Palestinians overcome obstacles to unearth ancient treasures in Gaza

Just metres from the Mediterranean shore, archaeologists in Gaza are unearthing ancient wonders in the Palestinian enclave.

“There’s a saying, that Gaza lies above treasure,” said Nemaa El Sawarka, a guide and archaeologist working at the Saint Hilarion Monastery.

The monastery south of Gaza city is believed to be one of the largest uncovered in the Middle East.

While students stroll around the site, gazing at the baths and mosaics, Ms El Sawarka laments the lack of awareness among Gazans of their rich heritage.

There are a lot of sites to discover but the Palestinians don’t have the means to make the most of them

Rene Elter,
archaeologist and scientific director of the Saint Hilarion restoration project

“People come to me who aren’t aware of this place,” she said, beside a collection of mosaic fragments labelled with numbers.

“They talk about the stones and that this place is Christian, but we say this is our heritage,” Ms El Sawarka said.

Around 1,500 Gazans visit Saint Hilarion each week, according to staff, a significant increase since before the pandemic when only 1,000 people toured the site each month.

Dating to the fourth century AD, it has a crypt and quarters where pilgrims would stay.

Gaza’s antiquities are a testament to leaders who have laid claim to the Eastern Mediterranean over centuries past, but preserving such heritage is proving challenging.

The Palestinian territory has been under an Israeli-led blockade for 15 years and the entry of goods and people is strictly controlled.

Rene Elter, an archaeologist and scientific director of the Saint Hilarion restoration project, said the team had been hindered by the border restrictions.

“To carry out the strengthening and the restoration of the crypt, we had to make 3,000 blocks,” he said, of the stones cut to recreate the arched ceiling that stood centuries ago.

“These tools exist in the West Bank. In Gaza they don’t exist; there’s no tradition of stonemasonry in Gaza.

“It was impossible to import mechanical tools into Gaza, to cut the stone, so what did we do? We adapted. We made the tools ourselves."

A mosaic at Saint Hilarion Monastery, Gaza, pictured in 2013. AFP

While huge parts of the site have been excavated since the monastery was discovered in the 1990s, some areas have not been recovered because of a lack of resources.

Beside the baths a striking mosaic stands under a roof, protecting the array of animals marked out in the stone.

But elsewhere the mosaics lie out of view under pebbles or sand, as there is nothing to shield them from the bleaching sun.

The archaeological work of recent years has been funded by the British Council, the UK government’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, and the Aliph Foundation which focuses on heritage in conflict zones.

While such investment is welcome, Ms El Sawarka, 27, said the nature of such project financing means there can be gaps during which work stops.

“The thing we are most afraid of is that between contracts, in the period between signing a contract, there is a period of interruption,” she said.

As a student, she received three months of training at the site in 2018. She returned two years ago to work on the project, which is run by the French organisation Premiere Urgence Internationale.

The NGO has trained dozens of young Gazans, who Mr Elter hopes represent the future of archaeology in the territory.

“There are a lot of sites to discover but the Palestinians don’t have the means to make the most of them,” he said.

This year a fifth-century Byzantine church was opened to visitors in northern Gaza, while in February builders stumbled on a gravesite thought to be 2,000 years old.

“Our job is to create a team that can manage their heritage in the years to come,” Mr Elter said.

The French Development Agency last month announced it would fund a canopy to cover the site, paving the way for those hidden mosaics to be unveiled to the public.

Ms El Sawarka pictures the site becoming “the best place in Gaza”.

But as long as the Palestinian territory remains under blockade, few outsiders will have the opportunity to see the ancient site brought to light.

For Mr Elter, who has worked in Gaza intermittently over the past two decades, conducting excavations at the site is unlike anywhere else in the world.

“Here, everything is difficult and you must adapt," he said. "We adapt, we work with people who have the drive to do something excellent."

The biog

Simon Nadim has completed 7,000 dives.

The hardest dive in the UAE is the German U-boat 110m down off the Fujairah coast.

As a child, he loved the documentaries of Jacques Cousteau

He also led a team that discovered the long-lost portion of the Ines oil tanker.

If you are interested in diving, he runs the XR Hub Dive Centre in Fujairah

Green ambitions

Trees: 1,500 to be planted, replacing 300 felled ones, with veteran oaks protected
Lake: Brown's centrepiece to be cleaned of silt that makes it as shallow as 2.5cm
Biodiversity: Bat cave to be added and habitats designed for kingfishers and little grebes
Flood risk: Longer grass, deeper lake, restored ponds and absorbent paths all meant to siphon off water

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting

2. Prayer

3. Hajj

4. Shahada

5. Zakat

Coffee: black death or elixir of life?

