Moroccan Minister Hails UAE Road Infrastructure

Roads & Transport Authority – Mohammed Al Munji: His Excellency Mohammed Saeed Al Alami, Senior Minister-designate in charge of Upgrading Public Sectors in the Kingdom of Morocco, praised the bilateral relations between the Kingdom of Morocco and the United Arab Emirates, thanks to the support accorded by the leadership in both countries, stating that Morocco would be looking forward for boosting cooperation with the UAE in various fields, particularly in the administrative development, enhanced services, and improved infrastructure of the transport sector as the UAE has an edge in these fields.

The Moroccan Minister made these statements during a recent visit to the RTA where he was received by the Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of the Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) H.E. Mattar Al Tayer, and a number of RTA CEOs. The Minister was accompanied by the Director of Public Office Abdullah Al Teebi, and the Chief of HR Valuing Section Abdul Mugheeth Faheem in the presence of the Director of HR in The Federal Authority for Government Human Resources Ali Al Jawi.

At the beginning of the meeting, Al Tayer welcomed the Moroccan Minister and the accompanying delegation and said: “The unique and advanced infrastructure in the UAE constructed at world-class standards is attributed to the capitalization on modern technologies in projects undertaken, such as the Dubai Metro project featuring the latest technology in the rail industry.

“From inception RTA has been engaged in upgrading mass transit systems to make them the ideal public choice of mobility in the Emirate with the aim of increasing the share of public transport ridership from 6 per cent in 2006 to as much as 34 per cent by 2020. Under this drive, the RTA constructed the Dubai Metro project; billed as the world’s longest driverless train ever constructed as a single project, and the first phase was opened on 09/09/2009. RTA also beefed up its public bus fleet from 619 buses at the time of its establishing to more than 1593 buses in 2010. About 800 air-conditioned bus shelters have been operated and construction works have been completed in Al Awir, Al Rawiyya and Al Khawaneej Bus Depots, while work is up and running in the construction of Jebel Ali Bus Depot. In the marine transport sector, RTA has operated the water bus and the water taxi besides retrofitting 154 abras.

“Consequently mass transit in the Emirate has become dynamic to the mobility of residents and visitors judging by the number of public transport commuters which is currently estimated as one million passengers per day, and the share of public transport which is currently about 11% compared to 6% in 2006,” added Al Tayer.

Referring to RTA road projects, Al Tayer said: “The number of lanes crossing Dubai Creek has jumped from 19 to 48 lanes (153 per cent rise), and the total length of roads network increased from 8715 km in 2006 to 11217 km in 2010 besides upgrading 25 intersections.”

At the end of the meeting Al Tayer presented a memento to the Moroccan Minister.
 

Emirati Food

It’s difficult to find Emirati food in Dubai’s restaurants. It’s considered somewhat bland, and Arabic food here is heavily influenced by Lebanese, Moroccan, Tunisian, and even Iranian cuisine. Meals usually start with meze, Arabic appetizers such as hummus, tabbouleh, baba ghanouj, falafel, and kibbeh (ground meat with spices) served with pita bread and salad. Lamb, beef, and chicken are the favored meats, often accompanied by rice, spices, nuts (especially pistachios), dates, and yogurt.

Muslims are forbidden from eating meat that has not been slaughtered in accordance with Islamic rituals (called halal), and they do not eat pork. An authentic Emirati dish is roasted lamb stuffed with rice spiced with cinnamon, almonds, and pistachios. Although they’re Lebanese in origin, shawarmas (lamb or chicken carved from a spit and served in a pita) are also tremendously popular. Seafood is a staple of the Emirati diet, and includes grilled hammour (a grouper fish), chanad (mackerel), and beyah (mullet).

Main dishes may be served with unleavened Arabic bread, freshly baked in clay ovens, followed by fresh fruit such as dates, figs, and lemon and lime, as well as Arabic sweets. Fruit juices are often drunk with the meal, and Arabic coffee is served after. During Ramadan, evening meals are usually enormous buffets. Unless you manage to swing an invitation to an Emirati’s home for dinner, a good area to find cheap, authentic Arabic food is in Bur Dubai or Deira.