the presence of the Itani clan in Dalieh goes beyond the monetary.
The Itanis are commonly recognised as one of the original "seven families of Beirut", from which all Beiruti family branches are said to be descended. Their roots stretch as far back as the 14th century Mamluk period.
According to folklore, the seven families signed an accord with a Mamluk governor in the 1350s to defend the city and its shores from invaders.
In the present day, the Dalieh branch of the Itani family has taken deeply to their role as protectors.
Abu Omar and his relatives guard the coast vigilantly. Having essentially grown up on the rugged beach, they know all its nooks and crevices, every cave. They know the swell of the riptides.
They and their sons — some as young as 6 — can dive deftly from the iconic offshore Raouche rock formations, expertly avoiding underwater rocks by memorising their placement.
Fishermen by trade, the family operates on Dalieh as tour guides, lifeguards and sentinels of the communal beach.
“We know everything that happens here,” Abu Omar says. “We were born in this sea.”
He voices a staunch opposition to the Lebanese state, which he asserts has intentionally neglected the beachfront in recent years to advance a project to privatise the beach — making it indistinct from the remainder of Beirut’s seafront, lined with restaurants, hotels and resorts.
Stalls and cafes owned by the Itanis once lined the concrete jungle where Abu Omar’s grandfather’s farm once was, catering to communal beachgoers and tourists.
But in summer 2014, those stalls were demolished and the fishermen evicted, replaced by the rows of cement breakwater blocks which now populate the majority of the beach area. A fence was erected which largely obstructs the view of the beach from passers-by.
A civil society campaign has so far managed to thwart the plan by private developers, backed by the state, to fully privatise the remainder of the sands and build a private beach resort.
Abu Omar’s cousin, Mosbah, attributes it to the vocal opposition of civil society activists, and the determination of his family to protect the coast and their livelihoods.
The family of fishermen has instead stepped in, administering to the area to make up for the lack of government services.
Their constant presence in Dalieh gives them a clear view of "Suicide Rock", a cliff on the shore overlooking the Raouche rocks which has been the site of many deaths, both intentional and accidental.
The Itanis often dive in to save ambitious cliff-divers and clumsy tourists.
Without their intimate knowledge of Dalieh’s waters, Abu Omar says, civil defence teams would never know how to recover the bodies. He himself has saved many lives. He’s also combed the waters for hours at a time in his boat, searching for the bodies of the fallen.
“When the sea is too strong, the state doesn’t allocate guards to warn people away from the ledge,” he explains bitterly. The de facto responsibility — a point of pride for him and his relatives — has also taken a psychological toll, he tells The National.
“If we weren't here, people would die. We’re responsible for guarding the whole area.”
Qosty Byogaani
Starring: Hani Razmzi, Maya Nasir and Hassan Hosny
Four stars
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
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
More on animal trafficking
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Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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South Korea
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The%20specs
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Buy farm-fresh food
The UAE is stepping up its game when it comes to platforms for local farms to show off and sell their produce.
In Dubai, visit Emirati Farmers Souq at The Pointe every Saturday from 8am to 2pm, which has produce from Al Ammar Farm, Omar Al Katri Farm, Hikarivege Vegetables, Rashed Farms and Al Khaleej Honey Trading, among others.
In Sharjah, the Aljada residential community will launch a new outdoor farmers’ market every Friday starting this weekend. Manbat will be held from 3pm to 8pm, and will host 30 farmers, local home-grown entrepreneurs and food stalls from the teams behind Badia Farms; Emirates Hydroponics Farms; Modern Organic Farm; Revolution Real; Astraea Farms; and Al Khaleej Food.
In Abu Dhabi, order farm produce from Food Crowd, an online grocery platform that supplies fresh and organic ingredients directly from farms such as Emirates Bio Farm, TFC, Armela Farms and mother company Al Dahra.
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
SPECS
Mini John Cooper Works Clubman and Mini John Cooper Works Countryman
Engine: two-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Transmission: nine-speed automatic
Power: 306hp
Torque: 450Nm
Price: JCW Clubman, Dh220,500; JCW Countryman, Dh225,500
Masters%20of%20the%20Air
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The biog
Age: 46
Number of Children: Four
Hobby: Reading history books
Loves: Sports
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
AS IT STANDS IN POOL A
1. Japan - Played 3, Won 3, Points 14
2. Ireland - Played 3, Won 2, Lost 1, Points 11
3. Scotland - Played 2, Won 1, Lost 1, Points 5
Remaining fixtures
Scotland v Russia – Wednesday, 11.15am
Ireland v Samoa – Saturday, 2.45pm
Japan v Scotland – Sunday, 2.45pm
Racecard
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Who is Allegra Stratton?
- Previously worked at The Guardian, BBC’s Newsnight programme and ITV News
- Took up a public relations role for Chancellor Rishi Sunak in April 2020
- In October 2020 she was hired to lead No 10’s planned daily televised press briefings
- The idea was later scrapped and she was appointed spokeswoman for Cop26
- Ms Stratton, 41, is married to James Forsyth, the political editor of The Spectator
- She has strong connections to the Conservative establishment
- Mr Sunak served as best man at her 2011 wedding to Mr Forsyth
'Munich: The Edge of War'
Director: Christian Schwochow
Starring: George MacKay, Jannis Niewohner, Jeremy Irons
Rating: 3/5
THE DETAILS
Director: Milan Jhaveri
Producer: Emmay Entertainment and T-Series
Cast: John Abraham, Manoj Bajpayee
Rating: 2/5
Jebel Ali Dragons 26 Bahrain 23
Dragons
Tries: Hayes, Richards, Cooper
Cons: Love
Pens: Love 3
Bahrain
Tries: Kenny, Crombie, Tantoh
Cons: Phillips
Pens: Phillips 2
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
