Forgive the cliche, but more often than not, beauty resides in simplicity. Proof can be found in one of Jordan's most iconic contemporary shops, Silsal. The name translates to "clay" in Arabic - a choice akin to labelling a bakery "cake" or a department store "fabric" - and purity of design is the focus at the ceramics and furniture shop.
Inside this atelier's gallery in Jabal Amman is the stunning collection of ceramic designs that gave the shop its name: vases, bowls, plates, trays, teacups, coffee mugs, lamps and more testify to the myriad ways in which clay can be shaped. There is also a new line of furniture and accessories.
At the rear of the gallery, Samar Habayeb, Silsal's director and chief designer, is inspecting a new batch of pieces. Producing each piece requires 25 people working in tandem during seven stages over two months. All work takes place on site, and whenever possible, all materials are local - even the glazes are homemade. Samar inspects every piece before it leaves the workshop, scrutinising the composition and the details of the design.
"Take these four but not this one - look at the crack there," she tells an assistant. "It's one of the worst parts about making ceramics by hand," she explains. "After we put the pieces into the kiln, there's nothing we can do if there's a mistake."
Samar's mother and aunt, Reem and Rula Atalla, started the business when Samar was barely five years old, and she's grown up with the shop.
"There was no workshop and no staff when we first opened, just my aunt Rula and mother using a small potter's wheel and kiln in my aunt's basement," she recalls. The sisters' goal of preserving traditional ceramic craft came hand in hand with developing the country and offering gainful employment. Soon, the handmade crafts became popular with both Ammanis and tourists visiting Jordan.
Eighteen years in, the business had earned Silsal a sterling reputation in Jordanian society, and had become the go-to gift shop for individuals, families, foreign embassies and corporations. But for the founding sisters, sustaining the business, serving customers, and dealing with all those chipped plates and imperfect glazes just became too much.
"My mother and my aunt told the rest of our family, 'It's been 18 years. We've had great success but we've never made a profit and both of us want to retire,'" explains Samar, who at the time was completing an architecture degree. "I had these plans in place, but when my mother offered the job, I couldn't resist the challenge." She quickly changed gears, enrolling in a ceramics programme at Cardiff University in the UK, and returned to Amman to take the helm of Silsal.
Four years later, the 27-year-old designer has already made a deep impression. Last winter, she took Silsal into the furnishings arena, designing a diverse line of tables, stools and chairs whose common thread is simplicity of form, experimentation with materials, and homage to Silsal's signature ceramic motifs. Samar printed Arabic calligraphy onto a steel tripod stool, for example, and set a pastiche of ceramic Arabic letters directly into the wood of a side table. "The point at which two materials meet is so very important," she says, before explaining that setting Arabic letters into wood requires tracing, then carving out the exact position for the piece. Some tables have as many as 100 letters. The commitment to quality and beauty, however, is the priority, and Silsal's reputation for this accounts for the high demand for custom tables, chairs and, of course, ceramics.
In ceramics, Silsal's bread and butter, Samar has also given the atelier new directions. She maintained the traditional motifs such as Kufi Arabic calligraphy and a circular design inspired by an 11th-century Samarkand plate, but the catalogue is wider and cooler. On the rims of bowls, plates and trays, she has encouraged experimentation with block calligraphy, with the edge carved to correspond with the curves and notches of the Arabic script. Many bowls, cups and vases also feature a retro floral print, evocative of 1960s wallpaper patterns, and the modernist influence is increasingly apparent.
The unique blend of Arabic and modern aesthetics in such a bespoke style is earning Silsal wider recognition - and demand - beyond Jordan. Last month, Samar began selling Silsal's furniture at Kuwait's BTZ Gallery, which also sells Silsal ceramics. Silsal will also be present at the next edition of Maison et Objet, the premier biannual design expo in Paris. In addition, the shop's online store is attracting customers from around the world.
While her vision for the company includes further global expansion, the integrity and craftsmanship at the heart of Silsal remain immovable. "When people think of modern Arabic ceramics and design, I want them to think of Silsal," she says. "But I also want them to think of Jordan and the people of Jordan who make each piece."
