Marsa Mina opened in early 2020, just before the pandemic hit, near the Abu Dhabi Cruise Terminal in Mina Zayed, welcoming families week after week.
The waterfront lifestyle destination has boutiques, restaurants and food trucks, as well as a children's play area and street art murals that stretch for 1,163 metres.
It's a popular stop for visitors to the capital arriving by cruise ship and gives them a vibrant pit stop and colourful first impression of Abu Dhabi.
"The project aims to beautify the Abu Dhabi tourist gate, considering the Mina is one of the important tourist gates in the United Arab Emirates," says artist Talal Shehab, referring to the mural project that stretches along the walls that line the roads, to which he contributed.
Artists of several nationalities were involved in the project under the supervision of Emirati plastic artist Fatima Al Hammadi, Shehab says. It took many months for it to come to fruition.
"The work was done at night to avoid the heat of the sun," he tells The National. "Teamwork was so much fun. Weather-resistant phenomastic colours have been used to ensure a long life for the murals."
The themes and ideas of the paintings are inspired by different cultures, "to confirm that the UAE is the country of all humanity", Shehab says.
Various techniques and schools of art can be seen along its length, from abstract to realism, impressionism to modern art and calligraphy to symbolism.
Tony Martin, known by his artist name Toons One, was also involved in the project.
He created four paintings in different styles. One is three portraits, a man, woman and child, representing the Sun, Moon and star in Islamic culture. "I did them in an abstract style using sacred geometry, elements of calligraphy and landscapes to show the infinite potential of humanity, which I feel is the spirit of the UAE and its vision now and for the future."
Local artist Huvil painted a girl with wings behind her, reflecting "the tradition and knowledge of the country", he says.
Artist Maddy Butcher created a piece called Noodles, the subjects being two pupils on the autism spectrum.
"I wanted to show how creative and engaged they are — and that autism is something positive that does not hinder or hold back living a life in full colour."
Butcher says she does a lot of work with children with disabilities and wants to see more women and girls use spray paint "as a medium to express themselves and their abilities".
Racecard
7pm: Abu Dhabi - Conditions (PA) Dh 80,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
7.30pm: Dubai - Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 1,400m
8pm: Sharjah - Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 1,600m
8.30pm: Ajman - Handicap (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 2,200m
9pm: Umm Al Quwain - The Entisar - Listed (TB) Dh132,500 (D) 2,000m
9.30pm: Ras Al Khaimah - Rated Conditions (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,600m
10pm: Fujairah - Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,200m
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
Drishyam 2
Directed by: Jeethu Joseph
Starring: Mohanlal, Meena, Ansiba, Murali Gopy
Rating: 4 stars
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
