The skyline selfie, the desert jump and the inflatable flamingo in an infinity pool – everyone in the UAE with an Instagram account is guilty of it, and who can blame us?
With its world-renowned skylines, perfectly manicured beaches and a literal giant frame, the UAE was made to be photographed, but it’s the unexplored corners of the Emirates that hold the most charm.
In our new series of guides to the UAE's hidden gems, we speak to the experts – the tour guides, the foodies, the culture fiends and the nature-lovers – to find out where they spend their free time.
For our second instalment, we’re grabbing our cameras and going off the beaten track with the UAE’s most talented photographers, exploring every nook and cranny to scope out the country’s most photogenic spots.
Dubai's cityscapes and Fujairah's valleys
Self-taught photographer Kareem Mazhar has lived in Dubai for seven years and has spent a good chunk of that time exploring the UAE’s lesser-known spaces with his camera.
“The UAE has everything you can ever want in a picture,” says Mazhar, 35, whose Instagram handle is @keeksawy.
“There’s nature, mountains, desert, futuristic cityscapes and every year there’s a new spot to explore – that’s what makes it so special.
“I hike with my camera and I’m pretty sure that every single sunrise is different, every single day is different; I’ve been to the same spots twice and had totally different encounters each time.”
One spot where Mazhar feels most at peace is Wadi Abadilah in Fujairah, which runs north-east towards the coast of Dibba.
“People usually go to hike mountains, but this is an actual valley,” he explains.
“If you go after it’s rained, you’re going to find cold pools of water with very tiny frogs inside – in the middle of the desert – it’s fascinating.
“You’ll also find beautiful red dragonflies that I haven’t seen anywhere else in the world but here. If you’re not scared of insects, they are incredible to photograph.
“I love exploring and if there’s a hard trail that not a lot of people will take, then I will take it because I enjoy finding and seeing stuff that people haven’t seen before.
“Anything that relates to earth draws me in, right down to the tiniest flower growing between two rocks, because they’re so unique.”
Back in the city, Mazhar has a sneaky suggestion for getting the most incredible cityscape images of the Dubai skyline.
“At Central Park Towers, there’s a balcony accessible to the public if you arrange it in advance,” he reveals.
“If you go during sunset, you get an amazing reflection of the sun on the Burj Khalifa with really cool colours in the background – it’s sort of like an insider secret.”
Down the road in Dubai Design District is what Mazhar calls a portrait photographer's “dream”.
“If you walk in between the buildings, there’s some incredible coloured walls that you can use as a background,” he says.
“D3 Playground has a really colourful basketball court and nearby is a vibrant climbing wall where you can get a range of backgrounds in the same shoot.”
Mazhar refers to his final destination as a “forgotten gem”, as opposed to a secret one, though his stunning shots from Al Qudra Lakes are impossible not to remember.
“If you’re looking for a background of a lake with trees and an abundance of sand dunes, then this is your spot,” he says. “There won’t be anyone else in sight if you go there for a sunrise shoot.
“This is one of my personal favourites. It’s not far, it’s easy to reach and you don’t need a 4x4 to get there.”
Sharjah's ghost town and Abu Dhabi's fossil dunes
Fellow photographer Mohammad Azizi, 23, has 41,000 followers on his photography Instagram account @alphaspotting.
He has lived in Dubai all his life and says most of the UAE’s most photogenic shots are hidden in the desert.
“The tree road on Al Qudra cycle track is literally a road that has been built to accommodate a huge tree in the desert,” he says.
“It’s a very unique Dubai location and I don’t think there’s anything else like that in the world.”
Out in Sharjah, Azizi’s favourite spot is Al Madam abandoned village, also known as the Ghost Town.
“Again, I think it’s something that’s totally unique to the UAE,” says Azizi. “You’re not going to see this anywhere else on the planet.
“I love it there. You feel like you could be Lawrence of Arabia or on the set of an apocalyptic film.
“It’s an eerie feeling, but in a good way and if you go for sunrise, the sounds of the desert winds are all you’ll hear for miles.”
Lastly, Azizi recommends aspiring photographers head to Al Wathba Fossil Dunes in Abu Dhabi.
“I would describe The Fossil Rocks as an alien land,” he smiles. “If you click the picture at the right angle and edit it right, you could be on Mars. It’s completely fascinating.”
