A London museum will be graced by British royalty on Thursday, when King Charles III is set to visit to see the contemporary art and traditional crafts on show.
In a trip to Leighton House, the king will see a vast mural by an Iranian artist, visit the centre’s famous Arab Hall and hear about the progress made by the Turquoise Mountain, a charity he founded to revive historic areas and traditional crafts at risk of being lost.
Leighton House, a museum in Holland Park, west London, which pays homage to Middle Eastern and Victorian era art, was recently restored and opened to the public.
What is on show?
There is an 11-metre high mural by Shahrzad Ghaffari on the Helical Staircase.
The piece, inspired by a poem written by 13th-century Persian poet Rumi, explores the themes of unity and common humanity.
Ghaffari was also due to be at the centre on Thursday. For the mural, she used Rumi’s words as inspiration, painting them on the walls in colours that are a nod to the museum building itself — blues similar to the turquoise tiles and reds reminiscent of the external brickwork.
King Charles will also view furniture commissioned by Turquoise Mountain and handmade for the museum by Syrian and Jordanian artisans in Amman.
He will visit the Arab Hall, home to a renowned collection of Islamic tiles and mosaic floors.
What is Turquoise Mountain?
Turquoise Mountain, a charity founded by the king in 2006 — when he was Prince Charles — helps revive historic areas and traditional crafts.
It began operating in Afghanistan and has since expanded into Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Myanmar.
In particular, it helps artisans, including Afghan carpet weavers, to set up businesses and preserve their skills to be passed down to future generations.
Turquoise Mountain has restored more than 150 buildings and trained 15,000 artisans across Afghanistan, Myanmar and the Middle East.
What is Leighton House and the Arab Hall?
Leighton House is the former home and studio of leading Victorian artist Lord Frederic Leighton.
It is in what was then the rural enclave of Holland Park, now one of the most expensive places to live in the city.
Leighton House started as a relatively modest brick dwelling and has been extended over the years.
A large, glass-enclosed studio was designed to let in as much light as possible, vital in the smog of late 19th-century London.
At the centre of the house is the Arab Hall. Arranged as an enclosed courtyard, the walls are covered in Iznik tiles that the well-travelled artist had bought in Syria, Egypt and Turkey.
Nooks provide space for lounging and a water feature adds to the tranquillity. Above, a small mashrabiya overlooks Leighton’s fantasy of Ottoman Empire life — a classic example of British Orientalism.
After 18 years of painstaking conservation and restoration at a cost of £8 million ($9.6 million), the museum reopened in October.
Who was Lord Leighton?
Born in 1830 in Yorkshire and raised in Germany, Lord Leighton used a range of artistic interests, from Arab motifs to old master pieces, to paint exquisite canvasses.
He had an affinity for poignant vignettes: Michelangelo nursing his ailing servant; a young girl feeding berries to her mother, lounging in bed; and a couple on their honeymoon, leaning in towards each other.
At 26, he made a headline-grabbing debut at the Royal Academy with a painting of the Madonna being carried through the streets of Florence. Prince Albert was so taken with the artwork he convinced his wife Queen Victoria to buy it.
Later, Lord Leighton was elected president of the Royal Academy and used his influence over an 18-year period to raise the profile and importance of artists in Britain's cultural landscape.
After his death in 1896, the furnishings of his house were sold in a Christie’s auction lasting eight days. Many of those items had been tracked down and reinstalled for autumn's reopening.
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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Brief scores:
Pakistan (1st innings) 181: Babar 71; Olivier 6-37
South Africa (1st innings) 223: Bavuma 53; Amir 4-62
Pakistan (2nd innings) 190: Masood 65, Imam 57; Olivier 5-59
Russia's Muslim Heartlands
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The Bio
Ram Buxani earned a salary of 125 rupees per month in 1959
Indian currency was then legal tender in the Trucial States.
He received the wages plus food, accommodation, a haircut and cinema ticket twice a month and actuals for shaving and laundry expenses
Buxani followed in his father’s footsteps when he applied for a job overseas
His father Jivat Ram worked in general merchandize store in Gibraltar and the Canary Islands in the early 1930s
Buxani grew the UAE business over several sectors from retail to financial services but is attached to the original textile business
He talks in detail about natural fibres, the texture of cloth, mirrorwork and embroidery
Buxani lives by a simple philosophy – do good to all
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
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2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
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Racecard
5.25pm: Etihad Museum – Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,200m
6pm: Al Shindaga Museum – Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (Dirt) 1,200m
6.35pm: Poet Al Oqaili – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 1,400m
7.10pm: Majlis Ghurfat Al Sheif – Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,600m
7.45pm: Hatta – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 1,400m
8.20pm: Al Fahidi – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 2,200m
8.55pm: Zabeel Trophy – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh120,000 (T) 1,600m
9.30pm: Coins Museum – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,600m
10.05pm: Al Quoz Creative – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 1,000m
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Brief scores
Day 1
Toss England, chose to bat
England, 1st innings 357-5 (87 overs): Root 184 not out, Moeen 61 not out, Stokes 56; Philander 3-46
