ABU DHABI // The day Sheikh Zayed the Great decided to move his majlis from inside Qasr Al Hosn to outside, its walls changed the make up of the Emirati majlis.
"This is a key moment in history because until this point we were led to believe the majlis was inside," said Mark Kyffin an architect working for the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority.
Mr Kyffin, who has been a member of the Qasr Al Hosn conservation team for six years, believes the move changed the structure of the majlis from a more intimate setting to a more open and all-encompassing meeting area.
"What Sheikh Zayed the Great did was bring the majlis out of the Qasr and to the people so he could be seen by everyone."
Previous majlis' held in the Qasr would have been confined to small rooms, which were limited in size by the building materials used.
With mangroves being the only available wood, they were used as beams in the rooms' ceilings.
Because a typical mangrove tree grows to only 3.6 metres, the rooms were little more than 3 metres wide.
"With the limitation of space you probably would have been allowed to come in one at a time for the sheikh to hear your problems or disputes," Mr Kyffin said.
But when the majlis was brought outside the Qasr walls, bigger gatherings and greater access to the sheikh would have been possible.
"This majlis was located on a bench outside the northwest murabaa [square] tower, which had the shamal [north] winds which were the strongest and provided the most comfort."
When expanding Qasr Al Hosn from funds gained by the first oil concession in the 1940s Sheikh Zayed's grandson, Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan, extended the majlis in the same location.
"With Sheikh Shakhbut, we start to see an external majlis which extended Sheikh Zayed the Great's majlis further to an enclosure outside the fort wall," Mr Kyffin said. "Like a ranch wall that goes around the front."
This allowed for even bigger majlis', which were necessary due to the increase in the local population.
The expansion of the majlis did not stop there and was furthered by Sheikh Zayed, the founding President of the UAE, who built the National Consultive Council chamber in the same area in 1968.
"The council chamber is still present on the site now and was the site of the pre-[union] meetings," Mr Kyffin said.
But not all agree about the significance of the fort as it relates to the majlis.
Dr Frauke Heard-Bey, a former archivist at the National Centre for Documentation and Research, said people attached too much mystery to the majlis.
"A majlis is just a congregation," she said.
"It could be done at home or when a parliament meets the sheikh."
Dr Heard-Bey is more familiar with Qasr Al Hosn than most. She worked there for more than 30 years and said that what Sheikh Zayed did was common.
"On a nice spring day like today it is only natural to want to go outside and sit in the shade.
"It would have been more comfortable to go outside and see and meet the people than spend time indoors."
The historian added that sheikhs routinely held their majlis outdoors and the fort was not part of the origins.
She went on to say an indoor majlis would have been no hindrance to the people of the time.
"The population was so small and tightly knit at the time. There was little social barrier between them and the sheikh."
However, she did agree that holding a majlis outdoors might have made it a little less intimidating for regular people to approach the leader.
talsubaihi@thenational.ae
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Premier Futsal 2017 Finals
Al Wasl Football Club; six teams, five-a-side
Delhi Dragons: Ronaldinho
Bengaluru Royals: Paul Scholes
Mumbai Warriors: Ryan Giggs
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Favourite thing to cook: Duck l'orange
Favourite book: Give and Take by Adam Grant, one of his professors at University of Pennsylvania
Favourite place to travel: Home in Kuwait.
Favourite place in the UAE: Al Qudra lakes
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
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ICC Awards for 2021
MEN
Cricketer of the Year – Shaheen Afridi (Pakistan)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Babar Azam (Pakistan)
Test Cricketer of the Year – Joe Root (England)
WOMEN
Cricketer of the Year – Smriti Mandhana (India)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Lizelle Lee (South Africa)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Tammy Beaumont (England)
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
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Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
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Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
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Bareilly Ki Barfi
Directed by: Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari
Starring: Kriti Sanon, Ayushmann Khurrana, Rajkummar Rao
Three and a half stars
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if you go
The flights
Etihad, Emirates and Singapore Airlines fly direct from the UAE to Singapore from Dh2,265 return including taxes. The flight takes about 7 hours.
The hotel
Rooms at the M Social Singapore cost from SG $179 (Dh488) per night including taxes.
The tour
Makan Makan Walking group tours costs from SG $90 (Dh245) per person for about three hours. Tailor-made tours can be arranged. For details go to www.woknstroll.com.sg
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Ain Issa camp:
- Established in 2016
- Houses 13,309 people, 2,092 families, 62 per cent children
- Of the adult population, 49 per cent men, 51 per cent women (not including foreigners annexe)
- Most from Deir Ezzor and Raqqa
- 950 foreigners linked to ISIS and their families
- NGO Blumont runs camp management for the UN
- One of the nine official (UN recognised) camps in the region