Best place to live in Middle East

Now look at this: Dubai and Abu Dhabi are the best places to live in the Middle East, according to an international survey of more than 200 cities. And that despite all the criticism!

Emaar Properties AGM

Just came back from Emaar Properties AGM. And guess what - it became quite emotional and thus exciting to watch.

Because some shareholders were expressing their disappointment about the company's intention not to pay any dividends this year due to the economic crisis. The Chariman said he understands that, but it'd be "like tearing down your own house if we paid out the cash now needed for the company's operation". After the shareholders' vote (an overall "yes"), dozens left the room in protest. I can write that, because it'll be in the news tomorrow anyway. But you read it here first ;-)

Emaar, by the way, is the company behind such big-scale projects as the Burj Dubai or Dubai Mall, and they're also developing property abroad.

For those who are unsure what an AGM is: An "Annual General Meeting" is a yearly meeting of a company's shareholders. They can review fiscal information and ask questions regarding the decisions the business will take in the future.

The Arts in Dubai

Generally Dubai is not famous for its local culture scene.

People interested in what the region produces in terms of arts will usually be better served in Abu Dhabi, or in Sharjah city - the latter excplicitly aiming to establish itself as a cultural center, with a range of museums and events such as the Biennal, a one-month program of exhibitions, performances, and workshops.

However, if you look a bit closer, there are a few goodies in Dubai, too.

I'm not merely speaking about the big events such as the relatively new International Festival of Literature, Dubai International Film Festival or visits from world-class acts such as the amazing and totally enchanting Cirque du Soleil.

But rather I mean a series of sometimes tiny, in many cases one-room-only art galleries mainly located in an industrial area off Sheikh Zayed Road, not too far from Mall of the Emirates (that's the one with the indoor sky slope).

Along a dusty road leading through a phalanx of one-storey plate-and-concrete warehouses and hidden behind rows of parked trucks, there are such gems as The Third Line, which features a changing collection of contemporary Middle Eastern Art.

When I went there the past weekend (after a lazy hour in a coffee shop), they showed paintings by an artist "humorously investigating the precarious and complicated nature of memory and monument." The surrealistic compositions and the strong colours made a welcome change to sand and skyscrapers.

Then there are other places such as B21. Currently, this small gallery presents photographs by a regional artist who restages situations of disputes in the Middle East with amateur actors in totally different settings such as a modern apartment or a state house. Somewhat unsettling and chilling, but definitely not failing to leave an impression and reminding of some of the conflicts we have often come to accept as a daily item in international news coverage.

Another place just a few buildings away is The Courtyard, which unites a series of shops, studies and galleries grouped around a tranquil courtyard.

One of these galleries, Total Arts, currently houses the sculpture and installation exhibition "Scraps". The artist couple Dariush Zandi and Shaqayeq Arabi took bits and pieces of leftovers from an explosion and huge fire in a Dubai warehouse and turned them into a rare example of such installations in Dubai, evoking the shock and tragedy of the 2008 event.

Contrary to the lighting in the picture to the left (which shows scissors fused into a solid sculpture by the fire), the whole exhibition was set in a darkened room, and the exhibits - which include a half-molten plate roof - dominate the whole space. The exhibition creates a whole atmosphere of gloom, including sounds reminding of war, and even tampering with the scent of the air.

Even though the exhibitions came in more homeopathic dosage than in other places, I enjoyed exploring these galleries. Also, I had a few interesting conversations - for example with a Total Arts curator.

Apart from illuminating the story behing Scraps for me, she told me about an Iranian couple - apparently, there are many impulses coming from Iran - partly because of this country's long history and tradition. They had been expelled from the country as they had hidden political statements in their work, only about three weeks ago. Or a picture that had to be removed from a fair shortly before officials visited, even though the work had been on display in a gallery for months. All in all, art, though, appears to be able to live its ways as long as you don't openly go against key values of the country.

Another conversation was with an advertising photographer from London, whom I met inside his workshop, and who told a story of how he came to Dubai which you hear in a number of variations quite often from expats. In his case, he had been invited to be a jury member of a photo competition in Dubai at short notice. He kept coming for that competition for a few years, and then decided to try living here. The challenge for him was to build a network and to develop the infrastructure needed for his work - which just did not exist when he came.

After that, it was time for a dose of purely low-brow entertainment - which I treated myself to at the Mall of the Emirates: A Hollywood movie in the resident cinema's Gold class.

Think cloud-like reclining leather armchairs almost putting you to sleep before the movie starts, and at-the-seat service...

Jobless soon able to extent visa?

Now this is good news for some expatriates. As I wrote before, the permission to stay in the UAE has traditionally been linked to your job.

If you lose your job, you had to leave the country within four weeks.

This may be history soon, though. According to a law currently awaiting approval, people who are made redundant could be allowed to stay in the country for up to six months. A minister said the financial crisis had "created a need for more regulatory flexibility".

Now we just have to see if that need results in an approved law.

