22 January, 2010

A rarely seen scene



Something rarely seen nowadays. An old cafe -Gahwa Sha'beya- with customers that are mainly old Emarati fishermen. Relaxing, chitchatting, and oblivious to the hustle and bustle of modern cities around them.
God bless them.

I only saw such pictures of old UAE in the early 70s.

24 comments:

Kyle said...

El Shahlab:

That's an elegant picture you painted. I don't mean that figuratively but literally.

Any tips where one could spot & mingle?

And truly, God Bless Them, if they still exist!

Emiratesque said...

Thanks, Kyle.

This pic was taken in RAK few days ago, Corniche Al Qawasem, close to the fishmarket.

There are few places like these in Sharjah and Dubai as well, but starting to diminish unfortunately.

Lirun said...

i much prefer these places over the modern cafes of the world..

Anonymous said...

Ah.. nothing unusual. There are people who fish.. they need a place to sit and socialize. Why is this such a big deal? Why is the Emirati society such a big mystery that everyone treats like an explorer who wants to uncover the secrets of this exotic tribe.

They're just people.. they have boring lives and drink tea/coffee and smoke whatever the hell they smoke.

I find nothing fascinating about Emiratis. In fact, I would be extremely annoyed if others found me or my "people" as fascinating as people appear to find Emiratis..

Anonymous said...

@Anonymous (22 January, 2010 20:50)

Well, it is probably because they enjoy their simple life regardless of whether you find it boring or not. I guess that's a matter of opinion after all.

On the other hand, I really love this picture. This is very reminiscent to the slow-paced life fishermen used to have, albeit they get to see their families more often thankfully.

Thanks for the picture; I love it!

Emiratesque said...

Khalood, Thanks.
That's exactly what I am trying to convey through this pic.

rosh said...

Thanks for the picture El Shahlab. I love it. There are very few similar spots in Sharjah -- far few from the 70's / 80's. Do you know why is this diminishing? I think the SHJ fish market's busier than ever.

Sugar-Free Sweetie said...

haaaaih walla
the good old days
al7een kl hamhom el 9ya3a wl hwama
fe star bucks..3afana allah
thanks for such a rare discovery.....

Anonymous said...

:) Sweet.

Just out of curiosity... could any Arabic speaker/writer tell me what the use of numbers means when you write them? I have often wondered if this to take care of prononciation that is not possible in English alphabet. Would love to know...

For example in the post above -
al7een, 9ya3a, 3afana...

Anonymous said...

@Anonymous (24 January, 2010 19:19):

Numbers are used as a substitute for various Arabic letters that either do not exist in English, or do not have the exact homophony.

2 = The strong accented (A) such as the one in Ahmad

3 = A deep throat sound, such as in (A) Al-Ain; the second (A).

5 = It is similar to the (Kh) in names like Khalid, Khalifa, Khalfan, etc.

6 = This is similar to an inflated and robust (T), such as Talal.

'6 = This is similar to its sibling; however, this exists in names like Al-Dahri in which the letter (D) resembles it the most.

7 = I pretty much guess that this is one of the most commonly used one, besides 3. This is that weird (H) in Ahmad.

8 = I don't know if you'll ever hear this letter, but Yemenis are notoriously known for using this letter. It's mostly replaced by a (G) by Emiratis, but for this one, you actually need a person who can say it to know it. It's similar to the letter (Q) in its truest English form.

9 = This is a bolded and inflated (S) in pronunciation. You can find this letter in such names as Saleh, Sultan, etc.

That's pretty much it, unless anyone wants to add something. You'll achieve a better grasp if you listen to these letters and you'll know what they really sound like. :DD

Anonymous said...

Khaloood i just loved the way you explained the pronounciations i went back referred to what Anonymous said and said it using ur cheat code,.. awesme

Anonymous said...

:) Thanks a ton, Khalood!

Very interesting. You are right though - one needs to hear it being spoken.

I'm guessing that the numbers don't sound like those - just used as symbols to replace what is missing... Maybe they look similar.

Thanks again!

:) HS

Para Glider said...

There's a place very similar to this where the fishing boats berth on the Doha Corniche. I often stop there on my walks, for mint tea and water.

Anonymous said...

http://www.united-dubai.blogspot.com

Fujairah_student said...

this sence is usual in my Town. Behind my house theres an old resturnat & cafe. My grandpa used to go there to meet his friends.

Nice blog. Thanks for your efforts

Dubai Jazz said...

khalood,

You rock!

I appreciate non-Arabs who can pronounce my name and Nakheel correctly.

BuJ said...

love the old places like that, especially where they serve hot chick-peas (whole!)

i remember there was one such place on the shj corniche/buhaira...

but the last time i been there was 1987 or something!

Anonymous said...

