While many restaurants offer opulent iftars in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, priced up to Dh400 a pop, dining out during Ramadan does not always have to be pricey.
Here, The National rounds up seven affordable iftars to check out — all under Dh100.
Muchachas, Dubai
Price: Dh99
This Holiday Inn restaurant is for those craving Mexican food to break their fast.
The venue has curated a three-course set menu for iftar and on it are salads, seasonal fruits and dates, burrito bowls, fried huachinango as well as sharing-style desserts such as churros.
Throughout Ramadan; sunset-8pm; Dh99; Holiday Inn Express Al Safa; 04 327 5878
Baofriend, Dubai
Price: Dh69
This Dubai Silicon Oasis restaurant is offering a four-course set menu of Asian cuisine.
Dishes include vegetable fritters served with Thai sweet chilli sauce, mixed vegetable salad with peanut sauce and crackers, or miso lentil soup for starters. For mains, there is a choice of wok-fried noodles, hambagu rice, and Kimchi ramen.
For dessert, there is pisang goreng with fried plantain and vanilla ice cream, dulce de leche or an Indonesian mixed-ice dessert made with jackfruit, avocado and grass jelly.
Throughout Ramadan; sunset-10pm; Dh69; Dubai Silicon Oasis; 04 287 5120
Aqaya Bakefectionery, Dubai
Price: Dh99
The recently opened cafe and restaurant in Dubai Creek Harbour offers an alfresco iftar.
The package comes with soup, salad, mains, dessert and a mocktail. Diners can choose from a selection of pizzas, stuffed orange chicken, saffron Umm Ali and rose almond milk cake.
Throughout Ramadan; sunset-8pm; Dh99; Tower 3, Dubai Creek Harbour; 04 257 4306
Jehangirs, Dubai
Price: Dh89
An extensive Indian buffet is on offer at this Mankhool restaurant, which features Mughlai flavours.
To start, there are a selection of fruits, dates and drinks, which are followed by salad or dal shorba. Five curries are available for mains, including nalli rogan josh, gosht korma and aloo gosht. Desserts include rasmalai, fruit custard and phirni.
Throughout Ramadan; sunset-8.30pm; Dh89 adults, Dh59 children; M Square Building, Al Mankhool; 04 591 6167
IntercityHotel Waterfront Al Jaddaf, Dubai
Price: Dh75
A traditional Middle Eastern buffet overlooking the Dubai Creek awaits.
There is a selection of cold mezze, salads and soup for starters, followed by regional classics such as lamb ouzi, beef kofta, samak harra and aubergine moussaka. Ramadan drinks and desserts are also available.
Throughout Ramadan; sunset-10pm; Dh75 adults, half-price children aged five to 11, free under fives; Al Jaddaf; 04 574 3900
Al Mashowa, Dubai
Price: Dh95
This Emirati restaurant inside Riverland theme park is offering a buffet for iftar.
Guests can expect dishes such as chicken machboos and dawoud basha. There is also a live barbecue station with lamb kofta, fish and chicken wings, and a beverage station serving jallab, dried apricot juice, sweet tamarind and more.
March 31 to April 20; 7pm-9pm; Dh95 per adult, Dh45 per child; Dubai Parks and Resorts; 04 820 4330
Ruchi Restaurant, Abu Dhabi
Price: Dh55
This Indian restaurant on Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Street in Abu Dhabi is hosting a buffet for iftar.
Fruit, dates and fresh juices are available to start, with snacks such as crispy onion pakoda and mini Punjabi samosas on the menu to start. A selection of salads is also available, including green apple with pickled radish and caramelised walnuts, as well as roasted pumpkin with arugula and pomegranate.
Mains include kalmi kebab, malai tikka, honey chilli crispy chicken and Kung pow chicken.
Throughout Ramadan; sunset-11pm; Dh55 per person; Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Street; 02 679 5679
Expo details
Expo 2020 Dubai will be the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia
The world fair will run for six months from October 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021.
It is expected to attract 25 million visits
Some 70 per cent visitors are projected to come from outside the UAE, the largest proportion of international visitors in the 167-year history of World Expos.
More than 30,000 volunteers are required for Expo 2020
The site covers a total of 4.38 sqkm, including a 2 sqkm gated area
It is located adjacent to Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai South
UAE%20ILT20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMarquee%20players%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EMoeen%20Ali%2C%20Andre%20Russell%2C%20Dawid%20Malan%2C%20Wanindu%20Hasiranga%2C%20Sunil%20Narine%2C%20Evin%20Lewis%2C%20Colin%20Munro%2C%20Fabien%20Allen%2C%20Sam%20Billings%2C%20Tom%20Curran%2C%20Alex%20Hales%2C%20Dushmantha%20Chameera%2C%20Shimron%20Hetmyer%2C%20Akeal%20Hosein%2C%20Chris%20Jordan%2C%20Tom%20Banton%2C%20Sandeep%20Lamichhane%2C%20Chris%20Lynn%2C%20Rovman%20Powell%2C%20Bhanuka%20Rajapaksa%2C%20Mujeeb%20Ul%20Rahman%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInternational%20players%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3ELahiru%20Kumara%2C%20Seekugge%20Prassanna%2C%20Charith%20Asalanka%2C%20Colin%20Ingram%2C%20Paul%20Stirling%2C%20Kennar%20Lewis%2C%20Ali%20Khan%2C%20Brandon%20Glover%2C%20Ravi%20Rampaul%2C%20Raymon%20Reifer%2C%20Isuru%20Udana%2C%20Blessing%20Muzarabani%2C%20Niroshan%20Dickwella%2C%20Hazaratullah%20Zazai%2C%20Frederick%20Klassen%2C%20Sikandar%20Raja%2C%20George%20Munsey%2C%20Dan%20Lawrence%2C%20Dominic%20Drakes%2C%20Jamie%20Overton%2C%20Liam%20Dawson%2C%20David%20Wiese%2C%20Qais%20Ahmed%2C%20Richard%20Gleeson%2C%20James%20Vince%2C%20Noor%20Ahmed%2C%20Rahmanullah%20Gurbaz%2C%20Navin%20Ul%20Haq%2C%20Sherfane%20Rutherford%2C%20Saqib%20Mahmood%2C%20Ben%20Duckett%2C%20Benny%20Howell%2C%20Ruben%20Trumpelman%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
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
ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA
Starring: Nader Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, Ramzi Maqdisi
Directors: Tarzan and Arab Nasser
Rating: 4.5/5
LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