Go, tell it to the mountains

This morning, we have 35 degrees Celsius here in Dubai at 9 am. Along with a hot, desert-dusty breeze, that gave me a pretty good idea of how it will be in summer as I walked towards the office building.

This is also about as hot as it felt in Hatta, a small town in the Hajar mountains in the north of the emirate of Dubai. I went there last Friday, as I had heard it's a popular place for weekend trips, due to its slightly milder climate as a result of its altitude. I was done fairly quickly with the place, though.

Arriving around midday by public bus, which takes at least two hours and takes you through an area that is part of Oman (your UAE car insurance won't cover you there, by the way), I found an extremely quiet, dusty, low-building, slightly run-down place, stretching along a couple of roads on a barren plane and surrounded by spectacular mountains, dozing in the blaring sun. It became livelier after the Friday prayer, of course, as the countless pairs of shoes lying in neat groups and rows in front of the main local mosque were reclaimed by their owners.

But still I could only walk around, peer into small rundown backyards, admire some old defense towers and sip tea in the shadow of a gnarled tree until the local heritage village opened. Which is a variation of the themes you find in any heritage village: buildings from the period between roughly 1850 to 1940, made from wood and palm leaves, with boards telling you about the role of the date and the camel, and a few bits and pieces about traditional life. Climbing a meandering foot path, I enjoyed a panoramic view from the foot of one of the old defense towers - which I can't share with you, because my camera has decided to part company with me (the pictures here are graciously provided items on loan from other web users).

I felt I had seen all the things in that heritage village already in other places - is it the same company setting up those places? Striking, at any rate, there's such unanimous agreement about what constitutes the country's heritage. Then, of course, modern UAE history really comes from around 1800 (which is also roughly the time a large group of people settled permanently in the old Dubai area), despite roots going back hundreds and thousands of years - which are best explored at the Al Ain museum.

Still I found it enjoyable to check out the various buildings and yards, which offered new perspectives and sights every few steps - all against the fantastic backdrop of the rugged Hajar mountains, which sometimes appear to be built up of huge piles of chiseled stones rather than one homogeneous mass of rock, and a clear blue sky. In a cluttered souvenir shop clammed into a low-roof reconstructed building, I found another souvenir to take home. Even after the short 1km walk from the bus station to the heritage village I gave up the idea of going up the mountains - the sun was relentless, and it felt as if I was sweating out fluid by the litres with every few steps. It must have been here that Frank Herbert came up with the distilling suits featured in his Dune saga.

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Some guidebooks suggest staying in Hatta overnight - but there's only one over-prized hotel there, and you're really done fairly quickly with the place if you don't want to go on a 4WD mountain tour or to the Hatta pools - natural ponds with clear water all year. I didn't want to go there, as I didn't feel like another mountain tour (which I had done in Musandam), and also because I've heard it's somewhat disappointing, as supposedly the place is not as clean as it used to be anymore. But the east coast is very near, so a stop on the way to Fujairah is a good idea.

In urgent need of some cash, I walked towards what I perceived to be the city center after the heritage village tour, as I had been told there's an ATM. After half an hour, which seemed like about three hours, I finally met another person crazy enough to be around on foot. Of course I learned I had taken the wrong way. But on a positive note, he told me a bus back to Dubai was about to leave, and insisted on paying for me (just seven dirhams, by the way). Too tired to be polite, I accepted after only some half-hearted attempts to refuse the offer.

On the bus back, I enjoyed once more the scenery when we drove along the desert highway cutting its way through 'Big Red", a 100m high sand dune which draws a big crowd of off-roaders at the weekend and which stands out strikingly against the sky. Then dozed off.

Prayer Times

Praying five times a day is one of Islam's pillars. But at what time exactly, I wondered recently, as I noticed the calls to prayer began at slightly different times over the days. In a museum I found this short text explaining how the times are traditionally determined:

"Morning prayers begin with the first light on the horizon. Noon prayers begin when the sun is vertically in the sky. Afternoon prayers begin when an object and its shadow are of equal size. Evening prayers are a few minutes after sunset; night prayers begin when the sky is no longer red."

But I guess it can also be calculated somehow. Anyway, in newspapers you will also find the exact times everyday.

If you want to read a bit more about a visit to a mosque during the first days of my stay in Dubai, go here.

Abu Dhabi doo!

Abu Dhabi City is the UAE's capital, even though in true Sydney-Canberra-style, Dubai is much more prominent in the international media. Abu Dhabi has close to 1 million citizens, and is located on an island 250m off the mainland. I got a quick glimpse of the city last weekend, when I went to see the R. B. Air Race.

It's, by all measures, a rich place. The Emirate of Abu Dhabi is the largest and wealthiest of the seven UAE members and has nearly 10% of the world's estimated oil reserves - so it's not surprising that an Abu Dhabi investment company recently bought a 9.1 percent share of German carmaker Daimler. With Porsche now struggling, there may even be more opportunities for the investors from the desert state... The GDP per capita is $63,000, ranking third worldwide after Luxembourg and Norway.

