Tucked away in a vestibule at a prominent Coptic site east of Cairo, where the infant Jesus and the Virgin Mary are believed to have sought refuge, is a large vibrant oil painting of the Holy Family.
At first glance, it seems commonplace enough for where it is, but as one begins to look closer, one is surprised to discern that Jesus, Mary and Joseph are painted with markedly Asian features. Towards the bottom of the painting, the artist has signed their nation's name: The Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
A number of military sites in Egypt are also decorated with art of the DPRK, popularly known as North Korea. This includes the October 6 Panorama in Heliopolis and the National Military Museum in Cairo's historic Al Khalifa district.
Some of the artworks, such as the gargantuan panorama commemorating Egypt’s victory against Israel in 1973 and a statue of former president Gamal Abdel Nasser among many others, were donated by the North Korean government to Egypt.
Others, following the same distinctive style, were created by Egyptians trained by North Korean military officers.
“It all began when I found out that the military had requested a group of artists to travel on a one-year mission to North Korea. I had the talent ever since I was young so I applied,” Mohamed Abdel Kader, a retired military officer and sculptor, recounts.
“After two years of tests in skills, precision and nerves, we were given a drawing test by North Korean instructors. They sat a model down and we had to draw him in graphite and oils. Our work was appraised and I was admitted.”
Mr Abdel Khader was in the first cohort of students that enrolled in a 1995 training programme through which Egyptian military officers were given three-year instruction courses at home by North Koreans in classical realism, a now passe style made famous by Orientalist painters in the nineteenth century. The courses continued until 2008 when the protocol ended.
Mr Abdel Kader was one of 40 students from hundreds who took the aptitude tests. A new round of students enrolled every three years and starting with the second instruction course in 1998, Egyptian graduates from the first course were invited to instruct some of the classes alongside their North Korean teachers.
By 2008, the course was being taught entirely by Egyptians who studied under the North Korean mission.
In the 1990s, after the fall of the Soviet Union, North Korea's anti-US stance on international matters put it at odds with much of the liberal world.
Its aggressive foreign policy, nuclear programme and support of other regimes around the world made North Korea the pariah state it is now.
A cult of personality surrounding the Kim family, who have ruled North Korea since its founding in 1948, has also been repeatedly denounced by international governments. The Kims are accused of inhumane practices against their populace, who continue to be ruled with an iron fist.
But in North Korea, art has played a key part in state propaganda and government messaging.
The original Egyptian-North Korean military agreement included a year of study in Pyongyang, which was cancelled due to unfavourable political conditions when the time came for Mr Abdel Kader to depart. Instead, North Korean instructors came to Egypt. Mr Abdel Kader has to this day never visited North Korea, despite an admiration for the talent of the rogue state's artists.
“In my opinion, North Korean artists are perhaps the best in the world,” Mr Abdel Kader said. “Their culture nurtures talent in children from a young age. The more I read about their philosophy in art, the more respect I had for them.
“We didn't know much about North Korea when we signed up. Just bits and pieces but nothing concrete about how the world viewed them and so on. When the time came to start, we were taken to the North Korean embassy in Cairo, where were shown these books with photos of North Korea and its people. We found it quite charming and were excited to start.”
Mr Abdel Kader, 53, whose belief in military ideals of self-discipline is shown in his meticulously ironed and colour-matched outfit and strong build, was taken with his instructors and their uncanny ability to realistically depict whatever they were painting.
A staunch Arabist, Mr Abdel Kader was also moved by the North Koreans’ fascination with the Orientalist movement, which produced a number of works on Arab cities and culture, he recounts.
“What drew me to the style was that its central focus was recording history as it happened. It was very realistic. Classical realism depicts the truth exactly. Not how the artist feels about it. You don’t see the brushstrokes on the canvas. It was truly meticulous work,” he explains.
“The style does not exaggerate anything like abstract or surrealist art, those are based on the artist’s take on their subject. With classical realism, the artist learns to put their feelings aside and only looks at what is before them.”
The instructors’ discipline and ability to produce realistic still lifes in minutes quickly won over the group of young Egyptian artists, and Mr Abdel Kader says that the more he spent time with them, the more he felt as though “I had met Muslims who had never known Islam”, borrowing a proverb he had heard in his youth.
“They loved their country and were committed to its success and I admired that.”
During field trips that the students took to particularly picturesque locations around Cairo to paint still lifes, they would often come into contact with fine arts students from various universities in Egypt.
Often the students were perplexed to see the military officers being taken around by their North Korean instructors.
At times, they would hurl insults at the military trainees, accusing them of not being real artists and of serving a political agenda. Abdel Kader and others who joined the instruction course continue to receive such insults on social media.
Mr Abdel Kader continues to make commissioned sculptures. His latest works include a bust of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and a bronze relief of a woman which will go up at a square in Cairo.
His past work includes a statue of former interior minister Ahmed Rushdi, which went up at a public square in the city of Menoufia, north of Cairo.
