With Halloween around the corner, the hot topic of conversations across the global party scene is “what are you going to dress up as”. It’s no different in the Middle East quarters for disciples of this pagan festival and indiscriminate party people!- expats and denizens of the Arab world - alike. But the potential for getting it wrong is rife as the growing catalogue of creative costumes can be a minefield for political and fashion faux pas -- Prince Harry’s Gestapo gaffe only reminded us that it’s never going to ...

Move aside, sheeps -- the real stars of the Eid Al Adha show are the celebrities performing across the Middle East this holiday season! There’s a massive line-up of star-studded acts worth ditching family time for this Eid, and here’s Al Bawaba’s gallery of the must-see music moguls on the map this holy week. Put your party hats on as Arab and Western stars join forces this Eid for your eyes only -- amazing firework shows, music extravaganzas, stand-up comedy gigs and other fun family activities prove that it is ...

Muslims around the world - it’s OK. You can say it. No need to look sheepish -- at times, Eid can be trying. Yes, Eid Al Adha is that wonderful occasion where family and friends can come together and celebrate, eat and catch up...but this Feast of Sacrifice is also a time when you must surrender your right to a carefree break...the time of year when all of your nosey relatives ask unwanted prying questions about all things personal and drive you up the proverbial wall. When traffic overlaps curiously ...

It is hard to say what is higher these days: Dubai’s massive skyscrapers or the Gulf city's property prices that have soared to new heights over the past few months. Now considered one of the most expensive property markets in the world, economists, policymakers and buyers themselves are in a frenzied debate on what this means for current and future property investments in UAE's biggest city. Some argue that new high prices show that Dubai has emerged sucessfully from the massive 2009 crash that enveloped its property economy, while others ...

As one of the five pillars of Islam, the ceremonies of Hajj are endowed with the most essential concepts of Islam -worship, spirituality, and social justice. In their quest to fulfill one of Islam’s five pillars as well as recovering a clean slate akin to “just coming out of their mother’s wombs”, it is no surprise that millions of Muslims flock to Mecca each year to undertake this journey of a lifetime -- or for others, for their frequent flyer experience. We at Albawaba thought to go on a journey ...

James Brown might have sung that “It’s a man’s man’s world”, but he couldn’t have been more wrong! (and he knew it too with his concessionary -- but it ain’t nothing, without you) The Middle East might be dominated by tyrant dictators (looking at you, Assad) and Sheikhs issuing fatwas every half an hour, but there’s a new vanguard in the region made up of strong, powerful women who are causing a stir amongst the patriarchs. There are plenty of issues to go around in the Middle East and each ...

There’s one thing growing faster than Nancy Ajram’s popularity in the Middle East - and that’s the sale of smartphones. According to a recent Global Intelligence Report, smartphones are the most desired devices among the 18-34 year age group in the Middle East (sorry argilehs ). In addition, more than half a billion people in the region are expected to use a mobile phone sometime this year. That’s a lot of people. And what do people use their mobile phones for? Apps. We use our smartphones constantly to navigate our ...

In English, it’s names like Mavis, Gertrude, Esther, Mildred, Phyllis, Agnes or Winnifred that we associate with the older fuddy duddy generations of bifocal spectacles and zimmer frames. Arabic is no exception in naming fashion and lends its own idiosyncratic counterparts to this trend. There are a distinct set of names, once popular, that evoke a whince, a grimace or even a sigh of relief from the teenagers of today that they dodged the naming bullet. These classic Granny names are being consigned to the ‘old school’ and the preserve ...

There’s an old Arab saying: When you have your health ,you have the whole world. Luckily, the denizens of Araby are good at putting their Arab money where their mouths are when it comes to living the aphorisms a’plenty on good health - there are many things about the Middle Eastern lifestyle that are conducive to maintaining sound health and indeed longevity. Countries like Qatar, (obesity rates notwithstanding) the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Syria have among the highest life expectancies on the planet, we are told. This is hardly ...

Suspicion, slurs and stings -- these are the comments a stigmatized single woman in her thirties is most likely to be subjected to in the Arab world. As the Middle Eastern wedding season draws to a close, during which it seems that everyone you have ever met (and their cousin/dog/camel) is getting hitched, the plight of the single 30-something female in the Arab world is at the forefront of familial discussions and headshaking. A Middle Eastern singleton is no Carrie Bradshaw, celebrated for remaining a strong and independent woman bucking ...

Even though the UAE has some strict Islamic laws governing daily life in the Emirates, Western celebrities can’t seem to keep away from the Gulf, fast turning into celeb-central. Regulars on the beaches of Dubai and Abu Dhabi, now some of our favorite music acts are returning to the UAE - to hit up the the stage, not the sands! Cosmopolitan cities and luxurious lifestyle, it’s no wonder Western stars love the UAE. Bulging paychecks at the ready to sweeten the deal, Dubai and Abu Dhabi are drawing in the ...