Despite its economic strength, Abu Dhabi is much more low key than its sister in the adjacent emirate. When you walk or drive along Abu Dhabi's streets, you notice it has a more down-to-earth feel, seems easier accessible and maybe even friendlier for daily life - not only because of the numerous green areas. I saw many families having a picnic, complete with grill and self-fabricated shisha for Mom and Dad; and there's a bike and skate lane along the long and inviting Corniche - where the Air Race took place last weekend, too.

On the other hand, there is much less apparent excitement, few tourist attractions (though they have the most splendid mosque I have seen so far, which, of course, just closed when I went there), and less showcased ambition than in Dubai. And you find parks in Dubai, too - but you'd be considered a madman going somewhere by bike in Dubai, I guess. Also, Abu Dhabi has its share of problems, among them overcrowding, traffic, and lack of sufficient public transport.

It appeared to me that you can find much more Emirati nationals here than in Dubai, as the percentage of foreigners seems to be lower in what is nonetheless a true multi-cultural society with sizable numbers of Indians, Arabs and Europeans. Links to Europe are especially strong, with many Germans, French and Swiss people mingling with locals in what is a bigger cultural community than maybe in Dubai. I even spotted a National Theater, which made me want to see a play, or better still, to be on stage myself again...

Still, there are some major building projects going on here, too, and there's some serious road works just outside of the city center. Among other things, the city is just building a brand-new F1 Grand Prix circuit - is that a fashion trend around here, see Bahrain?! - with the first race coming up on Nov 1.

Dashing back to Dubai at nightfall on the new broad desert high-way at top speed wasn't too bad, either. Ok, only 120 km/h were allowed, and as a true German, I stuck to that meticulously.

PS: Transparency

A short post scriptum on my earlier post regarding Shaikh Mohammed's online initiative.

Today, there's a story in The National about a discussion on the economic downturn which the Federal National Council (FNC) had requested in November (!). The Cabinet, though, now decided to postpone it until its measures to tackle the situation were completed.

(Under FNC rules, five council members or more may call for a discussion of any issue of public concern, but the Constitution requires the Cabinet’s approval before any debate actually begins.)

The bottom line: Transparency Yes, if I have to, but on my terms, and when I want it.

At the same time, it emerged that Dubai sees a 35% drop of hotel revenues, due to fewer visitors and increased number of hotels.

500 Visitors

This morning, the 500th person visited my blog, a fact I'm really happy about! I hope you enjoyed at least some of the posts of what I find interesting here, and thank you for accompanying me on my journey to (parts of) the Middle East! Coincidentally, and coming as some sort of a blog birthday present, I got featured in a Gulf News article today.

All the muck that's fit to print

Have you heard of BBC Panorama's recent "Slumdogs and Millionaires"? It's an undercover report about labor camps in Dubai, aired in early April - saying that laborers on some construction projects in Dubai are living in inhumane conditions.

Recently, I spoke to a colleague about staff at a hotel - having learned that they routinely work long shifts and several live in a shared room inside the building, with hardly the most basic amenities. I was told that these might even be lucky, and that at the labor camps outside of Dubai, where thousands of construction workers are shuttled to every night, the situation looks much worse - as the BBC documentary seems to confirm to the world. There are also blogs on this, like this one.

Beyond the content of the report, I was interested in some of the reactions, as this also sheds light on how Dubai is discussed internationally.

One Western blogger, usually leaning towards the critical with regard to Dubai, commented: "As expected last night's Panorama [...], did indeed spur a fair amount of media interest in Dubai. Not all of it fair. Such reports have in fact spawned a genre all of their own - popularly known as 'Dubai bashing'."

In fact, you could argue there indeed is such a tendency of 'Dubai Bashing'. One recent (and much discussed) example of journalists' going mainly after the negatives is an article that appeared in the British newspaper The Independent, "The Dark Side of Dubai". Interestingly, one of the sources quoted in this article later accused the reporter of only looking for negative voices and speaking only to people in extreme situations. He also claimed to have told the reporter many positive things, which the journalist simply didn't want to hear about. Similarly, the company operating the labor camps says the BBC had not approached them for comment to get their view of the story.

The blogger mentioned above observes: "It's true. The economy of the state of Dubai has taken an unfair battering from the international press of late. Dubai found itself in an unfortunate position when the credit situation turned from crunch to bite."

I do think there are a number of things that would help to make some people want to stay longer after they have come to Dubai for one reason or the other. However, temporarily working in Dubai, I don't see such observations adding up to a gloomy and altogether negative picture as indicated in some reports - especially if you deliberately leave out a number of positive aspects that don't fit into your dark story.

It's like you're connecting dots on a paper intentionally in a way to get a certain result - say, a dog or a house - which you had in mind from the start. Or like a Rorschach inkblot test: where what you see in a random inkblot tells in fact a lot about yourself and your intentions, rather than reflecting objective reality.

