People bargain for gold at the souq, tourists walk through the historic markets and porters haul goods on handcarts through the labyrinthine alleyways.
It seems like any other day in one of Dubai’s oldest and most densely populated districts.
But once the sun begins to set over Deira during Ramadan, the neighbourhood starts to change.
People purchase freshly cut watermelon and samosas from street stalls and small tandoor bakeries are thronged.
Workers start to unfurl carpets or plastic lining on many shop floors, places are set and food laid out. It is the same in scores of shops across the old town.
“At iftar, all of us are together,” said Adam Abd Al Rahman, an Egyptian, who was preparing to break his fast by sitting on the floor of the shop he works in selling tourist items. “It is extra special.”
Mr Al Rahman and his colleagues, whose shop is close to the gold souq, will have a simple meal together, typically consisting of dates, rice, bread, curried meat or vegetables, a piece of fruit and juice.
“There is not a manager, not a worker, not a salesman or not a cleaner – all of us are the same – the same food, the same chairs, the same everything,” he said.
'Like a family'
Taj Muhammad has worked in Deira for about seven years and also was about to break his fast on the shop floor.
“We will sit together and eat together,” said Mr Muhammad, who was born in Pakistan but grew up in Afghanistan.
“It is not like he is a senior or he is a junior. We are living like brothers, like a family.”
Mr Al Rahman, who has been in Dubai since 2011, said people changed during Ramadan, were more forgiving and there was no shouting like in normal times.
Gaza was also on people’s minds, he said. “People have a bad feeling about the situation in Palestine.”
Deira is a place where it is possible to purchase anything from gold bracelets and mobile phones to ornate Turkish-made lanterns.
But Mr Al Rahman said business takes a back seat during the holy month and work is not a priority.
“People do not care 100 per cent about business at this time,” he said.
“If someone would like to catch a customer, he is welcome. If not, we do not care.
“What is most important is praying, reading the Quran and reading some Hadiths,” he said. “Our mind is clearer. All of us try to do better.”
Curiosity from visitors
Ramadan now takes place during the traditional tourist season.
Guides were leading groups from China to America through the souq as the sun was about to set.
Mr Muhammad said tourists did ask them about Ramadan and why they were eating together in their shops.
“Sometimes they will try some food,” he said. “They haven't tried these kinds of things in their country, like the spices. They see us and we are all sitting together, like friends and family, so that's why they are surprised.”
Sher Khan, an Afghan resident who has been working in Deira about six years in an adjacent shop, agrees.
“Tourists some to the shop and say, 'very nice',” he said. “They take a little taste with us.”
Before sunset, charities distribute boxes of food to those who need it the most. Mosques also organise free iftars on the streets outside. And in the minutes before the maghrib prayer that marks the end of the fast sounds out across the old town, quiet descends.
The bright lights of shops selling everything from spices to carpets then start to dim. Sunset falls, people break their fast and the busy world outside can wait.
After iftar, many people walk to the neighbourhood mosques. The sounds of quiet prayer filter out across the old town, through the small side streets, into the souqs and drift out over Dubai Creek.
And when workers return to their jobs, life goes on, but at a slower pace.
“We will not fight for business,” said Mr Al Rahman.
“We trust that business comes from Allah.”
The first week of Ramadan around the Middle East and North Africa region – in pictures
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Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
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Emirates launched a new daily service to Mexico City this week, flying via Barcelona from Dh3,995.
Emirati citizens are among 67 nationalities who do not require a visa to Mexico. Entry is granted on arrival for stays of up to 180 days.
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Ahmed Raza
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Age: 31
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Role: Left-arm spinner
One-day internationals: 31 matches, 35 wickets, average 31.4, economy rate 3.95
T20 internationals: 41 matches, 29 wickets, average 30.3, economy rate 6.28
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Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
How it works
1) The liquid nanoclay is a mixture of water and clay that aims to convert desert land to fertile ground
2) Instead of water draining straight through the sand, it apparently helps the soil retain water
3) One application is said to last five years
4) The cost of treatment per hectare (2.4 acres) of desert varies from $7,000 to $10,000 per hectare
Results
2pm: Serve U – Maiden (TB) Dh60,000 (Dirt) 1,400m; Winner: Violent Justice, Pat Dobbs (jockey), Doug Watson (trainer)
2.30pm: Al Shafar Investment – Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,400m; Winner: Desert Wisdom, Bernardo Pinheiro, Ahmed Al Shemaili
3pm: Commercial Bank of Dubai – Handicap (TB) Dh68,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: Fawaareq, Sam Hitchcott, Doug Watson
3.30pm: Shadwell – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Down On Da Bayou, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer
4pm: Dubai Real Estate Centre – Maiden (TB) Dh60,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Rakeez, Patrick Cosgrave, Bhupat Seemar
4.30pm: Al Redha Insurance Brokers – Handicap (TB) Dh78,000 (D) 1,800m; Winner: Capla Crusader, Bernardo Pinheiro, Rashed Bouresly
Three ways to boost your credit score
Marwan Lutfi says the core fundamentals that drive better payment behaviour and can improve your credit score are:
1. Make sure you make your payments on time;
2. Limit the number of products you borrow on: the more loans and credit cards you have, the more it will affect your credit score;
3. Don't max out all your debts: how much you maximise those credit facilities will have an impact. If you have five credit cards and utilise 90 per cent of that credit, it will negatively affect your score.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