House of Wisdom and Mosque of Light
Altamash Javed, who has 78,000 Instagram followers at @aljvd, was also raised in Dubai, and believes that nowhere quite compares to Sharjah for capturing the UAE’s rich culture.
“One of the latest places in the UAE that I have absolutely fallen in love with is Al Suhub Rest House in Khor Fakkan,” says the photographer, 36.
“Perched on top of Khor Fakkan’s highest viewpoint, you not only get great views but there’s also a restaurant up there.
“I would highly recommend going up for sunset, the views are just incredible.”
While in the area, Javed recommends stopping off at the House of Wisdom in the Al Juraina 1 neighbourhood, a landmark that was also recommended by tour guide Nada Badran in our last hidden gems guide.
“As a photographer, it's a dream to shoot as I love architecture,” he says.
“You must take a walk around the building to really appreciate it, especially The Scroll monument, which has what seems like infinite shooting angles.”
Finally, Javed recommends heading to Mohamed Abdulkhaliq Gargash Masjid, better known as Mosque of Light, in Dubai’s Al Quoz, which was designed by Dabbagh Architects.
“It is surrounded by a tonne of warehouses, making the mosque really stand out,” he explains.
“You feel a sense of calm and tranquillity there despite being in one of the busiest parts of the city.
“It’s incredible, but I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.”
Top 10 secret UAE spots for photographers at a glance:
- Wadi Abadilah, Fujairah
- Central Park Towers balcony, Dubai
- Dubai Design District, Dubai
- Al Qudra Lakes, Dubai
- Al Madam abandoned village, Sharjah
- Al Wathba Fossil Dunes, Abu Dhabi
- Al Suhub Rest House, Sharjah
- House of Wisdom, Sharjah
- The Scroll monument, Sharjah
- Mosque of Light, Dubai
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
Teams
Punjabi Legends Owners: Inzamam-ul-Haq and Intizar-ul-Haq; Key player: Misbah-ul-Haq
Pakhtoons Owners: Habib Khan and Tajuddin Khan; Key player: Shahid Afridi
Maratha Arabians Owners: Sohail Khan, Ali Tumbi, Parvez Khan; Key player: Virender Sehwag
Bangla Tigers Owners: Shirajuddin Alam, Yasin Choudhary, Neelesh Bhatnager, Anis and Rizwan Sajan; Key player: TBC
Colombo Lions Owners: Sri Lanka Cricket; Key player: TBC
Kerala Kings Owners: Hussain Adam Ali and Shafi Ul Mulk; Key player: Eoin Morgan
Venue Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Format 10 overs per side, matches last for 90 minutes
Timeline October 25: Around 120 players to be entered into a draft, to be held in Dubai; December 21: Matches start; December 24: Finals
Volunteers offer workers a lifeline
Community volunteers have swung into action delivering food packages and toiletries to the men.
When provisions are distributed, the men line up in long queues for packets of rice, flour, sugar, salt, pulses, milk, biscuits, shaving kits, soap and telecom cards.
Volunteers from St Mary’s Catholic Church said some workers came to the church to pray for their families and ask for assistance.
Boxes packed with essential food items were distributed to workers in the Dubai Investments Park and Ras Al Khaimah camps last week. Workers at the Sonapur camp asked for Dh1,600 towards their gas bill.
“Especially in this year of tolerance we consider ourselves privileged to be able to lend a helping hand to our needy brothers in the Actco camp," Father Lennie Connully, parish priest of St Mary’s.
Workers spoke of their helplessness, seeing children’s marriages cancelled because of lack of money going home. Others told of their misery of being unable to return home when a parent died.
“More than daily food, they are worried about not sending money home for their family,” said Kusum Dutta, a volunteer who works with the Indian consulate.
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
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What is cyberbullying?
Cyberbullying or online bullying could take many forms such as sending unkind or rude messages to someone, socially isolating people from groups, sharing embarrassing pictures of them, or spreading rumors about them.
Cyberbullying can take place on various platforms such as messages, on social media, on group chats, or games.
Parents should watch out for behavioural changes in their children.