Of course certain stories make better news than others - it's more interesting to read about shops running out of cardboard boxes or cars being dumped at the airport as people leave the country, or people advertising themselves on the back of their Porsche to get a new job - than speaking about things going ok or even well. After all, Dubai's economy is still set to grow - which is more than quite a few countries can claim. But this is not what sells best in daily news journalism.

So there might be a number of cases where media, in their attempt to sell themselves, are guilty as charged.

However, can "Dubai Bashing" be discounted as a simple sign of well-selling jealousy, as some try to shrug off the criticism? The blogger writes: "In the words of a very popular man, [...] 'Only a fruit laden tree has stones thrown at it.' [...]" - a position I've read from at least one other public person here myself. But I don't think it's that easy. If you only want to speak about good things, you leave out a part of reality as well. Anything too simple is likely to be simplistic. Even though it may still make good TV, especially if there's at least some truth in it.

The work camp's operator understands the mechanisms of the media - almost. Shortly after the documentary was aired, they invited a group of journalists and led them through a camp. And then another. And another. And would have thrown in four more into the deal, if the journalists themselves had not wanted to go home by then.

Now this is transparency, you might think.

However, consider this: It was clear that after the BBC story, local journalists would want to see for themselves. So getting them all in one go, at a time and with people to accompany and (possibly) to meet whom you can choose, must have seemed a much safer option than having other investigative activity including more night vision goggles taking a hard look at laborers' bunks and trudging around restroom facvilities in eager search for their own bit of some foul-smelling over-flowing sewage.

And, interestingly, the camp featured in the BBC documentary was the third, not the first place the tour went to - with the first being the best-kept (and, so it seemed to the reporters, especially treated to receive the guests). So the journalists' first impression was set to be one that is clearly better than the critisized camp, framing anything to come later.

Apparently, the managers were even unhappy that the journalists did not want to see all the sites: “The doctor at the clinic is disappointed,” a company official told the journalists, after these had decided to call it a day. “You see, they were all expecting you.”

No wonder some journalists felt this was an attempt to whitewash the company.

But there's also action: The construction company said it will close the camp featured in the BBC documentary and admitted it had been warned about conditions. And the ministry of Labour said it plans a campaign to tackle laborer conditions.

The caravan moves on, trying to leave the muck behind.

Air Race in Abu Dhabi

One of the best-publicized recent events in the UAE: an Air Race organized by a fizzy energy drink company in Abu Dhabi, the UAE's capital, last weekend.

It's been literally everywhere - in TV and radio ads, as well as in numerous newspaper stories in national print media. And it's one of the reasons why I decided to have a look at Abu Dhabi this past Saturday. It's only about a 2h drive from Dubai.

Quite simply, pilots had to complete a certain parcours in as little time as possible, with as few mistakes as possible. That easy formula made for some quite entertaining and even exciting moments - and sparked quite a lot of emotions among the expected 200,000-plus audience cheering at their favorites. If only those tiny planes had been easier to catch with my small digital camera, I might have been able to take better shots...

Reactions on Shaikh Mohammed's online initiative

The move to address concerns via an online statement by H. H. Shaikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, continues to be frontpage news.

Today, English-language Khaleej Times observes that "Mohammed's Online Initiative [is] welcomed", saying that it "has in fact created the intended transparency and led to the optimism that drives Dubai".

Gulf News today similarly sees positive effects: "Stocks Rally as speculation about health of economy is put to rest".

Business leaders in the UAE are quick to welcome the initiative, too - Abdullah Al Hamli, Chief Executive of the Dubai Islamic Bank, said: "Shaikh Mohammed has demonstrated again the spirit of openness and transparency that have for so long characterised the leadership of this great city."

Ali Ebrahim, managing director of Emcredit (the first government-backed credit information services company here), commented: "The statements were crucial to dispel any potential concerns about the impact of the global financial crisis on the city".

For more about how some business leaders feel about this and the economy, see this Gulf News article.

Looking at the scene from the outside, I'm not sure what the words of even one of the most respected of leaders may change about something as profound as the current crisis in a material way. But it seems the move is a public relations success in the best sense, at least on the national level, as it may really help to give people confidence. I think everybody, understandably, wants to believe there is an end to the crisis some time in the not too distant future, look forward in a positive way and move on. So I think it means a lot to people that Shaikh Mohammed has addressed these concerns with an overall positive message.

In the financial markets, a lot is about psychology. Maybe psychology helps us get out of the crisis again.

This could be your front door

One last picture for today, and probably the last one from my trip to Bahrain. It's a local artist's version of a front door - can you actually spot where you can enter his house? It's a quite astonishing sight right in the center of the small alleys and streets of old Muharraq.

I wonder what the person is like who came up with this and then actually decorated his house that way. Or is it rather a collection that grew over the years, with odds and ends added over time?

A quick trip into Bahrain's past

In the old city of Muharraq, which is on the same island as Bahrain's international airport just off the coast of Manama, the capital, you can find a charming, relaxed community. And a number of things worth having a look at - which I did on my visit to Bahrain over Easter.