Where Justice Works

http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100128/NATIONAL/100127001/1133/BUSINESS

DUBAI // A fishing boat captain who raped and murdered a four-year-old boy in a mosque on the first day of Eid al Adha was yesterday sentenced to death by firing squad.

Rashid al Rashidi, 30, was also given six months in prison for illegal consumption of alcohol. He will have to serve this sentence before the death penalty is carried out.


Al Rashidi, an Emirati, had originally pleaded not guilty before the Dubai Court of First Instance to the premeditated murder and rape of Moosa Mukhtiar Ahmed, but later switched his plea to guilty.

As soon as the sentence was handed down Mukhtiar Ahmed Khudabaksh, the father of the boy, went straight to the mosque where his son had died to offer prayers.

Mr Ahmed had been in court with Moosa’s uncle and seven-year-old brother Mustafa. They wept and hugged each other as the sentence was passed.


“This man deserved this sentence,” Mr Khudabaksh said. “I want to thank the people who stood by me and the court for this decision.”

In their judgment the panel of three judges, presided over by Judge Fahmy Mounir Fahmy, said there was no evidence of premeditation in the killing.

“For premeditation to be established a prior opportunity has to be present where the defendant would have to think, plan and consider his options,” they said.

“In this case the court sees no evidence supporting that and the defendant is convicted of intentionally killing the victim without any premeditation.”

Last night the stepmother accused during the trial of having abused Rashidi as a child denied the allegation, telling The National she had always treated him as one of her own.

The family also said they had lived in fear of him, and could not understand why he had twice been released early from prison after receiving sentences for two earlier sex attacks.

During the trial, the court was told that on the eve of the murder on November 27, al Rashidi had been drinking alcohol in Umm al Qaiwain. He continued drinking in a cemetery near his home in Al Qusais.

The next morning, said prosecutors, he attended prayers at Bin Tahnoon mosque and afterwards loitered in the area. At about 10am, Moosa, his brother and a friend approached al Rashidi for an Eid gift and he told the four-year-old to follow him to the mosque to collect it.

It was in the grounds of the mosque, the court was told, that al Rashidi forced the boy into a toilet, where he first raped and then killed him, by smashing his head against the floor.

Moosa’s body was found about two hours later, when a worshipper entered the toilets to prepare for the Dhuhr prayer.

Police swiftly rounded up all the registered sex offenders in the neighbourhood and within four hours had got a confession from al Rashidi.

During the trial, al Rashidi’s lawyer said his client was a product of abuse during his own childhood, had left school at seven and by 14 had drifted into drug and alcohol abuse.

Mohammed al Sa’adi suggested al Rashidi might be suffering from acute paranoia or a persecution complex. However, a psychiatric evaluation ordered by the court found he was aware of his actions.

The case will now be fast-tracked to the Dubai Court of Appeals, where it is expected to be heard either next week or the week after.

If the sentence is upheld it will then be referred to the Dubai Court of Cassation, which will verify that correct legal procedures have been followed.

Anonymous said...

@Anonymous (28 January, 2010 17:41)

Whoa!! Are you serious?! O_O;;
I'm just ... flabbergasted D;

Anonymous said...

Khalood,
Sarcasm alert? ¡ or the new sarcmark? Or are you serious? :)

I just thought that given that rapist/killer is a Emirati and the poor boy was from the subcontinent and did not appear to be affluent, this speaks well for the justice system in general... if the sentence is upheld, that is.

Close on the heels of the sheih-afghan trial this seemed relevant. Also because the incident was hugely commented upon on this blog.

Death by firing squad is just, I think. Though, if one has to implement capital punishent, whether by hanging, shooting, electric chair.. how does not matter as long as it is quick.

OP 28 January, 2010 17:41

Anonymous said...

@Anonymous (29 January, 2010 15:31)

I was serious, referring to my previous comment.

Actually, I would not know much. I currently am residing overseas, so forgive me if you have understood my bewilderment as an attempt to be sarcastic.

But yeah, that is horrific! D:

Anonymous said...

@Khalood,

I'm really keen to know what appalled you specifically about the post. The firing squad? And what did you think of the judgement... how is it horrific?

:)
anon OP

Unknown said...

سعيدة بقراءة مواضيع جديدة لك.

ومع ذلك، فإنه لابد من عدم الاستخفاف بالحصول على نوم هانئ في الليل. وإذا كان الارهاق في العطلات تجعلك تصل إلى حالة تدخين سيجارة او اثنتين أو عشرة، فقد حان الوقت للاقلاع عن التدخين. لأن التدخين يجعل بشرتك تبدو أكبر سنّا.


الدكتورة هالة حشاد
(عيادة كايا)

Emiratesque said...

Kaya,

Thanks for your comment, you will find more of my posts @ my blog: elshahlab.blogspot.com

and appreciate your advice, I am not a smoker hamdillah :)

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