Everyday Stuff from Ancient Arabia
Four years in the United Arab Emirates and I haven’t been in a museum. I always assume that museums prohibit photography, and when a certain place puts that restriction I lose interest. But that’s my...
View ArticleDubai Creek – Where Past Meets Present
In the early 20th century, Dubai was a small coastal village inhabited by a tribe—who came from the neighboring emirate, Abu Dhabi—led by the Al Maktoum family. Unlike its neighboring emirate, Dubai...
View ArticleJazirat al-Hamra: Ghost Town or a Crumbling Piece of History?
One look at the seclusion and crumbling walls across the main road tells us that we have arrived at the right place. It’s a couple of hours before dusk; we have some time to explore the area before...
View ArticleHouse of the Sheikh Who Once Ruled Dubai
“Put it back,” he said calmly. It was a quiet early morning in Shindagha several years ago. The entire household was still asleep, even the guards were yet to awake. Sheikh Saeed crossed the courtyard...
View ArticleJama Masjid: Commissioned by the Guy Behind Taj Mahal
Three years before the Taj Mahal came into completion, Shah Jahan—the fifth Mughal emperor of India—laid the foundation stone for the building of Jama Masjid in Delhi, India’s largest mosque. Pretty...
View ArticleHumayun’s Tomb, Delhi
Nine years after her husband’s death, Hamida Banu Begum hired a Persian architect to build a grand mausoleum in honor of her husband, Humayun, the second Mughal emperor. Why it took her almost a...
View ArticleTen Things About Umrah 2012
The decision to perform Umrah this year has been a spontaneous one. One morning Masood and I were on our way to the office when he casually asks, “Shall we go for Umrah?” I said yes, of course. Three...
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