There is, for instance, Shaikh Isa's House, the restored birthplace of former Amir, Shaikh Isa bin Sulman Al Khalifa. It was from here that Bahrain was governed from 1869 to 1932, before Manama became the capital, according to what I was told.

It's a quite beautiful little palace. There are dozens of rooms grouped around small courtyards, and the building features a magnificent wind tower - the first I saw which actually works, as others were sealed off! The cooling effect was really remarkable if you stood right below it. There were separate areas for family, servants, and for receiving guests. The building is full of beautifully carved archways and doors, space and light. The windows were mostly carved gypsum screens, and the roofs were made of date palms and reeds.

The day before, I had been travelling around the island, digging deep into the country's history - the place to the left is one I was done with in about two minutes, though. The A'ali Burial Mounds. It's really just that: little hills next to living areas, quite barren. But they are incredibly old, dating to around 4100 to 3700 BC. This is older than the Great Pyramid of Giza, which is believed to have been constructed over a 20 year period concluding around 2560 BC! The mounds are part of the heritage of the ancient culture of Dilmun. BUT you needed a lot of imagination to make the mere sight of these burial mounds even only a bit exciting, to be honest. Maybe the burial site of Sar, also in the North of Bahrain, are more interesting to look at - I don't know, I didn't feel like looking at more graves then.

The next place I went to was similarly not very strong on the visual side, while it is one of the most important archeological sites in Bahrain: the Barbar temples in the North of the island, of which you see a small impression in the picture. Over the years, three temples were built in this place, at different times - and on top of each other! But if you're there, there's not too much to be seen and it takes you only a couple of minutes to walk around the site once.

The interesting thing about the temple site is again in what represents, or rather what it is a remainder of: it is considered to be a site of worship of the Dilmun, with the oldest temple dating back to 3000 BC.

This highly developed civilisation appears in writings as a partner of Mesopotamian Civilisations, and may have lived in Bahrain, Qatar, Oman and the Iranian coast. The Dilmun have an appearance in the famous Epic of Gilgamesh, and their lands may indeed be the place of the true Garden Eden, as some think. Which would not be surprising, as, uniquely in that area, Bahrain has a number of fresh water sources - which are also responsible for the high quality of the country's pearls, one of the sources of income for centuries.

It’s thought that the three temples were constructed to worship the god Enki, the god of wisdom and fresh water, and his wife Nankhur Sak. I saw some of the excavated tools, weapons, pottery and pieces of gold in the Bahrain National Museum.

After so much history, I found myself a nice little Asian restaurant in the evening and enjoyed both a glass of wine and the mild evening air.

Modern architecture in Manama

This picture is already more than a week old; but I wanted to share it with you anyway. It's in Manama, capital of Bahrain.

Even though the city is by far not aiming for records like Dubai does, there still are some impressive buildings in an atmosphere that feels much more European (while still being distinctive Arabian) even than the liberal Dubai. Just walk the streets, see the shops, see the people, have a wine in a restaurant... On weekends, Saudi Arabians flock into Manama to party, while numerous Western people choose to live in Manama even though they work in neighboring Saudi-Arabia - because life there is generally considered to be easier for Europeans.


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Shaikh Mohammed addresses questions

For the second time since 2001, H. H. Shaikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has addressed questions submitted by Arab journalists through a 31-page document on his website.

Very interesting, as it touches a wide range of topics from the global economic crisis and democracy to the perception of Dubai in the international media.

Some quotes, which you can also read in today's edition of The National:

"Dubai is not only a catalyst of change; it is an exemplar of change. And I am proud of that, just as I am proud of the economic and social contributions that Emiratis and their well-wishers have made over these years to furthering the Dubai Vision."

"We did not at any time feel that the financial crisis is a threat. The worst is over and behind us."

I'm curious to read about reactions, both in the media and from people reading this, nationally and internationally! Check here for another blog discussing this.

First Oil Well in Bahrain

This is were oil was extracted for the first time in the region, in 1932 somewhere in the desert of Bahrain; 74 years after Edwin Drake had pioneered the method of drilling for oil in the USA (of course I just looked this up! How am I suppose to know this?!). By the way, according to some original letters I saw in the tiny museum close to the place the above picture was taken, the communications connection to Bahrain was considered to be quite good at that time - with a British ship calling once every two weeks...

Today, an oil company is still the largest business in Bahrain, followed by an aluminium producer. But the tiny Kingdom of Bahrain (665 sq km, about 1 mio people on one main and 32 small islands) is strong in areas such as finance, as a result of a conscious decision. Oil is running out there. And watch out for the F1 GP there next week on their racing track built just five years ago, with Michael Schumacher currently holding the lap record of 1m30.252 (Ferrari, 2004)!
It's funny to see how the installations and pipelines simply run in an almost randomly fashion openly on the ground, and even right through residential areas. Considering that oil is still one of the pillars of our Western lifestyle, producing it seems pretty low-tech. Or so it was at the beginning of the oil age.

