There is a suburb of Abu Dhabi where you can travel the world.
According to the Abu Dhabi Film Commission, Mussaffah can double as a location for Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait and even parts of war-torn Iraq and Afghanistan.
This may not be hugely surprising. Mussaffah developed as an industrial complex from the 1970s as the discovery of oil transformed the city. It swiftly became known for its gritty mix of shabby warehouses, labour camps and car workshops. But the suburb is now home to Dalma Mall, the emirate’s second-largest after Yas Mall, schools are opening, restaurants are appearing and a hotel will welcome its first guests by December. Abu Dhabi Municipality has installed new street lights, demolished buildings, removed abandoned cars and the air of unruliness that once pervaded the area is fading away.
Mussaffah is divided by the E30 motorway. On one side, by the port, is the industrial area while on the other side is the residential area of Mussaffah Shabiya.
When we visit the industrial part one Sunday evening, crowds of people are attending St Paul’s Catholic Church for mass. At least 10,000 people attend services here every week and music from the choir drifts into the street and into the nearby labour accommodation.
There are also Armenian and Greek churches, while a huge Anglican church is being built nearby. Reverend Andy Thompson is the chaplain at St Andrew's Church in Abu Dhabi city. It can no longer cope with demand and this new centre of worship will cater for the expanding Christian community.
“It’s changing in front of our eyes,” said Rev Thompson, who arrived in the UAE eight years ago. “The area has been cleaned up massively.”
Many who live in Mussaffah are domestic and industrial workers, do not make a lot of money and can’t afford to travel into the city to attend services. The church aims to change that.
“I’ve met people from Africa and India who are Christian and say: ‘You don’t see me in church because it’s difficult for me to get there from Mussaffah’,” said Rev Thompson.
Across the E30 is Mussaffah Shabiya, hugging the motorway down a long strip. Official population figures for Mussaffah are not public but most people live in this part and here, too, changes are in the air. People are drawn to the competitive rents with one-bedroom apartments now available for Dh40,000. A trail of 4x4s wait for service outside funky restaurant Burger28, schools have relocated to the area and construction sites abound.
At Ghulam Manual Bakery, Reham Ulla is manning the oven. Mr Ulla, from Afghanistan, sells about 400 naan a day and works beside the gas-fired oven despite the searing summer heat. “What am I to do?” he says, as the sweat pours off his brow. “In winter it’s no problem, but summer is too hot and difficult.”
A steady stream of customers line up for the bread despite some of these older bakeries falling out of favour. Down the street is Nourmandy restaurant. Mohammed Hassan opened the seafood eatery four years ago and says business has increased over the past few years.
“It’s like a small town and here we have everything,” said Mr Hassan, who is from Egypt. “New customers are always coming in.”
In a nearby block, the final touches are being applied to the 73-room Gravity Hotel. It’s the first in the area and its new manager Youssef Riachy says the facility is sorely needed because of the influx of schools, the presence of Al Ain University and the forthcoming Burjeel Hospital.
“We are targeting the corporates,” he said. “There will be many engineers, doctors and students coming here. Now they will have options.”
The area is home to a multinational community — Indians, Egyptians, Pakistanis, Jordanians walk from the bakeries to the laundries, baqalas and vegetable shops. People play cricket and volleyball in the car parks.
Shazad Akram, from Lahore, Pakistan, lives in the area and has stopped for a karak at one of the many small cafeterias. “Before, there were no malls or markets,” said Mr Akram, 29. “I prefer here to the city because there it’s hard to park. We also have good security.”
Mussaffah Shabiya is also punctuated by several small fishmongers. You don’t find many of these standalone fish shops in Abu Dhabi anymore with most swallowed by supermarkets and large markets.
Al Rayyan Fresh Fish opened last year and is one of at least four in the area. Al Rayyan gets its fish from the market at Mina Zayed in Abu Dhabi, and Dubai and also supplies restaurants.
