December 2 is commemorated as UAE national day because of the historic unification that happened on this day in 1971. Six rulers of six emirates met to form the United Arab Emirates. The seventh emirate Ras al Khaimah joined the federation only on February 11, 1972. But what most of us don’t know is that […]
One hot August afternoon we crossed a bridge over clear blue waters to reach a tiny green island in Sharjah. Our first sight was instantly heartwarming — a group of crows were quenching their thirst from a small pool of water. And right behind those birds was an impressive arch shaped building with floral patterns […]
Piti, served in an earthern pot, is a soup made with meat, vegetables, potatoes and chickpeas. The broth is tempered with several spices and is cooked for hours. A layer of flaky bread seals the top of this delicious and nutritious dish. Kyufta, on the other hand, are meatballs, but ours was a variant of the traditional […]
This impressive castle with wooden ceilings, Arabic calligraphy and decorated windows is located in the Dakhiliyah province of Oman, about 175 kms from Muscat. It was built in 1670 by Imam Bil’arab bin Sultan, the son of Sultan bin Saif, who helped in driving the Portuguese from Oman. Visitors get a taste of period architecture […]
This calm oasis is part of a desert reserve called Saih al Salam. A recently established site, maintained by Dubai government’s civic body, the Al Qudra lakes are perfect for picnic and birdwatching. We spotted several ducks and a few other exotic birds. According to the UAE birding website several birds have been introduced in the […]
In March we drove to Muscat and then to the scenic town of Sur in Oman. We had estimated a four hour drive to Muscat and then an overnight stopover at a cousin’s place. But ended up spending almost six hours on road owing to no particular reasons that left us wondering how on earth […]
The little boy looked up in a wonder. “Should I poke it or should I soak in it,” he must have wondered wrapped inside a giant soap bubble standing on stage. ‘Plop’ soon the bubble burst and the audience clapped. The boy still mesmerised by the act enjoyed the attention. As part of Dubai Shopping […]
The year started with us trying out various international cuisines. On the first day of 2016 itself we found a fabulous Greek restaurant Elia in our own neighbourhood. Located in The Majestic Hotel in Bur Dubai Elia offers a tranquil Greek inspired setting with dim lights, white furniture and striped blue table-clothes. For starters we […]
The Sharjah Book Fair 2015, held in November every year, was an event I always looked forward to. Back then I lived in Sharjah and could enjoy browsing the book stalls for hours and could attend author interactive sessions for several days. But now that am based in Dubai driving through the crazy traffic to […]
One of India’s prominent dance forms is Kathak. Derived from the word katha meaning story this dance form is a beautiful blend of story telling and Hindustani classical music. This decades old traditional dance is kept alive in the UAE by Ketaki Hazra. Her Dubai-based dance school presents the yearly musical event — Nrityanjali. The […]