Manama Mosque Impression

A detail from the Grande Mosque at Manama, capital of Bahrain, taken during my stay last weekend. It was a great encounter with that amazing building, approaching it on foot as night was slowly falling. If you ever go to Manama, don't miss the chance to visit the mosque. It's open for non-muslims most of the day, apart from Friday and public holidays. Yes, of course I was there on a public holiday...

UAE cardboard box sales rocket

Quirky side stories of the crisis, No. 254: A mass migration of tenants – and expatriates leaving – has led to a shortage of that most essential item, the cardboard box. Go here for the full The National article.

Apparently, there really are effects felt as a result of fewer people here, due to job losses: less traffic on the streets, rents going down, schools that were earlier quite picky about which students they accept (there is no free public school system here, but you have to apply and pay for your children's education) now are courting parents more.

What I also learned is that various banks are trying to get people to deposit their money with them - by giving away cash prizes of up to AED 1 million and draws that include cars and holidays (see here for an example). Some authorities also fear a number of expatriates might pack up when the school year is over.

At the same time, other officials insist that we have seen the bottom, and that it is now or at least soon going to go up again, with the IMF predicting a 3.3 percent growth for the UAE in 2009 (down from 6 percent earlier).

Anyway, this place is far from gloom and doom, as an FT commentator wrote some time ago - even though it is quite startling to have Dubai as a city as it is anyway!

Happy Vishu!

Yesterday, the so-called vishu festival marked the first day of the astronomical year; it is also considered as the harvest festival of Kerala, a southern state in India. Many families of Indian expats from that region celebrate this event here in Dubai.

The festival entails an arrangement called Vishukani, consisting of items that are supposed to bring luck for the coming year, such as an oil lamp, mirror, fruits, vegetables, rice, betel leaves and nut and fresh linen - when you see them first thing in the morning, walking with closed eyes to where the arrangement was placed the previous night. Children then seek the blessing of parents and older siblings, and receive small gifts.

According to wikipedia, it is also seen as auspicious to read verses from the Hindu Holy book Ramayanam after seeing the Vishukani. Some believe that the page of the Ramayanam to which you open up will have a bearing on your life in the coming year. And there may be fireworks in the evening in the respective region in India.

One thing I really like about Dubai is that you have many cultures rolled into one city. So you learn about traditions and customs that are not only foreign to a European, but are also originally from other parts of the world. Happy Vishu everybody!

More than words

The Arabic language does not just look exotic for most Western people, but also lends itself to creating other works of art - apparently, especially in the context of the Quran, which is seen as a great work of poetry in itself (and earlier formed the basis for children's language education, starting with the short verses and then moving on to the longer ones...). The fish above is actually made up of a verse from the Quran.

And I was also impressed by how the holy book itself was designed over the centuries. In Manama, the capital of the Kingdom of Bahrain, there's a so-called House of the Quran. This cultural center and museum exhibits Qurans from as far back as the 7th century - the beginning of Islam. There are countless ways of caligraphy artistry, from always beginning each line with Alef, the first letter of the Arabic alphabet, to arranging the words in a way that the same expressions face each other through all the pages when you close the book, to intricate patterns and ornaments drawn by hand, to Quran versions consisting of only 30 pages, or verses written on chick peas. Not to mention the different materials or dozens of languages and dialects.

By the way, to give you a nice bit of trivia knowledge which I quite liked: Did you know the first Quran printed with movable type was produced in Germany, in 1694? And Martin Luther had his hands in producing the first Latin version of this holy book.

It has to be something about the letters: Even a graffiti which I discovered in a small alley of Manama's old quarter looks like a piece of art. I just hope the example below does not mean anything negative...

Heated debate about media law

The work of the media is a subject of debate here, especially now as a new UAE draft media draft law has just been criticised by Human Rights Watch (HRW).

While the US-based rights watchdog says the proposed law is a "significant" improvement over existing legislation, it still restricts press freedoms, according to HRW. In their view, there are positive aspects such as that journalists should not be pressed to reveal their sources; and the law would also reduce the number of areas which could result in penalties from 16 to three. However, HRW criticize that there can be high fines of up to Dhs 5 million if journalists are found to have personally insulted the UAE's President or other senior federal government officials or crown princes. And other 'content based restrictions' remain, including information that could harm the economy; also, media need to provide security deposits to be allowed to run - resulting in what the watchdog described as government controls on the registration of media outlets. Some say parts of the proposed law remain too vague, so the initiative would represent a "missed opportunity".

Many who read this will probably see the points of HRW. Interestingly, the National Media Council reacted the same day the HRW report came out - stating it welcomes "informed discussion and debate" but also emphasizing that the draft law "has not been designed for applications in other societies, with different value systems, but is only applicable within the context of the United Arab Emirates".

