Hatta is hosting an inaugural festival highlighting its picturesque surrounds, with an array of family-friendly activities, cultural shows and weekend fireworks. It starts on Friday and will run until the end of the month.
The festival is part of the tourism campaign #DubaiDestinations, which puts a spotlight on the emirate's tourist hotspots, as well as up-and-coming venues. The focus is on the winter season, and the mountainous Dubai exclave is taking centre stage.
Taking place at Hatta Wadi Hub and the newly developed Leem Lake, the festival will feature traditional musical performances as well as food and beverage pop-ups. Visitors can expect an “intimate experience of Hatta's culture, cuisine and natural grandeur”, according to a statement from Brand Dubai.
At Hatta Wadi Hub, festivalgoers can expect food pop-ups from Saddle, Home Bakery and G.O.A.T, while enjoying the venue's outdoor activities, such as mountain biking, hiking, kayaking and zip-lining. Fireworks will light up the skies at 8pm on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, culminating in a New Year's Eve show at 11.59pm on December 31.
Wadi Hub also has camping facilities for those who want to soak in the scenic landscapes overnight. There will be workshops and educational experiences for children, as well as ice-skating and roller-skating rinks, in addition to padel courts and cycling tracks.
Both amateur and professional photographers and videographers can join a workshop conducted in partnership with the Hamdan bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Awards (HIPA), and take part in a competition for the best photo and video of Hatta.
Among the highlights of the festival is the Proudly from Dubai Market, curated by Brand Dubai. This will be staged at Leem Lake, a three-hectare area at the heart of the mountainous region. It will house 30 home-grown businesses, highlighting entrepreneurial stories of Hatta citizens, as well as a pop-up of popular burger shack Salt.
The festival will also have light shows at both venues, as well as projection mapping on Hatta's mountains, called Shining Peaks of Hatta. Visitors can also look out for a bicycle procession on December 24 and 29, while on December 30, a parade of classic cars will embark on a scenic journey from Dubai to the festival grounds.
There is no entrance fee, but individual experiences are chargeable on-site. The festival is open on weekdays from 3pm to 9pm, and on weekends from 10am to 10pm.
Dubai has recently been developing Hatta's infrastructure, and visitors can check out other attractions including Hatta Heritage Village, Hatta Hill Park and Hatta Dam.
The festival, too, coincides with other events, such as Hatta Cultural Nights, to be held from December 21 to January 1, and Hatta Honey Festival, taking place from December 27 to December 31.
What is the Supreme Petroleum Council?
The Abu Dhabi Supreme Petroleum Council was established in 1988 and is the highest governing body in Abu Dhabi’s oil and gas industry. The council formulates, oversees and executes the emirate’s petroleum-related policies. It also approves the allocation of capital spending across state-owned Adnoc’s upstream, downstream and midstream operations and functions as the company’s board of directors. The SPC’s mandate is also required for auctioning oil and gas concessions in Abu Dhabi and for awarding blocks to international oil companies. The council is chaired by Sheikh Khalifa, the President and Ruler of Abu Dhabi while Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, is the vice chairman.
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
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
