Umm Al Quwain: Before Oil - Pearls

Posted April 5, 2016 by twj
United Arab Emirates

Umm Al Quwain

United Arab Emirates

April 5, 2016

Before oil…. 

Pearls!

The pearl diving tradition in the Arabian Gulf goes back at least 7000 years.  The decline came when the Japanese began producing and marketing cultured pearls in the early 20th Century.

In Umm Al Quwain, a small, sleepy emirate about 40km north of Dubai, I visited the Umm Al Quwain Museum.  In this restored 1768 fort, I found pearl diving equipment on display in this former residence of a local ruler and seat of government.  Highlights in the museum also include old Bedouin jewelry, fancy weapons and the ladies’ quarters.

Across the road is the Umm Al Quwain Archeology Center.  Now here you get a sense of antiquity of the Arabian Peninsula.   On display are tools and jewelry and pottery dated from the Sixth Millenium BCE through the First Millenium CE.

Ras Al Khaimah: Abandoned Fishing Village

Posted April 5, 2016 by twj
United Arab Emirates

Jazirat Al Hamra Fishing Village

Ras Al Khaimah Emirate

United Arab Emirates

April 5, 2016

My Friends,

In the guidebook, the abandoned Jazirat Al Hamra Fishing Village is categorized as a “neighborhood….”

“….For an authentic glimpse of the pre-oil era, poke around this deliciously spooky ghost town, one of the oldest and best preserved coastal villages in the UAE.”

“First settled in the 14th Century, its people subsisted mostly on fishing and pearling until they suddenly picked up and left in 1968.”*

Cautiously I make my way up and around the rocky paths amid the cluttered ruins of homes, schools, shops, mosques and towers. 

The Souk, Sharjah, UAE

Posted April 4, 2016 by twj
United Arab Emirates

 

Sharjah

United Arab Emirates

April 4, 2016

Dear Friends,

I am guessing there are about one hundred and fifty shops.  Have you ever seen so much gold jewelry in one place?   

The elaborate pieces on display in the Sharjah Gold Souk seem fit only for the wife of an Emir or a Sheik!  Considering my bank balance and my current marital status, I smiled at the merchants, took my photos and walked on.

Dubai: Tall

Posted April 3, 2016 by twj
United Arab Emirates

Dubai

United Arab Emirates

April 3, 2016

Dear Friends,

“Tall!” 

In a word, that is how I would describe Dubai: “Tall, very tall!”

Apartment blocks, apartment clusters, office buildings, hotels, even the minarets of the mosques are all very tall.

Dubai boasts the tallest building in the world - the Burj Khalifa.  Piercing the skyline, the spike of a structure stands at 829.8m or 2722 ft. 

Set on a man-made island and shaped like the sail of a dhow, the traditional ship of Arabia, the iconic Burj Al Arab hotel stands at 321m or 1053 ft.  Burj Al Arab is only (!) the third tallest hotel in the world.   The other two?  JW Marriott Marquis and Rose Rayhaan?  Why also in Dubai, of course.

Blind Trust - Feel the Burn

Posted April 1, 2016 by Jan

Dubai

United Arab Emirates

April 1, 2016

Hello,

I need your help. 

I have been asked to conduct a search for an Executive Director of a large and diversified Trust Fund.  The position requires senior-level expertise in operations and financial management in the Real Estate and Hospitality Industries.

As a life-long registered Democrat, you can imagine my surprise when I received a personal letter from Donald Trump.  This was no ordinary mailer asking for a contribution.   This was a personal letter, on his personal letterhead.

Mr. Trump is optimistic and looking ahead to winning the Republican Party nomination for President.  As the nominee, he wants to be a visionary when it comes to foreign affairs, especially in the area of military preparedness.  Consequently, he is researching the sites of closed or abandoned military bases in order to expand our global reach and readiness. 

In his search, Mr. Trump came upon my website and my travel letter and photographs from my recent visit to the abandoned World War Two United States Air Force base in Greenland.  Apparently, Mr. Trump’s military advisors informed him that this remote spot in the North Atlantic has significant strategic importance. **

Just by chance, on my website, Mr. Trump also clicked on the link to “Jan’s CV.”  He found that I had a long career in the Hospitality Industry.  So he was interested.

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