Personally, what I find enriching about such things is how your own beliefs are challenged; coming from a certain culture, we do have certain values and perspectives, a strong feeling of what is right or wrong, which you become only fully aware of when you expose yourself to the notions and convictions of others.

It makes you think about how you think.

One camel, two camels, clone camels!

Frontpage news today: Scientists in Dubai have cloned a camel.

Hardly surprising that this would happen here, given the long shared history with those animals and the enduring popularity of camel racing, of which I had gotten an idea while at the camel market in Al Ain. In Dubai, there's also a race track. But I still haven't made it to a race, and I just read the season might be over already. What a pity. It's supposed to be quite a sight.

Happy Easter!

I wish you a happy Easter time! Even though this holiday, obviously, is not that relevant here. Still I have off this Sunday, and plan to explore more of this region over the coming three days. Stay tuned - and click here for more info about public holidays in the UAE.

Fasten your seat belts, please

This is an "OK-now-that-the-journalists-have-left-the-cockpit-I-can-just-really-quickly-do-what-I-wanted-to-do-the-whole-time-and-take-a-picture-of-myself-sitting-in-the-pilot's-seat" photo.

The team here organised an Air Arabia press event recently, with about 15 journalists visiting the airline's offices in Sharjah. Of course I had no objections when I was asked if I wanted to come along, and enjoyed the opportunity to look behind the scenes and chat with some journalists.

Divorce Rate

There's an article about the 'alarming' divorce rate in the UAE on the National's front page today.

While there appears to be no nationwide information, figures released in the emirate of Sharjah (just east of Dubai) now indicate that about every third marriage (34%) ended in divorse in 2008 there - up from 26% in 2001.

Someone from Europe might wonder: So what!? In Germany, the divorce rate (number of divorces in relation to marriages) was about 50.1% in 2007. In England and Wales, that figure for the same year is even 55.5% (with people there, by the way, being on average older than in Germany when they marry).

I'm not sure about why this is a cause of concern - though there may be a few indications in tradition and region. Sharjah is considered to be one of the more conservative emirates in the UAE. And in traditional culture, marriage is considered to be the most important event in people's lifes. If you speak to locals - be it in the UAE, or also in Bahrain, people will be very surprised to hear that you're not married at a certain age (by the way, if you are married and have no children, it may well happen that people will pity you and even propose to take another women, who might be more able to bear a child).

According to what I saw at the Bahrian National Museum, marriage is a central part of traditional societies, which is also reflected in the elaborate and lengthy traditional ceremonies and celebrations around marriages - it creates the framework for raising children, security for the women, is the nucleus of family life - and a strong bond between families, particularly in earlier times more often than not with clear economic and political intentions. Traditionally, as I understood that, marriage is a societal institution and one of its main pillars. And a divorce represents a failure of this institution.

So this may be a rough layman's idea of why divorce could be seen as something critical and therefore why the figure mentioned in the article is perceived as very high. In Western cultures, in contrast, we emphasize the individual and personal development much more, so different styles of life are accepted - including choosing to end a marriage. Again, as I said in earlier posts, I don't want to judge as to what is better or not here.

It's a pity it doesn't say in the report what the reasons behind this rising figure is, though. What are the drivers behind that development?

Is it because couples give up when they encounter problems with each other, as maybe it becomes socially more accepted to end a marriage? I can only speculate. Maybe some see something like this as a reason.

One of the steps the authorities now have pledged to take is to recruit more marriage counsellors.

Paradise Found

A scene like from a paradise wallpaper, and just as tranquil as it looks. It's on the East coast of the UAE, in the emirate of Fujairah - and one of the places I visited during the trip I mentioned in earlier posts. I decided to just sit and simply exist for a while there.

People are very friendly here. I greeted two men in passing at the beach pictured above and was promptly invited to sit with them, have something to drink and a talk. It turned out one was from Fujairah's defense ministry, the other a high-ranking police officer - who proudly showed pictures of himself in uniform, looking real grim and intimidating, and groomed like an actor minutes before the next take for a Hollywood movie at the same time. No messin' around with me!, it said. But being in his spare time, he was just nice and told stories about the trips he's doing every year in summer when the weather here becomes so hot and humid that many leave the country for a while, drew a map to his favourite fishing spot for me and paid for my drink.

By the way, it appears that it is not unusual to meet people involved with government in Fujairah. I was told the authorities are one of the most important employers there.

The Badiyah Mosque

The tiny village of Badiyah, about 40km from Fujairah City at the East coast of the UAE, is home to the country's oldest mosque. Apparently, it dates back to 1446. As you can see, it features no minaret - something many think is an integral part of a mosque.

In fact, it only takes three things for a place to theoretically qualify for a mosque: purity (it has to be clean, quite literally), a mihrab (a prayer niche facing Mecca), and enough space for people to gather and pray. The minaret is a feature added later, when dwellings grew larger, so that the calls to prayer could be heard by everyone.

Peaking inside during my road trip last weekend, I saw a simple square room, laid with colourful little carpets, some holy books and niches. So a quite different impression compared to Jumeirah mosque.

