The Arabian oryx may be the national animal of the UAE, but the country has an undeniable affinity with horses.
The majestic animals are beloved the country over, so it is only natural that state-of-the-art facilities have been established to ensure they get the best possible care.
One such facility is the Equine Hydrotherapy Centre in Sharjah, run and founded by Greg Neil, who has been riding and working with horses since he was a boy.
Scroll through the gallery above to see some of the facilities at the centre
The centre offers maintenance and rehabilitation services, with facilities that include an equine aqua treadmill, a sea walker, solarium, hydrotherapy, thermal imaging and laser treatments.
The low-impact training practices are noted for helping to build muscle and stamina, and can be turned to as a holistic, drug-free alternative when seeking equine therapy.
The centre is open for public use with a range of packages available to owners.
The benefits of hydrotherapy are countless. When speaking to The National about the advantages of aquatic exercise, Rasha Hina, owner of Arabian Star Stables, said they include “improving a horse’s bone density and strengthening muscles without risking any injuries, because when the horse swims in the water, there is no body weight or pressure on their bones or tendons.
“For race horses, for example, we make a swimming schedule in a special pool, to help improve their stamina and strengthen their heart for long-distance races.”
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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