Silsal products can be shipped to the UAE (price includes insurance) via the online store at www.silsal.com
RESULTS
3.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3 – Group 1 (PA) $75,000 (Dirt) 2,000m
Winner: Jugurtha De Monlau, Pat Dobbs (jockey), Jean-Claude Pecout (trainer)
4.05pm: Dubai City Of Gold – Group 2 (TB) $250,000 (Turf) 2,410m
Winner: Global Storm, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
4.40pm: Burj Nahaar – Group 3 (TB) $250,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Discovery Island, James Doyle, Bhupat Seemar
5.15pm: Nad Al Sheba Turf Sprint – Group 3 (TB) $250,000 (T) 1,200m
Winner: Al Dasim, Mickael Barzalona, George Boughey
5.50pm: Al Bastakiya – Listed (TB) $170,000 (D) 1,900m
Winner: Go Soldier Go, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass
6.25pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3 – Group 1 (TB) $450,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Salute The Soldier, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass
7.10pm: Ras Al Khor – Conditions (TB) $300,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: Al Suhail, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
7.45pm: Jebel Hatta – Group 1 (TB) $350,000 (T) 1,800m
Winner: Alfareeq, Dane O’Neill, Charlie Appleby
8.20pm: Mahab Al Shimaal – Group 3 (TB) $250,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Sound Money, Mickael Barzalona, Bhupat Seemar
The biog
Place of birth: Kalba
Family: Mother of eight children and has 10 grandchildren
Favourite traditional dish: Al Harees, a slow cooked porridge-like dish made from boiled cracked or coarsely ground wheat mixed with meat or chicken
Favourite book: My early life by Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, the Ruler of Sharjah
Favourite quote: By Sheikh Zayed, the UAE's Founding Father, “Those who have no past will have no present or future.”
COMPANY PROFILE
Company: Eco Way
Started: December 2023
Founder: Ivan Kroshnyi
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Electric vehicles
Investors: Bootstrapped with undisclosed funding. Looking to raise funds from outside
The specs
Engine: Single front-axle electric motor
Power: 218hp
Torque: 330Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 402km (claimed)
Price: From Dh215,000 (estimate)
On sale: September
Civil War
Director: Alex Garland
Starring: Kirsten Dunst, Cailee Spaeny, Wagner Moura, Nick Offerman
Rating: 4/5
Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
MEDIEVIL (1998)
Developer: SCE Studio Cambridge
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Console: PlayStation, PlayStation 4 and 5
Rating: 3.5/5
About Krews
Founder: Ahmed Al Qubaisi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Founded: January 2019
Number of employees: 10
Sector: Technology/Social media
Funding to date: Estimated $300,000 from Hub71 in-kind support
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Silkhaus
Started: 2021
Founders: Aahan Bhojani and Ashmin Varma
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Property technology
Funding: $7.75 million
Investors: Nuwa Capital, VentureSouq, Nordstar, Global Founders Capital, Yuj Ventures and Whiteboard Capital
Sonchiriya
Director: Abhishek Chaubey
Producer: RSVP Movies, Azure Entertainment
Cast: Sushant Singh Rajput, Manoj Bajpayee, Ashutosh Rana, Bhumi Pednekar, Ranvir Shorey
Rating: 3/5
Kill
Director: Nikhil Nagesh Bhat
Starring: Lakshya, Tanya Maniktala, Ashish Vidyarthi, Harsh Chhaya, Raghav Juyal
Rating: 4.5/5
ROUTE TO TITLE
Round 1: Beat Leolia Jeanjean 6-1, 6-2
Round 2: Beat Naomi Osaka 7-6, 1-6, 7-5
Round 3: Beat Marie Bouzkova 6-4, 6-2
Round 4: Beat Anastasia Potapova 6-0, 6-0
Quarter-final: Beat Marketa Vondrousova 6-0, 6-2
Semi-final: Beat Coco Gauff 6-2, 6-4
Final: Beat Jasmine Paolini 6-2, 6-2
One-off T20 International: UAE v Australia
When: Monday, October 22, 2pm start
Where: Abu Dhabi Cricket, Oval 1
Tickets: Admission is free
Australia squad: Aaron Finch (captain), Mitch Marsh, Alex Carey, Ashton Agar, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Chris Lynn, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Ben McDermott, Darcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Mitchell Starc, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa, Peter Siddle
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
TCL INFO
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
EMIRATES'S REVISED A350 DEPLOYMENT SCHEDULE
Edinburgh: November 4 (unchanged)
Bahrain: November 15 (from September 15); second daily service from January 1
Kuwait: November 15 (from September 16)
Mumbai: January 1 (from October 27)
Ahmedabad: January 1 (from October 27)
Colombo: January 2 (from January 1)
Muscat: March 1 (from December 1)
Lyon: March 1 (from December 1)
Bologna: March 1 (from December 1)
Source: Emirates
Company Profile
Name: Direct Debit System
Started: Sept 2017
Based: UAE with a subsidiary in the UK
Industry: FinTech
Funding: Undisclosed
Investors: Elaine Jones
Number of employees: 8
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million