But beautiful exactly in its simplicity.

A Taste of Luxury

For a few hours, I got a taste of the life of luxury that money can buy you here when I went for a cocktail at Burj Al Arab's Skyview Bar recently. A place quite beyond my world, usually.

Of course I did NOT try the world's officially most expensive cocktail being sold there. For obvious reasons. The "27.321" (the price tag in local currency Dirhams) costs a whopping 5690 Euros per glass. The Burj Royal I tried was pricy enough. But yummy.

The picture was taken in the famous hotel's lobby, shortly before I took the lift up to the 27th floor of the building. Great to see this place for myself, and a memorable experience.

However, I guess I'm still more the Small-Cafe-Sort-Of-Person.

Bull fighting at the East coast

This weekend, I went an a road trip to Fujairah, the most Eastern of the seven emirates making up the UAE. I arrived in time for a very entertaining and unique local spectacle.

Friday early evening (ask five different locals and you get five different starting times), there is a series of bull fights in a place close to the beach. An enthusiastic crowd of several hundred people - mostly locals, mostly men - gathers around a sandy arena to see bulls fight each other, pitting their strengths against the other animal until one gives up. A jury decides about the winner.

It's an experience very different from the bull-fighting you may know from Spain - it's less orchestrated, the bulls are hardly hurt, it's not man against animal, but animal against animal; and, above all, the whole thing has a refreshing amateur-style "let's just meet and have fun" feel to it. There is no betting, no big winner ceremony - the winning bull just becomes more valuable and its owner gains reputation.

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The really entertaining bit is when the men have to try to separate the bulls after the jury has decided about the winner. The animals can be hard to control and even harder to predict in their behavior, leading to some almost cartoon-ish but also breath-taking scenes. Sometimes, up to 20 or so men rush on the field, grabbing for the bulls' rope and pulling the fighters apart. Sometimes they have to run for their safety, escaping the agitated bulls' horns only by a few centimeters.

But no one was injured. This time...

Camel ride and shark visit

I went on a camel ride last weekend, as part of another trip into the desert including dinner in a fake bedouin camp, belly dancing, and shisha. The riding position is not that bad - you sit quite high up, so you feel like a little king; but be careful to come out of your daydreams the moment this animal gets on his knees to let you down, that's quite rocky and you really need to hold on...

I also went to Dubai Mall; mainly because of its sea water aquarium, which is, of course, the world's largest one with 10 million litres! It's inhabited by hundreds of fish, from sting rays to more than a dozen sharks. You walk through an underwater tunnel which enables you to see these animals close up. The aquarium opened Sept 08.

Confounding oracles of doom

I read an interesting comment in The National today. The author asked the same question I and others have also occassionally asked themselves about Dubai: "Over the years, I have often wondered whether the pace of Dubai's development was sustainable."

The interesting thing is that, again and again, projects have proven the author that Dubai is capable of doing amazing things, despite his own doubts: "I have also become aware that there is something about Dubai that means an idea that might seem at first glance inconceivable, impracticable or simply impossible, could actually come to pass."

As he concludes: "The Dubai of tomorrow may be different from the one that appeared to be emerging a year ago, but there will be a tomorrow".

I have no doubts about this. Yes, there's a crisis - but what sparked and sustained the development of the past 20 years or so is here to remain. It's not just the geographic location or the long tradition of trade. It's in the people. There's just too much Obama spirit here to fail, especially among the decision-makers.

Maybe there will be a bit of a re-focus now. As I wrote earlier: many people I meet see their life here as something temporary. And it appears to me, as an outsider, that there's quite a gap between those who can afford to participate in what the growth produces, and a number of people who work hard 'at the bottom' to help enable it. So maybe there will be even more thought in the future on how to make people actually want to stay here after Dubai has attracted them from all corners of the world.

Personally, I think that could be a good idea.

Reaching for the stars

Big is not big enough. Even though Dubai already has one large international airport, the Emirate is already building a second one here. (See the construction site from above here.)

Now called Al Maktoum International Airport (JXB), it is forecast to be the world's largest when it is completed in 2015, with operations starting in 2010 already. Surprised, anyone? Not really, I would guess. In the end, the US$ 8.1 billion facility, which includes six parallel runways, will have an annual cargo capacity of 12 million tons and a passenger capacity of 120-150 million passengers per year. As a comparison: In 2007, 68 million people used London Heathrow, Europe's largest airport. By the way, Dubai already has the world's largest man-made port, Jebel Ali...

And there's even more than just the usual superlatives. There are rumors that Dubai is in discussions with Richard Branson, head of Virgin and pioneer of commercial spaceflight, that Virgin Galactic, 'the world's first spaceline', might have its very own space terminal at the new airport (if you want to book your spaceflight for as little as $200,000, go here).

If it were actually true, that could be a perfect match - Branson has always been dreaming big, and Dubai is probably just the right place for something like that.

Who said "The sky is the limit"? And what date is it today?