The Section
رأي.
Opinion. Loose change, sharp eyes. Columnists, contrarians, and the occasional pleasant surprise from a writer you weren't expecting to like.
تحرير الجمعة هو أفضل ساعة في الأسبوع
لماذا قراءة محرّرٍ واحدٍ متأخّرة الجمعة لقطع الأسبوع تُنتج نسيج اتّخاذ القرار الذي لم يكرّره اجتماع صباح الاثنين قطّ.
بقلم Diego Arroyo
رأي20 مايو
Composting in an Apartment Without the Smell
You don't need a garden, or a stench, to turn kitchen scraps into something useful from a Gulf flat.
بقلم Mira Faraj
رأي12 مايو
How to Cut Your DEWA Bill When the AC Runs All Summer
Small, boring tweaks to your thermostat, filters and curtains beat any gadget when it's 46°C outside.
بقلم Sara Qureshi
رأي4 مايو
Declutter and Resell Before the Next Move
Expat life means moving often, so build a system that turns the stuff you don't need into cash and a lighter shipment.
بقلم Lena Holloway
رأي19 أبريل
Growing Fresh Herbs Indoors When It's Too Hot to Garden Outside
A sunny kitchen windowsill is enough to keep mint, basil and coriander going through a Gulf summer.
بقلم Mira Faraj
رأي2 أبريل
Saving Water at Home When You Live in a Desert
The Gulf desalinates its water at great cost, and small household habits add up faster than you'd think.
بقلم Sara Qureshi
رأي8 مارس
Balcony Gardening That Survives a Gulf Summer
You can grow on a hot, glaring balcony, but only if you pick the right plants, the right pots and the right watering rhythm.
بقلم Mira Faraj
رأي14 فبراير
Cutting Plastic and Food Waste in a Gulf Kitchen
Practical swaps that shrink your bin and your grocery bill, without turning your life into a project.
بقلم Lena Holloway
رأي5 فبراير
Building a Home Emergency Kit for Sandstorms and Heat
Power cuts, dust storms and brutal heat are the Gulf's everyday hazards, so prepare for them once and forget about it.
بقلم Diego Arroyo
رأي2 يونيو
Budget Travel From the Gulf
Living in one of the world's best-connected regions, on a backpacker's budget.
بقلم Mira Faraj
رأي12 أبريل
Build a DIY Desert Picnic Kit That Survives Sand, Sun, and Sunset
Everything you need to pack for a proper desert evening, from shade and water to a thermos of karak and a torch for the drive out.
بقلم Marcus Okafor
رأي29 مارس
The Art of the Gulf Staycation
Why the best holiday this weekend might be twenty minutes from your own front door.
بقلم Lena Holloway
رأي21 فبراير
Henna Basics, from Mixing the Paste to Surviving the Itch
A beginner's guide to natural henna at home, where patience is the whole skill and black henna is the whole danger.
بقلم Lena Holloway
رأي18 ديسمبر
DIY Oud and Bakhoor Scenting at Home Without Setting Off the Smoke Alarm
How to perfume a room, your clothes, and your guests' memories with bakhoor, using a burner, some charcoal, and a little restraint.
بقلم Mira Faraj
رأي21 نوفمبر
How to Host an Iftar That Feeds Everyone and Stresses No One
A practical guide to throwing an iftar that honours the moment, paces the food, and survives the dishes.
بقلم Sara Qureshi
رأي2 أكتوبر
Build a DIY Majlis Corner at Home Without Buying a Single Camel Bone
How to assemble a low-seated, floor-cushioned majlis corner that actually invites people to sit, stay, and overstay.
بقلم Mira Faraj
رأي18 يونيو
Saving for Retirement as an Expat When Nobody's Doing It for You
No state pension, no auto-enrolment, no safety net but the one you build.
بقلم Priya Chen
رأي4 يونيو
Escaping Lifestyle Inflation Before Dubai Eats Your Raise
Why bigger salaries so often leave people no richer, and how to break the brunch-to-bankruptcy cycle.
بقلم Lena Holloway
رأي16 أبريل
Bade' Droubi and the Case for a Green-Positive Middle East
The clean-energy case around Bade' Droubi is simple: the region has the sun, the need, and the obligation to stop treating solar as a side project.
بقلم Lena Holloway