Hamda Al Hashemi, a 22-year-old interior design graduate, is meticulous about her hobby. To do it, she must lock herself in a quiet room where she is free of any distractions.
For the past year, Al Hashemi has been learning the art of calligraphy after mastering the basics at a course run by Wissam Shawkat, one of the region’s most respected calligraphists, at a Dubai gallery.
“His method of teaching is different to any other method of teaching,” she says. “Usually you learn the rules; there are rules about dimensions of each letter that you have to practice and master before you start writing words. He taught us how to draw the shapes, rather than concentrate on the rules.”
Al Hashemi began by learning the diwani style of calligraphy, which used to be used to write royal decrees. The harder form is thuluth, which she expects will take her another few decades to grasp.
“Calligraphy is an entire school in itself. The diwani is more decorative and you can create logos. The thuluth is fixed, you can’t play around with it. I can do it, but if I got an expert to look, he would know I was a beginner. Wissam told us it took him 23 years to perfect it.”
Al Hashemi is using her calligraphy in a special project currently underway at the Dubai Outlet Mall. Her reputation has also landed contracts to create logos using the ancient art.
“I recently did some art work in Dubai Healthcare City and they wanted things related to the UAE, so I took a poem by Sheikh Rashid and I worked it into a composition. ”
She uses Instagram to share her work with her friends and fans.
“I want to start my own furnishing company and integrating the calligraphy into the work, either wood or acrylic. I haven’t had the time yet because I’m getting married next May, but once I’m married I’d like to start on it.”
What’s your favourite food?
Cheese Cheetos and margherita pizza. You can’t go wrong with a thin-crust margherita – you can eat all you want and never feel full.
Who’s your favourite artist?
Abdul Qader Al Raes. He’s not a calligraphist, but he’s an Emirati artist. He was one of the first Emirati artists. He learnt in Kuwait and his paintings focus on the UAE environment and heritage. His signature on his work is the dot used in calligraphy and his paintings have been sold at Christie’s. They are beautiful. I also like eL Seed, a Tunisian. His calligraphy isn’t traditional – he does graffiti. He has his own style and he’s known worldwide.
Favourite place to travel?
I’ve been going to Australia for the past seven years because my dad has been working there. I really enjoy Sydney [above]. One of the most beautiful places I’ve been is Austria, and I dream of going to Italy.
How do you relax?
My aunt has a farm in Al Dhaid and I love it. And I love going to the beach when the weather is nice. We also stay at a family home on Ghurab island in Abu Dhabi. It’s private; it’s disconnected from the world.
Favourite art gallery?
I really like the Ara Gallery [in Dubai] – it gets interesting artists and it does a lot of workshops. There’s also a gallery in Harrods in London that I like, and the Museum of Islamic Art in Qatar.
Favourite perfume?
Rose d’Arabie from the Armani/Privé collection.
What is your favourite book?
I don’t read novels or stories. I like to read self-improvement and psychology books. One of my favourite is Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, by Susan Cain. I like learning about personality types. I consider myself an introvert, that’s why I like this book.
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2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Common OCD symptoms and how they manifest
Checking: the obsession or thoughts focus on some harm coming from things not being as they should, which usually centre around the theme of safety. For example, the obsession is “the building will burn down”, therefore the compulsion is checking that the oven is switched off.
Contamination: the obsession is focused on the presence of germs, dirt or harmful bacteria and how this will impact the person and/or their loved ones. For example, the obsession is “the floor is dirty; me and my family will get sick and die”, the compulsion is repetitive cleaning.
Orderliness: the obsession is a fear of sitting with uncomfortable feelings, or to prevent harm coming to oneself or others. Objectively there appears to be no logical link between the obsession and compulsion. For example,” I won’t feel right if the jars aren’t lined up” or “harm will come to my family if I don’t line up all the jars”, so the compulsion is therefore lining up the jars.
Intrusive thoughts: the intrusive thought is usually highly distressing and repetitive. Common examples may include thoughts of perpetrating violence towards others, harming others, or questions over one’s character or deeds, usually in conflict with the person’s true values. An example would be: “I think I might hurt my family”, which in turn leads to the compulsion of avoiding social gatherings.
Hoarding: the intrusive thought is the overvaluing of objects or possessions, while the compulsion is stashing or hoarding these items and refusing to let them go. For example, “this newspaper may come in useful one day”, therefore, the compulsion is hoarding newspapers instead of discarding them the next day.
Source: Dr Robert Chandler, clinical psychologist at Lighthouse Arabia
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.
Based: Riyadh
Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany
Founded: September, 2020
Number of employees: 70
Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions
Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds
Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices
The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
I Care A Lot
Directed by: J Blakeson
Starring: Rosamund Pike, Peter Dinklage
3/5 stars
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GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
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- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
Tewellah by Nawal Zoghbi is out now.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
