Do you ride a camel to work and 11 other questions that might just exasperate any expatriate in the Middle East. These are those tired assumptions you are tired of rectifying when you are a foreigner living in the Arab world. From the stereotypical to the plain old fallacy -- those questions you might get bored of answering when you tell your friends and family that you are moving out to the Middle East. The questions and the record set straight, here's our galling gallery of life (or not) in ...

We recognize all the great strides and unmatched accomplishments that Dubai has made, but being the party-poopers that we are at Al-Bawaba, we think there is another city out there that deserves to walk away with the bid. The high-profile supporters of Dubai’s bid have been endless -- from David Cameron to Bill Gates to...yes, no one other than Lindsay Lohan. But let's not succumb to mainstream media, and let us dare to go with the underdog. And as much as we are mad about Dubai, and would be delighted ...

Whether it’s that nostalgia for a bygone era or the unmatchable glamor of the 50s and 60s with the perfectly lacquered hair, luscious lips and that je ne ce quoi captured best by the quintessential cigarette holder, but nothing stands the test of time as classic movies and their classic actors. Maybe it’s because everything looks better in black and white, but between today’s botox and bare bums on the red carpet, the golden era of cinema seems even more glittering and elusive than ever! Black and white frames and ...

The specter of conflict has always hung over Syria since the country was formed in 1918 and the secular Baath party rose to prominence in 1947. However, the last twelve months will stand out as being among the bloodiest in the nation's history. 2013 has been a big year for Syria - from chemical weapons scares to the constant to-and-fro-ing of the Geneva peace talks , the pace of developments in the country this year has been astounding and has profoundly impacted and altered the domestic, regional and indeed the ...

So it's official. Algeria will represent Middle East in the World Cup . The Algerians went through by the narrowest of margins after a 49th minute scramble by skipper Madjid Bougherra helped them beat Burkina Faso 1-0. There were other teams that glittered in the qualifying rounds. Jordan put in a series of stirring performances and came back strongly before bowing out to Uruguay . Don't despair , oh Arab enthusiasts – there's no shame in losing to this South American powerhouse. You only get better by playing the best ...

For many World Cup fans, a football stadium is more than a mere stadium. It is a home away from home, and something of the main attraction, indeed embodying the full football experience. For the entire duration of the tournament, over 3,000,000 fans at the stadiums and one billion fans who watch the games from their TVs at home, fill these venues with their hopes, dreams and aspirations. They come to the stadiums to see and cheer on their favorite players. But even as they draw up to the parking ...

In a country whose economic viability came to depend on foreign workers, Saudi Arabia’s recent labor raids are expected to result in the deportation of more than a million workers. This will herald a new era in Saudi’s economy and “humanitarian” record on the treatment of migrant workers that hail from the heavily disadvantaged parts of the globe -- an interesting chiming in just this week with Saudi Arabia being given a seat on the UN Human Rights Council. This clean sweep in a bid to flush out the illegals ...

Jordan may rank 60 places beneath Uruguay in the FIFA world rankings , but today will see 11 brave Nashama players take on their 11 celestial counterparts on a level playing field. The two teams are due to come head to head in Amman today as they battle it out in this charged play-off for a place in the World Cup. Will Jordan buckle under the pressure of the hopes of a nation as well as a region, or will these plucky underdogs (survivors of the Arab Spring fever) show ...

Lights. Camera. Falafel. You might not have the budget to travel to the places where Hollywood’s greatest movie stars vacation. But you certainly have the budget to schlep it to the places where they work. And be it Star Wars , The Bourne Ultimatum or The English Patient , some of Hollywood’s best talent has come to the Middle East to make their movies . Most recently, U.S. comedian Jon Stewart came to Amman to direct his first film Rosewater . The makers of Sex and the City 2 initially ...

Walking the red carpet is one opportunity every starlet likes to capitalize on - relishing that magical moment to strut her God-given and stylist-served stuff, on the heels of intense preparation to assemble that perfect, fully-accessorized get up for the glitzy event. This year’s 7th edition of the Abu Dhabi Film Festival (24 Oct - 2 Nov) rolled out another hotly anticipated red carpet. Calendars were set and stylists were called in for the pre-festival fashion fanfare. Well it seems some of our celebs, old and young, skipped the fashion ...

Having been called before a Cairo court for inciting murder against protesters in December 2012, former Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi joined the delusional ex-presidents club on Monday after calling the court case against him “illegitimate” and refusing to partake in the judicial proceedings as incumbent “president” of Egypt. Morsi’s stand against the Cairo court went as far as him refusing to don his prison uniform. We never realised he had such a penchant for fashion… Even though thousands of Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood supporters took to the streets outside the courthouse ...