When children are being bullied they they may be feel embarrassed and isolated, so parents should watch out for signs of signs of depression and anxiety
Huroob Ezterari
Director: Ahmed Moussa
Starring: Ahmed El Sakka, Amir Karara, Ghada Adel and Moustafa Mohammed
Three stars
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Friday (all kick-offs UAE time)
Hertha Berlin v Union Berlin (10.30pm)
Saturday
Freiburg v Werder Bremen (5.30pm)
Paderborn v Hoffenheim (5.30pm)
Wolfsburg v Borussia Dortmund (5.30pm)
Borussia Monchengladbach v Bayer Leverkusen (5.30pm)
Bayern Munich v Eintracht Frankfurt (5.30pm)
Sunday
Schalke v Augsburg (3.30pm)
Mainz v RB Leipzig (5.30pm)
Cologne v Fortuna Dusseldorf (8pm)
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
Countdown to Zero exhibition will show how disease can be beaten
Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease, an international multimedia exhibition created by the American Museum of National History in collaboration with The Carter Center, will open in Abu Dhabi a month before Reaching the Last Mile.
Opening on October 15 and running until November 15, the free exhibition opens at The Galleria mall on Al Maryah Island, and has already been seen at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Queen
Nicki Minaj
(Young Money/Cash Money)
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UAE SQUAD FOR ASIAN JIU-JITSU CHAMPIONSHIP
Men’s squad: Faisal Al Ketbi, Omar Al Fadhli, Zayed Al Kathiri, Thiab Al Nuaimi, Khaled Al Shehhi, Mohamed Ali Al Suwaidi, Farraj Khaled Al Awlaqi, Muhammad Al Ameri, Mahdi Al Awlaqi, Saeed Al Qubaisi, Abdullah Al Qubaisi and Hazaa Farhan
Women's squad: Hamda Al Shekheili, Shouq Al Dhanhani, Balqis Abdullah, Sharifa Al Namani, Asma Al Hosani, Maitha Sultan, Bashayer Al Matrooshi, Maha Al Hanaei, Shamma Al Kalbani, Haya Al Jahuri, Mahra Mahfouz, Marwa Al Hosani, Tasneem Al Jahoori and Maryam Al Amri
What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
SPAIN SQUAD
Goalkeepers Simon (Athletic Bilbao), De Gea (Manchester United), Sanchez (Brighton)
Defenders Gaya (Valencia), Alba (Barcelona), P Torres (Villarreal), Laporte (Manchester City), Garcia (Manchester City), D Llorente (Leeds), Azpilicueta (Chelsea)
Midfielders Busquets (Barcelona), Rodri (Manchester City), Pedri (Barcelona), Thiago (Liverpool), Koke (Atletico Madrid), Ruiz (Napoli), M Llorente (Atletico Madrid)
Forwards: Olmo (RB Leipzig), Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad), Morata (Juventus), Moreno (Villarreal), F Torres (Manchester City), Traore (Wolves), Sarabia (PSG)
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
MATCH INFO
West Ham United 2 (Antonio 73', Ogbonna 90 5')
Tottenham Hotspur 3 (Son 36', Moura 42', Kane 49')
Points Classification
1. Marcel Kittel (Germany / Quick-Step) 63
2. Arnaud Demare (France / FDJ) 38
3. Andre Greipel (Germany / Lotto) 25
4. Sonny Colbrelli (Italy / Bahrain) 24
5. Mark Cavendish (Britain / Dimension Data) 22
6. Taylor Phinney (U.S. / Cannondale) 21
7. Geraint Thomas (Britain / Team Sky) 20
8. Thomas Boudat (France / Direct Energie) 20
9. Stefan Kueng (Switzerland / BMC Racing) 17
10. Michael Matthews (Australia / Sunweb) 17
HEADLINE HERE
- I would recommend writing out the text in the body
- And then copy into this box
- It can be as long as you link
- But I recommend you use the bullet point function (see red square)
- Or try to keep the word count down
- Be wary of other embeds lengthy fact boxes could crash into
- That's about it
BULKWHIZ PROFILE
Date started: February 2017
Founders: Amira Rashad (CEO), Yusuf Saber (CTO), Mahmoud Sayedahmed (adviser), Reda Bouraoui (adviser)
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: E-commerce
Size: 50 employees
Funding: approximately $6m
Investors: Beco Capital, Enabling Future and Wain in the UAE; China's MSA Capital; 500 Startups; Faith Capital and Savour Ventures in Kuwait