Aside from the training programme for the Egyptian officers, the agreement signed between Cairo and Pyongyang would also provide Egypt with a comprehensive visual account of its 7,000-year history.
Rendered by North Korean artists working in state-owned studios – which by the 1990s had become some of the world’s largest producers of propaganda art commissioned by foreign governments – were paintings, reliefs, sculptures and statues depicting Egypt’s victories and glories.
While some of the depictions were of pharaonic military victories, others were of former presidents Anwar Sadat, Nasser and Hosni Mubarak as well.
Relations between North Korea and Egypt date back to the 1950s, when the government of Kim Il-Sung, the almost mythological founder of modern North Korea, came out vocally in support of Nasser’s nationalisation of the Suez Canal from under British colonial control.
The two countries sent repeated diplomatic missions to one another throughout the 1950s. By 1963, each side had sent an ambassador to the other, who set up permanent diplomatic missions.
The Mansudae Art Studio, a hub of art production in Pyongyang, remains one of the world’s most prolific makers of what has been called propaganda art. Opened in 1959, the studio has produced monuments for 18 African and Asian countries as of 2014.
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Emergency phone numbers in the UAE
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
Super 30
Produced: Sajid Nadiadwala and Phantom Productions
Directed: Vikas Bahl
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Pankaj Tripathi, Aditya Srivastav, Mrinal Thakur
Rating: 3.5 /5
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
TWISTERS
Director: Lee Isaac Chung
Starring: Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Anthony Ramos
Rating: 2.5/5
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
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Petrarch: Everywhere a Wanderer
Christopher Celenza,
Reaktion Books
Getting there
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Tbilisi from Dh1,025 return including taxes
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)
Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
Tips for entertaining with ease
· Set the table the night before. It’s a small job but it will make you feel more organised once done.
· As the host, your mood sets the tone. If people arrive to find you red-faced and harried, they’re not going to relax until you do. Take a deep breath and try to exude calm energy.
· Guests tend to turn up thirsty. Fill a big jug with iced water and lemon or lime slices and encourage people to help themselves.
· Have some background music on to help create a bit of ambience and fill any initial lulls in conversations.
· The meal certainly doesn’t need to be ready the moment your guests step through the door, but if there’s a nibble or two that can be passed around it will ward off hunger pangs and buy you a bit more time in the kitchen.
· You absolutely don’t have to make every element of the brunch from scratch. Take inspiration from our ideas for ready-made extras and by all means pick up a store-bought dessert.
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If you go...
Fly from Dubai or Abu Dhabi to Chiang Mai in Thailand, via Bangkok, before taking a five-hour bus ride across the Laos border to Huay Xai. The land border crossing at Huay Xai is a well-trodden route, meaning entry is swift, though travellers should be aware of visa requirements for both countries.
Flights from Dubai start at Dh4,000 return with Emirates, while Etihad flights from Abu Dhabi start at Dh2,000. Local buses can be booked in Chiang Mai from around Dh50
The Sky Is Pink
Director: Shonali Bose
Cast: Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Farhan Akhtar, Zaira Wasim, Rohit Saraf
Three stars
The Greatest Royal Rumble card
50-man Royal Rumble - names entered so far include Braun Strowman, Daniel Bryan, Kurt Angle, Big Show, Kane, Chris Jericho, The New Day and Elias
Universal Championship Brock Lesnar (champion) v Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
WWE World Heavyweight ChampionshipAJ Styles (champion) v Shinsuke Nakamura
Intercontinental Championship Seth Rollins (champion) v The Miz v Finn Balor v Samoa Joe
United States Championship Jeff Hardy (champion) v Jinder Mahal
SmackDown Tag Team Championship The Bludgeon Brothers (champions) v The Usos
Raw Tag Team Championship (currently vacant) Cesaro and Sheamus v Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt
Casket match The Undertaker v Rusev
Singles match John Cena v Triple H
Cruiserweight Championship Cedric Alexander v Kalisto
Mobile phone packages comparison
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
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Specs
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Earth under attack: Cosmic impacts throughout history
- 4.5 billion years ago: Mars-sized object smashes into the newly-formed Earth, creating debris that coalesces to form the Moon
- 66 million years ago: 10km-wide asteroid crashes into the Gulf of Mexico, wiping out over 70 per cent of living species – including the dinosaurs.
- 50,000 years ago: 50m-wide iron meteor crashes in Arizona with the violence of 10 megatonne hydrogen bomb, creating the famous 1.2km-wide Barringer Crater
- 1490: Meteor storm over Shansi Province, north-east China when large stones “fell like rain”, reportedly leading to thousands of deaths.
- 1908: 100-metre meteor from the Taurid Complex explodes near the Tunguska river in Siberia with the force of 1,000 Hiroshima-type bombs, devastating 2,000 square kilometres of forest.
- 1998: Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 breaks apart and crashes into Jupiter in series of impacts that would have annihilated life on Earth.
-2013: 10,000-tonne meteor burns up over the southern Urals region of Russia, releasing a pressure blast and flash that left over 1600 people injured.
The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
Engine 3.6L V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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