From the two-decade old Sharjah Biennial to the weekly Dubai art exhibition openings and the upcoming Louvre Museum in Abu Dhabi, the UAE is now challenging the traditional art centres of the Middle East, including Cairo, Tehran, Istanbul and Beirut and is placing itself firmly on the global art map. Read more »
UAE
This financial crisis is bringing us closer together
How the UAE — the Amazon rainforest of the Middle East — is only going to emerge more unified and hence stronger because of the global financial crisis. Read more »
Sharjah’s Steady Pace Is Showing Its Strength
Depending on what time of day it is and in which direction you are traveling, a journey from Dubai to its sister Emirate, Sharjah, can take anywhere between 20 minutes and two hours. Sharjah, whose name means “easterly” or “shiny” and has a population of 800,000, is sometimes unfairly referred to by some expatriates in the UAE as “the bedroom of Dubai” since tens of thousands of residents, nationals and expatriates alike, commute daily to their place of work in Dubai from Sharjah. Read more »
A little local difficulty on the jobs front
In this article, Sultan discuss the discrimination locals of the northern Emirates face and what the reasons behind this marginalization are. Read more »
A trip to a museum does not do justice to Sheikh Zayed’s vision
It was a cold January day in London in 1968 when the British prime minister, Harold Wilson, announced that his Labour government would end what he saw as his country’s security responsibilities east of the Suez canal, including the Arab Gulf states. The reaction of one Arab leader in particular to this remarkable news is instructive. Read more »
Why Irena should find her home in Abu Dhabi
Over the past few months a quiet effort has been underway in one of the most recognizable buildings in Abu Dhabi. A team has been carefully assembled under specialized leadership and their mission identified. Their target has been established: her name, Irena, born in Bonn in January 2009 and now in need of a home. Read more »