Staff and customers say the price, service and freshness of the fish is why they prefer the smaller shops. “The city has the fish market at Mina Zayed but it would take people here 40 minutes to reach there,” said the shop’s manager, Abdul Majeed, who is from Syria. “There are a lot of fish shops here.”
From the counter, Mr Majeed points out at the construction of residential blocks taking place around the shop.
“We are now waiting for the customers.”
_______________
Read more:
Free bus service that can be hailed on the street on trial in Abu Dhabi suburb
'Every one of us is a little lost': Demolition starts on Umm Al Quwain's decrepit old town
How Mussaffah is undergoing a quiet transformation
Mussaffah residents demand more public services and facilities
_______________
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20SAMSUNG%20GALAXY%20Z%20FLIP%204
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Getting there
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly to Johannesburg or Cape Town daily. Flights cost from about Dh3,325, with a flying time of 8hours and 15 minutes. From there, fly South African Airlines or Air Namibia to Namibia’s Windhoek Hosea Kutako International Airport, for about Dh850. Flying time is 2 hours.
The stay
Wilderness Little Kulala offers stays from £460 (Dh2,135) per person, per night. It is one of seven Wilderness Safari lodges in Namibia; www.wilderness-safaris.com.
Skeleton Coast Safaris’ four-day adventure involves joining a very small group in a private plane, flying to some of the remotest areas in the world, with each night spent at a different camp. It costs from US$8,335.30 (Dh30,611); www.skeletoncoastsafaris.com
The%20specs
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TOUCH RULES
Touch is derived from rugby league. Teams consist of up to 14 players with a maximum of six on the field at any time.
Teams can make as many substitutions as they want during the 40 minute matches.
Similar to rugby league, the attacking team has six attempts - or touches - before possession changes over.
A touch is any contact between the player with the ball and a defender, and must be with minimum force.
After a touch the player performs a “roll-ball” - similar to the play-the-ball in league - stepping over or rolling the ball between the feet.
At the roll-ball, the defenders have to retreat a minimum of five metres.
A touchdown is scored when an attacking player places the ball on or over the score-line.
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)
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Bawaal%20
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GROUP RESULTS
Group A
Results
Ireland beat UAE by 226 runs
West Indies beat Netherlands by 54 runs
Group B
Results
Zimbabwe tied with Scotland
Nepal beat Hong Kong by five wickets
HOW%20TO%20ACTIVATE%20THE%20GEMINI%20SHORTCUT%20ON%20CHROME%20CANARY
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
'Ghostbusters: From Beyond'
Director: Jason Reitman
Starring: Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace
Rating: 2/5
Reputation
Taylor Swift
(Big Machine Records)
SHALASH%20THE%20IRAQI
%3Cp%3EAuthor%3A%20Shalash%3Cbr%3ETranslator%3A%20Luke%20Leafgren%3Cbr%3EPages%3A%20352%3Cbr%3EPublisher%3A%20And%20Other%20Stories%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs: 2019 Mini Cooper
Price, base: Dh141,740 (three-door) / Dh165,900 (five-door)
Engine: 1.5-litre four-cylinder (Cooper) / 2.0-litre four-cylinder (Cooper S)
Power: 136hp @ 4,500rpm (Cooper) / 192hp @ 5,000rpm (Cooper S)
Torque: 220Nm @ 1,480rpm (Cooper) / 280Nm @ 1,350rpm (Cooper S)
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 4.8L to 5.4L / 100km
Not Dark Yet
Shelby Lynne and Allison Moorer
Four stars
The Bio
Favourite place in UAE: Al Rams pearling village
What one book should everyone read: Any book written before electricity was invented. When a writer willingly worked under candlelight, you know he/she had a real passion for their craft
Your favourite type of pearl: All of them. No pearl looks the same and each carries its own unique characteristics, like humans
Best time to swim in the sea: When there is enough light to see beneath the surface
LOVE%20AGAIN
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The%20Beekeeper
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The%20specs
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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