• Saudi singer Abdul Majeed Abdullah performs at the biggest outdoor concert venue in AlUla on Friday. All photos: Royal Commission for AlUla
    Saudi singer Abdul Majeed Abdullah performs at the biggest outdoor concert venue in AlUla on Friday. All photos: Royal Commission for AlUla
  • The singer performed some of his biggest hits at the historical site
    The singer performed some of his biggest hits at the historical site
  • Abdullah performed alongside a live orchestra on a massive stage set up in the midst of AlUla's abandoned canyons
    Abdullah performed alongside a live orchestra on a massive stage set up in the midst of AlUla's abandoned canyons
  • Fans from around the kingdom traveled to see Abdullah
    Fans from around the kingdom traveled to see Abdullah
  • He performed his hits Ya Tayeb El Galb, Min Mithlek, Gabl Aarfak and recent single Ya Ebn El Awadem under the star-lit skies
    He performed his hits Ya Tayeb El Galb, Min Mithlek, Gabl Aarfak and recent single Ya Ebn El Awadem under the star-lit skies
  • The orchestra was led by maestro Walid Fayed
    The orchestra was led by maestro Walid Fayed
  • Fans at the event
    Fans at the event
  • The concert was moved to a bigger outdoor venue built as an amphitheatre to accommodate the high demand of tickets
    The concert was moved to a bigger outdoor venue built as an amphitheatre to accommodate the high demand of tickets
  • Abdullah also performed in front of a massive screen with artworks reflecting AlUla's natural heritage
    Abdullah also performed in front of a massive screen with artworks reflecting AlUla's natural heritage
  • 'It is always a privilege to sing in my country and between my beloved fans,' said Abdullah before the event
    'It is always a privilege to sing in my country and between my beloved fans,' said Abdullah before the event

Saudi singer Abdul Majeed Abdullah performs in AlUla for the first time


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  • Arabic

Celebrated Saudi singer Abdul Majeed Abdullah performed at the biggest outdoor concert venue in AlUla on Friday evening.

For the event titled Abdul Majeed Abdullah Night, the singer took to the stage for the first at the historic site, with 2,500 fans in attendance.

Abdullah performed alongside a live orchestra on a massive stage set up in the midst of AlUla's abandoned canyons. The orchestra was led by maestro Walid Fayed and was held in front of a big screen with artworks reflecting AlUla's natural heritage.

He performed some of his most popular songs, including Ya Tayeb El Galb, Min Mithlek, Gabl Aarfak and recent single Ya Ebn El Awadem, as fans sang along and danced to romantic tracks under the star-lit skies.

Fans in attendance to watch Abdul Majeed Abdullah perform in AlUla. Photo: Royal Commission for AlUla
Fans in attendance to watch Abdul Majeed Abdullah perform in AlUla. Photo: Royal Commission for AlUla

There were also fashion retail stores, restaurants, coffee shops and gift shops selling AlUla heritage items at the venue, as well as plush outdoor seating with sofas set around bonfires, as temperature dropped to 12ºC.

“It is always a privilege to sing in my country and between my beloved fans," said Abdullah before the event. "I am thrilled to perform in AlUla, the historical city where the art meets culture, the ancient civilisations and the beauty of the nature."

The concert was moved to a bigger outdoor venue built as an amphitheatre to accommodate the high demand of tickets. Many of his fans travelled from around the country to see him perform.

“It was the best concert ever. I flew down from Riyadh with my friends and husband to watch him,” said Shahd Ahmad.

“We took a chartered plane to come and watch him and the flight was full,” said Dalia Nemer. “We dressed up and came straight to the concert and are going back to Riyadh after.”

Another fan praised how well organised the concert was allowing for her to easily get to the venue.

“I traveled from Madinah to Jeddah to catch the special flight to AlUla as all commercial flights were full," says Haneen Albashr. "The organisers of the concert arranged special flights and buses to take us to the concert and bring us back to the airport.”

The concert was broadcast on MBC and the AlUla Moments YouTube channel. In addition to Abdullah, the venue has hosted other popular acts from around the world such as Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, Lebanese pianist Guy Manoukian, Iraqi singer Kadhim AlSahir and Spanish violinist virtuoso Ara Malikian.

Abdul Majeed Abdullah Night coincides with the Arabian Leopard Week, as part of AlUla season, led by Royal Commission for AlUla to save the Arabian leopards and return the critically endangered species back to their natural habitat in Sharaan Nature Reserve.

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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

FIXTURES

Thursday
Dibba v Al Dhafra, Fujairah Stadium (5pm)
Al Wahda v Hatta, Al Nahyan Stadium (8pm)

Friday
Al Nasr v Ajman, Zabeel Stadium (5pm)
Al Jazria v Al Wasl, Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium (8pm)

Saturday
Emirates v Al Ain, Emirates Club Stadium (5pm)
Sharjah v Shabab Al Ahli Dubai, Sharjah Stadium (8pm)

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Updated: February 11, 2023, 12:34 PM