Ahlan. I’m Omar El Chmouri, and for the past few months, I’ve been working with Pursuits on a newsroom rotation in Bloomberg’s Dubai bureau. Prior to that, my day job was covering money and power in the Middle East, with a focus on AI. My stint with Pursuits has left me with a deeper understanding of Emirati and Gulf Arab culture. At its best, lifestyle journalism goes beyond the superficial and material toward the great luxury of human connection.

And one thing people the world over connect over is cars—especially in Abu Dhabi or Dubai, the flashier the better. But few people know that one of the most popular cars in the United Arab Emirates is the Nissan Patrol, a humble $65,000 SUV by comparison. In fact, many Emiratis see it as their “national car.” I decided to investigate.

Photographer: Jasper Juinen

For one thing, the Patrol is a reliable off-road vehicle that accommodates big families. Here, the average household size is higher than the global one—about 4.9 versus 3.5—and people like to spend time in the desert. When you think about that, the appeal of a large, sturdy car to Emiratis makes sense. During my time in the region, I had also noticed the popularity of similar cars such as the Toyota Land Cruiser in neighboring Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

But in conversations, the first thing people would tell me is that Sheikh Zayed, the country’s late founder, used to drive a Patrol. Emiratis, by and large, love Sheikh Zayed and have a strong sense of tribal solidarity, which also helps explain the affinity. But the story goes beyond that.

Photographer: Akio Kon/Bloomberg

Many have shared the backstory, rooted in the first Gulf War, when Saddam Hussein’s Iraq invaded Kuwait. Alarmed, Gulf Arab leaders including Sheikh Zayed sought to mobilize resources to defend their neighbor. The Sheikh asked car distributors in the UAE to supply vehicles. Many stepped up, but one distributor stood out: Abdulla Al Masaood, who had a partnership with Nissan. Al Masaood gave Sheikh Zayed a blank cheque for more than 4,000 Nissan cars. It’s a gesture that’s still being rewarded.

The president valued that show of support and drove a Nissan Patrol thereafter. His sons, including the current president, Mohamed bin Zayed, almost exclusively drive the Patrol as well. (This story was confirmed by then-Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed in a 2015 speech. He often drives world leaders visiting Abu Dhabi in his Patrol.)

What it’s really like to visit Beirut now

Another highlight of my stint with Pursuits was going home to Lebanon this summer. Life was returning to normal, and people were out in force. It was a stark contrast to my visit last year, when tensions between Hezbollah and Israel were on the cusp of erupting into a grueling conflict. Prior to that, the country had endured a financial crisis and its capital, Beirut, was hit by a devastating port explosion.

Now, as the Mediterranean nation reemerges, I got to see Beirut’s culinary scene make a comeback too. Former hot spots have regained their sparkle, and new openings are giving an optimistic feel to the city, which has long been one of the most sophisticated and vibrant in the region.

Photographer: Omar El Chmouri/Bloomberg

On a sunny afternoon in downtown Beirut, groups of Kuwaitis and Emiratis queued in anticipation of a $13 tomato sandwich. The pricey snack, which caused a stir on social media last July, is one of the many Mediterranean bites at Em Sherif Deli, a popular eatery that’s part of a mini empire which now spans 30 restaurants and cafes in London, Monaco and other cities.

Source: Em Sherif

I also wrote about an Instagrammable neighborhood that’s inspired “Alo, pilates, matcha”—a trend that’s taken over Arab TikTok and even reached Miami. Alo yoga clothing sets, pilates workouts and matcha drinks encapsulate the global identity Beirut aspires to project. That neighborhood also has a reputation for its unspoken dress code: Hermès sandals and designer bags, or so goes the joke.

Photographer: Omar El Chmouri/Bloomberg

But risks remain, as travel guidance from Western nations shows. The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office advises against travel to certain neighborhoods in Beirut and much of the country’s south, the Bekaa Valley and the city of Baalbek, known for its colossal Roman ruins.

I had wanted to take readers to Tawlet Ammiq in Bekaa, where a farmer’s kitchen serves excellent traditional food prepared by underprivileged women. Overlooking the green valley, it’s one of the most scenic lunches you can have in Lebanon. Maybe next year.