It is among the greatest health debates of our time; splashed across newspapers with contradicting headlines - is coffee good for you or not?

Depending on what you read, it is either a cancer-causing, sleep-depriving, stomach ulcer-inducing black death or the secret to long life, cutting the chance of stroke, diabetes and cancer.

The latest research - a study of 8,412 people across the UK who each underwent an MRI heart scan - is intended to put to bed (caffeine allowing) conflicting reports of the pros and cons of consumption.

The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, contradicted previous findings that it stiffens arteries, putting pressure on the heart and increasing the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke, leading to warnings to cut down.

Numerous studies have recognised the benefits of coffee in cutting oral and esophageal cancer, the risk of a stroke and cirrhosis of the liver.

The benefits are often linked to biologically active compounds including caffeine, flavonoids, lignans, and other polyphenols, which benefit the body. These and othetr coffee compounds regulate genes involved in DNA repair, have anti-inflammatory properties and are associated with lower risk of insulin resistance, which is linked to type-2 diabetes.

But as doctors warn, too much of anything is inadvisable. The British Heart Foundation found the heaviest coffee drinkers in the study were most likely to be men who smoked and drank alcohol regularly.

Excessive amounts of coffee also unsettle the stomach causing or contributing to stomach ulcers. It also stains the teeth over time, hampers absorption of minerals and vitamins like zinc and iron.

It also raises blood pressure, which is largely problematic for people with existing conditions.

So the heaviest drinkers of the black stuff - some in the study had up to 25 cups per day - may want to rein it in.

Rory Reynolds

While you're here

Gavin Esler: The Good Friday Agreement teaches us some important lessons

Damien McElroy: Boris must listen to Churchill's comments on Irish divisions

Janine di Giovanni: Track 2 diplomacy key to lasting peace in 21st century

Farage on Muslim Brotherhood

Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.

Teachers' pay - what you need to know

Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:

- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools

- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say

- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance

- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs

- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills

- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month

- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues

Closing the loophole on sugary drinks

As The National reported last year, non-fizzy sugared drinks were not covered when the original tax was introduced in 2017. Sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, 20 grams of sugar per 500ml bottle.

The non-fizzy drink AriZona Iced Tea contains 65 grams of sugar – about 16 teaspoons – per 680ml can. The average can costs about Dh6, which would rise to Dh9.

Drinks such as Starbucks Bottled Mocha Frappuccino contain 31g of sugar in 270ml, while Nescafe Mocha in a can contains 15.6g of sugar in a 240ml can.

Flavoured water, long-life fruit juice concentrates, pre-packaged sweetened coffee drinks fall under the ‘sweetened drink’ category

Not taxed:

Freshly squeezed fruit juices, ground coffee beans, tea leaves and pre-prepared flavoured milkshakes do not come under the ‘sweetened drink’ band.

On Women's Day

Dr Nawal Al-Hosany: Why more women should be on the frontlines of climate action

Shelina Janmohamed: Why shouldn't a spouse be compensated fairly for housework?

Justin Thomas: Challenge the notion that 'men are from Mars, women are from Venus'

The National Editorial: Is there much to celebrate on International Women's Day 2021?

On Women's Day

Dr Nawal Al-Hosany: Why more women should be on the frontlines of climate action

Samar Elmnhrawy: How companies in the Middle East can catch up on gender equality

The National Editorial: Is there much to celebrate on International Women's Day 2021?

Justin Thomas: Challenge the notion that 'men are from Mars, women are from Venus'

Red flags

Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.

Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching

Director: Laxman Utekar

Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna

Rating: 1/5

The specs

AT4 Ultimate, as tested

Engine: 6.2-litre V8

Power: 420hp

Torque: 623Nm

Transmission: 10-speed automatic

Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)

On sale: Now

While you're here

National Editorial: What 'Fight Island' means for Abu Dhabi and the world

National Editorial: The UAE looks to cycling for exercise and for the planet

Gareth Cox: Sporting week in pictures, as Covid-19 makes its presence felt

• Remittance charges will be tackled by blockchain

• UAE's monumental and risky Mars Mission to inspire future generations, says minister

• Could the UAE drive India's economy?

• News has a bright future and the UAE is at the heart of it

• Architecture is over - here's cybertecture

• The National announces Future of News journalism competition

• Round up: Experts share their visions of the world to come

The specs

Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo

Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm

Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm

Transmission: Eight-speed auto

Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km

On sale: December

Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)

Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026

1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years

If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.

2. E-invoicing in the UAE

Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.

3. More tax audits

Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.

4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime

Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.

5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit

There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.

6. Further transfer pricing enforcement

Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.

7. Limited time periods for audits

Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.

8. Pillar 2 implementation

Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.

9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services

Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.

10. Substance and CbC reporting focus

Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.

Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer