Friday, December 24, 2010 | 4 Comments 
On a day when gifts are being wrapped ready to snuggle under a tree, I wanted to share this series of photos taken in Qatar a few months ago. Sher Mohammed from South India had a stand at the Ramada Hotel in Doha where he was making beautiful jewellery out of sealing wax.
Monday, April 6, 2009 | 15 Comments 
This is Mr Haitham Elarab from Syria. He is a master at making 'Igal' or 'Egal' and he learned this from his late father. I walked into his shop this afternoon after having lunch at Souq Waqif. Although the souq is a tourist area, with many shops selling antiques made last week and useless ugly house decorations, they do have a few shops that in my opinion, are little gems. The three that I remember well are a shop that specialises in making Uud, the gulf's number one musical instrument; a photo shop that sells images of the area and has a small studio to take photos of foreigners in local dress (he has a fantastic collection of antique cameras - but not for sale); and this tiny Igal shop.
I didn't buy one this time, he will have the Kuwaiti style in a month or so. For my 'special' size head, I need to have it custom made! Last time I made it in Kuwait, I will make my next one here. According to Haitham, the best Igal makers are the Syrians. I'm sure he wasn't just saying that because he's Syrian. He struck me as the kind of man who LOVED his work. I fealt it the instant I walked in.
He was very welcoming, so I asked him how they make these, and if it was ok for him to be seen on my blog. I gave him the address. He sat exactly as you see him and continued to talk, softly, confidentally and not a word too many.
The process starts with a cotton core. Black thread is then tightly spun around it according to the thinkness required and - I can't think of a better word - the 'tread' desired. The result is a solid and tight rope which now needs to be closed into a loop. This is where the science stops, and the art begins. The closing of the loop is done with wonderful precision, to avoid twisting, and the joint has to look good and remain almost unnecessarily strong. The final touches are: some more black thread to seal it completely, and the forced twisting and hammering into shape.
If it's a Qatari Igal, however, then he's only half done at this point. You see, they all have long 'tails' (not the men but their Igals) that are attached to the main set. There is also a unique pattern that ends up sitting at the back of the wearer's head. The prices range from cheap to relatively expensive. The expensive ones simply take longer to make and the whole things sounds perfectly fair. Especially, if like me, you buy one of these every few years.
Monday, April 6, 2009 | 14 Comments 
A little struggle as I scare the lovely horse with my camera...
... then concentration to perfect the pose...
... and finally the Money Shot. He even looked into the distance for effect.
Sunday, April 5, 2009 | 5 Comments 
The second (and final) selection of matchboxes. Mostly of hotels, and roughly grouped into continents. Some of the matches missed out in the first post (EAT) were added here and there...
The Bellagio (Las Vegas-USA), Sacred Sea Room (Las Vegas-USA), Aladdin (Las Vegas-USA), Luxor (Las Vegas-USA), MGM Grand (Las Vegas-USA), Stratosphere Tower (Las Vegas-USA), Best Western (New York-USA), The Doral (Miami-USA), Pacific Time (Miami-USA) & again Luxor (Las Vegas-USA).
The Leela (Mumbai-India), Sheraton (Karachi-Pakistan), Taj Mahal Hotel (Mumbai-India), Hilton (Colombo-Sri Lanka), Sheraton (Dhaka-Bangladesh) & Shangri La (Beijing-China).
Scandic Hotel (Odense-Denmark), Castle Hotel (Windsor-UK), Swisshotel (don't know - but not Switzerland. I haven't been there), Foxhills (Woking-UK), Hostellerie Des Clos (Chblis-France), Sheraton (Stockholm-Sweden), Hilton (Budapest-Hungary), Radisson Edwardian (London-UK), The Berkshire (London-UK), The Landmark (London-UK), Sofitel (Paris-France), The Fitzwilliam (Dublin-Ireland), The Kempinski (Amsterdam-Holland), Grand Hotel (Stockholm-Sweden), Icelandair Hotel Loftleidir (Reykjavik-Iceland), Radisson SAS (Nice-France), Imperial Hotel (Copenhagen-Denmark), Inter-Continental (London-UK), Churchill Inter-Continental (London), Thistle Hotel (London-UK), Hilton (Brussels-Belgium), First Hotel (Copenhagen-Denmark), Four Pillars (Oxford-UK), Mercure (Paris-France) & Jolly Hotel (I remember laughing at the name but I don't know where I stayed in one).
East Burnham Conference Centre (Farnham-UK). This is where it all began! My first matchbox from my job interview in August 1996!
Prince (Danish brand includinfg the original), Think Daily (Houston-USA) & Scotts (London-UK).
Flamingo (Las Vegas-USA), The Stonemasons Arms (London-UK), Prince (Danish Brand), Don't know (Taxi in Antwerp), Q8 Denmark & The Championship at Wimbledon (UK).
The strange thing is, I don't know where these are from...
Brenan's (Houston-USA), Biella (Salmiya-Kuwait) & Cafe Mondo (Beirut-Lebanon)
... More random boxes. I found the BAT boxes at a building we hired for a training programme. I found out later they owned it.
Jumeirah Hotel (Jumeirah-UAE), The Inn on the Green (Dublin-Ireland), Rantasipi Bokabong (Pillannesberg-South Africa)
Abu Nawas (Tunis-Tunisia), Safir Heliopolitan (Beirut-Lebanon), Crowne Plaza (Jeddah-Saudi Arabia), Sheraton (Kuwait City-Kuwait), The Ritz Carlton (Manama-Bahrain), Safir International (Kuwait City-Kuwait), Majestic (Dubai-UAE), Hilton (Jeddah-Saudi Arabia), Phoenicia Intercontinental (Beirut-Lebnon), Al Manshar Rotana (Fahaheel-Kuwait) & Millennium (Dubai-UAE).
Movenpick (Al Khobar-Saudi Arabia), Le Meridien (Manama-Bahrain), Le Gulf Meridien (Al Khobar-Saudi Arabia, Jumeirah Hotel (Jumairah-UAE), Four Points Sheraton (Kuwaiti City-Kuwait), Sheraton (Damascus-Syria), Ramada Plaza (Doha-Qatar), Al Shourfah (Medina-Saudi Arabia), Sheraton (Cairo-Egypt), Legacy (Johannesburg-South africa), Golden Tulip (Al Khobar-Saudi Arabia) & Sheraton (Muscat-Oman).
Holiday Inn (Cape Town-South Africa), Abu Nawas II (Tunis-Tunisia), Intercontinental (Doha-Qatar), Sheraton Gazeera (Cairo-Egypt), Huma (Tehran-Iran), Don't Know, Hilton (Mecca-Saudi Arabia), Le Meridien (Phuket-Thailand), Le Bristol (Beirut-Lebanon) & Sheraton (Abu Dhabi-UAE).
Thursday, March 5, 2009 | 16 Comments 
The Museum of Islamic Art, MIA, provides the perfect environment for a truly beautiful collection. The design of the building in its simplicity and purity is absolutely the right backdrop for the stunning pieces housed within its walls.
The displays are designed and executed to a very high standard, and the ambiance of the museum, at least during my visit today, was the right mix of formal and relaxed. The building from outside and inside is, quite honestly, superb. It has a balanced mix of modern, functional and traditional; all with an "Islamic" feel. The lighting, setting and labeling is world class. Reading their website and looking at their objectives and mission, one starts to understand the sort of effort that has gone into this project. It's also an indicator of what is to come. The temporary exhibition area and the auditorium will give life to the still rooms in the rest of the museum.
I love this place and I'm sure I will be back again. If you happen to be in Qatar, try to take out some time and visit. It's very hard to find places of this quality across the whole Gulf. Admission fee is a civilised Zero Riyals.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009 | 4 Comments 
This place changes by the month. I'm sure it's the fastest changing city in the Gulf. The speedy change usually kills any soul of the older places, but here they're a bit more aware of its importance. The area of Souq Waqif has been restored and extended beautifully.
Just to give you a flavour of the pace this city has, take a look at the photograph below. About eight years ago, I used to stay at the pyramid shaped hotel, the Sheraton, on the far right. Back then, there was almost nothing on the left. It now houses the new and shiny downtown (West Bay) area which is not yet fully completed. There are also two major projects; Lusail and The Pearl. These are new cities not far from Doha!
I have had an unusually successful trip. It's not often one manages to check all items off a to-do list. With god's blessing, I managed to unstick a very sticky business deal, I stayed awake (barely) during the many long meetings yesterday, and from a personal side, I got to see the Museum of Islamic Art.
I have to check-out of my hotel now if I'm to get to my flight on time, so that will be the subject of my next post when I return home.
Monday, March 2, 2009 | 4 Comments 
A short trip again. This time to Doha.
Last time I was in Qatar was just before the Museum of Islamic Art opened. It was very frustrating and I hope I can make it up this time. I will hopefully have 2-3 hours free between meetings. Can't wait...
Photograph above was taken at Dubai airport last week.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009 | 5 Comments 
I took this photograph some time ago in Doha. This man did a wonderful job cleaning the windows at the Ramada Hotel - and made it look so easy. The gold you see behind him is the other side of the hotel. I was staying on the 8th floor, so it was nice to see that he was wearing a harness/belt which he had clamped onto the railings outside. That same week, I saw cleaners washing (I mean washing washing - with running water) the curved glass cover of the entrance of Al Manshar Rotana hotel here in Kuwait. For those who don't know it, this is 4 metres high! The guy was standing barefooted on curved wet glass wearing no protection whatsoever. His shirt was a little dodgy, so you almost wished he would fall.
It takes courage to work at high altitude. Courage is the subject of a joke that I came across this evening. A little long but worth it :)
World War Two. Close to the front line, three Allied generals talk about courage. One is Russian, the other is American and the third one is British. The American general wants to show the others how courageous his men are. He calls a soldier and tells him: “Private, I want you to run across that mine field, jump over two enemy trenches, and come back in 10 minutes!” “Sir, yes sir!” The soldier does everything the general asked him and comes back on time. The American general says to the other two: “You see? That is what I call courage!” The Russian general is eager to show the toughness of the Red Army. He calls a soldier and tells him: “Comrade, you must run across that mine field and jump over no fewer than four enemy trenches, while carrying a box of live grenades. And for the glory of Mother Russia, you must be back in 8 minutes!” “Da, comrade general!” This soldier also does everything the general asked him and comes back on time. The Russian general says to the other two: "You see, comrades? That is what I call courage!” The British general raises an eyebrow and steps in slowly. He calls a soldier and tells him: “Hey, you there! Go and run across that mine field and jump over ten enemy trenches, while carrying a box of grenades in your arms, a timed C4 explosive on your back, and balancing a stick of dynamite on your nose. Oh, and be back in five minutes.” The soldier replies: “You what? Are you bloody mad? I didn’t join the army to listen to braindead idiots like you! Go and do it yourself mate!”The British general looks triumphantly at the other two. “Now, gentlemen, this is what I call courage!”