The Section
Opinion.
Opinion. Loose change, sharp eyes. Columnists, contrarians, and the occasional pleasant surprise from a writer you weren't expecting to like.
In Defence of the Uneventful Tuesday
Why a region whose self-image is built around dramatic moments needs to relearn the quieter discipline of the institutional weekday that nothing in particular is happening on.
By Diego Arroyo
OpinionJun 3
The Man Who Sells Nostalgia to Oil Traders
What a particular Dubai shop tells us about a regional market for the lost world that the regional economy itself was, in part, responsible for losing.
By Diego Arroyo
OpinionJun 3
Stop Calling It a Vision
Why the word has lost the meaning the strategy decks need it to carry, and what to use instead.
By Diego Arroyo
OpinionJun 3
The Friday Edit Is the Best Hour of the Week
Why one editor's late-Friday read of the week's pieces produces the texture of decision-making that no Monday morning meeting has ever quite reproduced.
By Diego Arroyo
OpinionMay 20
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.
By Mira Faraj
OpinionMay 12
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.
By Sara Qureshi
OpinionMay 4
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.
By Lena Holloway
OpinionApr 19
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.
By Mira Faraj
OpinionApr 2
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.
By Sara Qureshi
OpinionMar 8
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.
By Mira Faraj
OpinionFeb 14
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.
By Lena Holloway
OpinionFeb 5
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.
By Diego Arroyo
OpinionJun 2
Budget Travel From the Gulf
Living in one of the world's best-connected regions, on a backpacker's budget.
By Mira Faraj
OpinionApr 12
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.
By Marcus Okafor
OpinionMar 29
The Art of the Gulf Staycation
Why the best holiday this weekend might be twenty minutes from your own front door.
By Lena Holloway
OpinionFeb 21
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.
By Lena Holloway
OpinionDec 18
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.
By Mira Faraj
OpinionNov 21
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.
By Sara Qureshi
OpinionOct 2
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.
By Mira Faraj
OpinionJun 18
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.
By Priya Chen
OpinionJun 4
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.
By Lena Holloway
OpinionApr 16
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.
By Lena Holloway