Read and watch these before your Lebanon trip

Riviera vs. Citadel: The Battle for Lebanon
A (dated) backgrounder on the two visions at odds for Lebanon’s future.

Hassan Nasrallah, Iran’s Man Atop Hezbollah, Dead at 64
Bloomberg’s obituary of the Hezbollah leader, which I co-wrote.

My Story: 50 Memories From 50 Years of Service
In his memoir, Dubai’s ruler recollected being fascinated by Beirut when he visited in the early 1960s with his siblings. “I had a dream for Dubai to become like Beirut some day,” Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum wrote.

Out of Place
Edward Said’s memoir rediscovers his childhood in Palestine, Egypt and Lebanon. He describes the political alignments in Lebanon as “sectarian, byzantine, and often invisible.”

Beirut, The Mistress of the World
Syrian poet Nizar Qabbani’s tribute to the city mid-civil war.

Capernaum
A poor 12-year-old boy sues his parents for neglect. The 2018 film was directed by Nadine Labaki and got nominated for an Oscar.

Five Top Tables: A Dining Series

Back in Dubai, I wrote our inaugural Five Top Tables column for the city. In 2024 alone, the Emirate issued 1,200 new restaurant licenses. There are plenty of openings this year, too, as the city expands, catering to a growing populace—especially wealthy expats—as well as tourists. You can read the guide here.

And check out other cities in the series to guide your dining decisions in finance capitals around the world.

• Five Top Tables: Paris
• Five Top Tables: New York City
• Five Top Tables: London
• Five Top Tables: Madrid

Photographer: Cristian Barnett/Twenty8

And people say there’s no culture in Dubai …

I recently watched Spike Lee’s 1992 film, Malcolm X, with a friend in Cinema Akil, an arthouse cinema that screens retro and global films in Dubai. I loved it, especially when he went on Hajj—pilgrimage to Mecca. It’s a coming of age story par excellence that reminded me of this quote from Martin Luther King Jr.: “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”

Malcolm, or Malik as he’d renamed himself, lived such a life despite, or arguably because of, the great challenges he faced. In the end, he rose above narrow views on race and religion through the pilgrimage that expanded his horizons. His martyrdom was as tragic as it was heroic.

Illustration by Lulu Lin

Cinema Akil is located at Alserkal Avenue, an arts and culture district in Dubai in the middle of an industrial area. It houses galleries and shops in warehouses, as well as a think tank-cum-library called Fiker Institute. Fiker hosts public lectures by professors, diplomats and other experts on an almost weekly basis, many of which I’ve attended since moving to Dubai over a year ago. It comes with the added pleasure of being surround by a lot of books, making it my happy place.

The last talk I attended left me thinking about the importance of having open spaces for intellectual discourse and public libraries. In Sharjah, an Emirate next to Dubai, I recently visited the House of Wisdom, a cultural hub with more than 100,000 books. It’s named after the Abbasid era (750 to 1258 CE) Grand Library of Baghdad, a public academy that was under the patronage of caliphs who bankrolled the translation movement.

During that period, ancient texts from the Greeks and Persians, in disciplines ranging from medicine and philosophy to mathematics and astronomy, were translated. It was a pivotal effort that not only preserved ancient knowledge but also advanced and transmitted it. These Arabic texts were then translated into Latin centuries later and contributed to the European Renaissance.

Photographer: Federica Valabrega for Bloomberg Businessweek

The works of Plato and Aristotle were introduced to the Muslim world, sparking debates that live on. The movement wasn’t centered only on ideas from other cultures but also on the “others,” including Christians and Jews, which contributed significantly to the effort. The defining spirit of that era was prioritizing knowledge and openness.

Its impact lives on, and historians have dubbed it the Islamic golden age. In Sharjah, I pondered how inspiring this model was and also how transformative it could be.

Speaking of zeitgeist, I watched Paul Thomas Anderson and Leonardo DiCaprio’s latest movie, One Battle After Another, two weeks ago. Long and tense, it was enjoyable nonetheless, touching on themes relevant to the current American moment. A friend shared this thought-provoking review—and I highly recommend you see it too.

Alphawhat? Alphadots!

Bloomberg has a new game! Our second after the weekly news quiz for risk-takers, Pointed.

Love crosswords, charts or a challenge? Meet