Deira’s Fish Roundabout is a tribute to a pivotal aspect in UAE history and trade: fishing.
The roundabout is so named for the sculpture at its centre, which features two fish with their tails intertwined. Water spouts from their gaping mouths and their eyes bulge at the bustle of surrounding traffic.
Fish Roundabout is one of three dozen historical buildings and sites recently selected for the second phase of Dubai’s heritage architecture preservation project.
As teenagers, when Fish Roundabout was mentioned, we rarely thought of marine life or the country’s history of fishing and pearl diving. Music was instead what came to mind.
Omar Bin Al Khattab Street – one of the rounds that meet at the roundabout – was flanked with music stores, and for a long time, this was one of the few places that sold instruments and offered rehearsal spaces. Granted the offerings were nowhere as high-shelf and diverse as they are now, with only a few select brands such as Ibanez and Cort being up for grabs. Yet, they were coveted all the same.
Fish Roundabout was where we’d go play guitars and try out effects pedals until shopkeepers would point out the exit, saying if we weren’t planning on buying anything, we couldn’t stick around. I couldn’t blame them, we probably had them strung on their last nerves as we blasted amps and played our best, not-so-musical, interpretations of System of a Down and Rage Against the Machine riffs. Once when we were kicked out from one shop, we simply went next door and repeated this chaos.
It got to a point where proprietors swooped on us as soon as we entered the shop, asking what it was we were looking for. We pretended we were weighing up our options over which guitar or drum kit to buy, despite the fact that no-name Stratocaster copies were all we could really afford. Our band’s drummer, meanwhile, had a tin-timbered tabletop kit his uncle had given him.
Fish Roundabout was where we could play on real instruments, on real amplifiers. Of course, getting there was an issue to begin with. While the band’s drummer lived in Karama and our vocalist in Riqqa, me and the other guitarist of the band lived in Sharjah. At 15, neither of us drove and we didn’t really have taxi money. We’d hail Dubai-bound cars on Etihad road and offer to chip in for fuel costs if they took us as close as they could to Fish Roundabout. It often took a number of hitchhikes to get there. But really none of us wanted to hang out in malls, Fish Roundabout was the cool place to be.
I’d like to think that it was because of us that one of the shops at Fish Roundabout saw fit to open a rehearsal space upstairs, which was really a storage room. They must’ve figured if we were loitering and making noise anyway, they might as well make some money from us.
This first rehearsal space we had access to transformed us from four people who’d get together in each other’s homes, plugging into mediocre stereo systems for amplification, into a semblance of a band. We huddled in that space, which featured a real drum set and two guitar amps, as our vocalist, bless him, sang at the top of his lungs so he’d be heard. The space was so small we could barely move. We played out of time, and often with guitars that we didn’t even know were out of tune.
But the experience was cathartic. It was in this small space where we’d exorcise our adolescent demons and woes.
Eventually, after a summer job as a shopkeeper, I managed to save up for my first proper guitar: an Ibanez. The band’s other guitarist, too, had managed to save up some money, and we went to that very same store that most staunchly kept us from trying out gear and insisted that this time, we were really going to buy a couple of guitars. It was our version of Julia Roberts as Vivian going shopping in Pretty Woman.
The band, over the years, split up. Most of us travelled to pursue education abroad and we fell out of touch. I’ve garnered several other close musical relationships since, but those times and antics at Fish Roundabout are some of the fondest and most formative memories I have related to the electric guitar.
Even now, as several other shops have opened around the city, from malls to more boutique outlets, Fish Roundabout continues its musical legacy with plenty of shops on both sides of Omar Bin Al Khattab Street.
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Last 10 NBA champions
2017: Golden State bt Cleveland 4-1
2016: Cleveland bt Golden State 4-3
2015: Golden State bt Cleveland 4-2
2014: San Antonio bt Miami 4-1
2013: Miami bt San Antonio 4-3
2012: Miami bt Oklahoma City 4-1
2011: Dallas bt Miami 4-2
2010: Los Angeles Lakers bt Boston 4-3
2009: Los Angeles Lakers bt Orlando 4-1
2008: Boston bt Los Angeles Lakers 4-2
UAE%20SQUAD
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The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
If you go
Flying
Despite the extreme distance, flying to Fairbanks is relatively simple, requiring just one transfer in Seattle, which can be reached directly from Dubai with Emirates for Dh6,800 return.
Touring
Gondwana Ecotours’ seven-day Polar Bear Adventure starts in Fairbanks in central Alaska before visiting Kaktovik and Utqiarvik on the North Slope. Polar bear viewing is highly likely in Kaktovik, with up to five two-hour boat tours included. Prices start from Dh11,500 per person, with all local flights, meals and accommodation included; gondwanaecotours.com
ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier 2025, Thailand
UAE fixtures
May 9, v Malaysia
May 10, v Qatar
May 13, v Malaysia
May 15, v Qatar
May 18 and 19, semi-finals
May 20, final
More on animal trafficking
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ETwig%20Solutions%20(with%20trade%20name%20Twig)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2021%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EChafic%20Idriss%2C%20Karam%20El%20Dik%20and%20Rayan%20Antonios%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EUAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInitial%20investment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Ebootstrapped%20(undisclosed)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E13%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Epre-seed%20%E2%80%94%20closing%20the%20round%20as%20we%20speak%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20senior%20executives%20from%20the%20GCC%20financial%20services%20industry%20and%20global%20family%20offices%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
What are the main cyber security threats?
Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
More from Neighbourhood Watch
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
What is Reform?
Reform is a right-wing, populist party led by Nigel Farage, a former MEP who won a seat in the House of Commons last year at his eighth attempt and a prominent figure in the campaign for the UK to leave the European Union.
It was founded in 2018 and originally called the Brexit Party.
Many of its members previously belonged to UKIP or the mainstream Conservatives.
After Brexit took place, the party focused on the reformation of British democracy.
Former Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson became its first MP after defecting in March 2024.
The party gained support from Elon Musk, and had hoped the tech billionaire would make a £100m donation. However, Mr Musk changed his mind and called for Mr Farage to step down as leader in a row involving the US tycoon's support for far-right figurehead Tommy Robinson who is in prison for contempt of court.
On racial profiling at airports
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Turning%20waste%20into%20fuel
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A cryptocurrency primer for beginners
Cryptocurrency Investing for Dummies – by Kiana Danial
There are several primers for investing in cryptocurrencies available online, including e-books written by people whose credentials fall apart on the second page of your preferred search engine.
Ms Danial is a finance coach and former currency analyst who writes for Nasdaq. Her broad-strokes primer (2019) breaks down investing in cryptocurrency into baby steps, while explaining the terms and technologies involved.
Although cryptocurrencies are a fast evolving world, this book offers a good insight into the game as well as providing some basic tips, strategies and warning signs.
Begin your cryptocurrency journey here.
Available at Magrudy’s , Dh104
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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HOW%20TO%20ACTIVATE%20THE%20GEMINI%20SHORTCUT%20ON%20CHROME%20CANARY
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