In Saudi Arabia’s coastal city of Yanbu, the bright white rendering and dark wooden screens of a recently restored house stand out in a row of tumbledown neglected buildings.
The house is famous for its former resident: British intelligence officer Thomas Edward Lawrence, better known as Lawrence of Arabia, who lived in the old town of Yanbu at some point between 1915 and 1916 at the beginning of the Great Arab Revolt.
Lawrence's former home is the first to benefit from the Saudi tourism ministry's restoration project for Yanbu’s old quarter.
Over the past century, the once elegant two-level home became a ruin, crumbling down despite calls from historians to protect the site, restore the house and open it to the public, says Ahmed Al Mahtout, the local mayor.
"We just finished the first phase of restoration and hope by the end of the year we have it fully ready for visitors," he told The National. "The residence derives its value from its history and a lot of foreign tourists [would] like to stand in the home of the British intelligence officer."
But the long-abandoned house is also the focus of a persistent local rumour that after Lawrence left, the building was inhabited by ghosts that haunted anyone who approached.
Mr Al Mahtout denied that the house was haunted and said it was not a factor in the area's neglect.
“I heard that fear of ghosts has led to the neglect and I am telling you it is not true. The house is now a registered part of the Yanbu’s historical heritage and tourists will be able to visit it.”
The Great Arab Revolt came at the end of the First World War as the Ottoman Empire sided with Germany against the British and French. Lawrence, an intelligence officer based in Cairo, was dispatched to help the Arabs rise up and overthrow their Turkish rulers.
"Thomas Edward first arrived in Yanbu in November 1916, after his appointment as a liaison officer between the British and Arab forces at the beginning of the last century, just before the outbreak of the Arab revolution," said Saleh Al Sayed, a historical researcher.
Lawrence met with Faisal bin Al Hussein, the third son of the Sharif of Makkah Hussein bin Ali, who then led the Arab forces against the Ottoman army.
"From Sharif Faisal bin Al Hussein's camp in the village of Al Hamra in Wadi Al Safa [70 kilometres away], he sent with around 14 men from the troops of Sharif Abdul Karim bin Bedaiwi to drive Lawrence to Yanbu."
Although the details are vague, the historian said Lawrence spent three or four days at the guest house of Abdul Qadir Al Abdo, then governor of Yanbu. The house is now owned by a well-known local family, Mr Al Sayed said.
Yanbu is known for its rich history, dating back at least 2,500 years. Its earliest history places Yanbu as a staging point on the spice and incense route from Yemen to Egypt and on to the Mediterranean. During the revolt, the city served as a supply and operations base for Arab and British forces fighting the Ottoman Empire.
Today, Yanbu is a hub of major industry with three oil refineries. But the city's white sandy shores and stunning blue waters of the Red Sea also make it a popular destination for beachgoers, swimmers and scuba divers.
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
The Indoor Cricket World Cup
When: September 16-23
Where: Insportz, Dubai
Indoor cricket World Cup:
Insportz, Dubai, September 16-23
UAE fixtures:
Men
Saturday, September 16 – 1.45pm, v New Zealand
Sunday, September 17 – 10.30am, v Australia; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Monday, September 18 – 2pm, v England; 7.15pm, v India
Tuesday, September 19 – 12.15pm, v Singapore; 5.30pm, v Sri Lanka
Thursday, September 21 – 2pm v Malaysia
Friday, September 22 – 3.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 3pm, grand final
Women
Saturday, September 16 – 5.15pm, v Australia
Sunday, September 17 – 2pm, v South Africa; 7.15pm, v New Zealand
Monday, September 18 – 5.30pm, v England
Tuesday, September 19 – 10.30am, v New Zealand; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Thursday, September 21 – 12.15pm, v Australia
Friday, September 22 – 1.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 1pm, grand final
F1 line ups in 2018
Mercedes-GP Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas; Ferrari Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen; Red Bull Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen; Force India Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez; Renault Nico Hülkenberg and Carlos Sainz Jr; Williams Lance Stroll and Felipe Massa / Robert Kubica / Paul di Resta; McLaren Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne; Toro Rosso TBA; Haas F1 Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen; Sauber TBA
Spec%20sheet
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EPL's youngest
- Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal)
15 years, 181 days old
- Max Dowman (Arsenal)
15 years, 235 days old
- Jeremy Monga (Leicester)
15 years, 271 days old
- Harvey Elliott (Fulham)
16 years, 30 days old
- Matthew Briggs (Fulham)
16 years, 68 days old
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
Zayed Sustainability Prize
It Was Just an Accident
Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH
Directed by: Shaka King
Starring: Daniel Kaluuya, Lakeith Stanfield, Jesse Plemons
Four stars
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km
Price: Dh133,900
On sale: now
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
