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I had Ferdi for the first time back in 2013 when I visited a couple of friends who were studying in Paris. They were both regulars at Ferdi, a hole in the wall restaurant that was starting to become a hotspot for celebrities and a place to be seen during Paris Fashion Week and other high-profile events. I remember the second time I was having dinner there, Kim and Kanye were also there just a couple of tables away. It was surreal, mostly because everyone there was so casual about it.

But that was then, today Ferdi has become a popular tourist destination and they now have locations around the world as well as a spinoff brand called Dinand par Ferdi. They also just opened in Kuwait, and last night I was invited to try it out.

The best way to describe Ferdi’s food is unpretentious comfort food. My usual order includes corn on the cob, mac & cheese, French fries and their famous cheeseburger. Nothing about their food is special, they don’t have the best cheeseburger in the world or the best fries, but when in Paris, it’s the combination of good simple food, decent prices, cozy space and the ambience that makes Ferdi, Ferdi. Not sure that concept works in Kuwait since we all have our favorite comfort food spots and we all definitely have our favorite burger places, but we’ll soon find out.

Ferdi Kuwait is located at JACC right next to White Robata. Their prices are similar to Paris with their Mac Ferdi’s Cheeseburger costing KD5.850 and KD2.000 for a side of fries. Reservations at the moment are required and as of this post, it looks like the next available date is May 29th. So good luck getting a table until the hype settles. @ferdi.kuwait

Yesterday I was at Chipotle Avenues Mall (they’re not open yet, I was just given access) and here is everything you need to know.

Opening Date:
They still don’t have an exact date, it will be during Eid that’s for sure, possibly April 10th. (Update: The opening date is officially April 9th)

Prices:
They’re going to be slightly more expensive than the US, but just slightly. For example, the burrito in Kuwait starts at KD 3.5 which is around $11.5, the same burrito in the US would cost around $10.5 (with tax). Here are all the items and their prices:

Burrito KD 3.500
Burrito Bowl KD 3.500
3 Tacos KD 3.500
Single Taco KD 1.250
Quesadilla KD 3.700
Salad KD 3.500
Kids BYO KD 2.250
Kids Quesadilla KD 2.000

Chips KD 0.950
Chips & Guacamole KD 1.900
Large Chips & Guacamole KD 3.150
Chips & Fresh Tomato Salsa KD 1.250
Chips & Tomatillo (Red Chili) KD 1.250
Chips & Tomatillo (Green Chili) KD 1.250
Chips & Roasted Chili Corn Salsa KD 1.250
Chips & Queso Blanco KD 1.750

Proteins:
Chicken, Steak, Braised Beef (Barbacoa), Sofritas, Veggies “includes Guacamole”

Ordering:
There will be 4 ways to order from opening day, you can either stand in line and build your order with an employee, or you can order from their digital kiosks, order through a QR code on the table, or order through the Chipotle Middle East app which will be available at launch.

Delivery:
Won’t be available at launch, but will become available as they open more branches.

Tidbits:
Some of the staff were brought in from Chipotle in the States and will be here permanently including the manager. Their prep and cooking kitchen is open and visible while waiting in line (I love that). Everyone I met and saw while there seemed happy and thrilled. I’m not very familiar with the brand since I only had it twice before, but the vibe I felt was really upbeat and fun, they’re really excited to open.

Hmmm, I think that’s all there is to know. I didn’t eat anything because I wasn’t really hungry, but I did leave with some fresh chips and guacamole.

If you have any questions, let me know in the comments. And this is my last Chipotle post, I promise 😅

Amer Zahr, the popular Palestinian American comedian is coming to Kuwait to perform his hilarious stand-up show, “The Truth”.

Amer has previously headlined at New York City’s world-famous Carnegie Hall and John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC. He also served as a national surrogate for presidential candidate Bernie Sanders back in 2016. His comedy tends to draw on his experiences growing up as a child of Palestinian refugees, performing on topics like politics, society, culture, Palestine, and more.

If you’re looking for a night out full of laughter, he’ll be performing in Kuwait on April 23rd at 6:00 pm and 8:30 pm. The show will take place at the American University in Kuwait Theater in Salmiya and tickets start at KD15.

Amer is proud to partner with the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund.

To get your tickets head over to tktfox.com

Last week artist Jad El Khoury was brought back to Kuwait to create a new mural in place of his erased one, that project was just one of many that the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters have in the pipeline.

NCCAL recently underwent a leadership transition that is instigating significant changes. They want to transform the public art scene starting with a commitment to providing increased opportunities for both local and international artists. By fostering trust between artists and the public sector, they hope to cultivate a vibrant public art community in Kuwait.

Their first project launched earlier this year and they called it “Al Fenn Al Thalith Murals Project” (roughly translates to “The Third Art Murals Project). The project is an open platform for artists that streamlines the process of obtaining permits to create murals on public property and spaces. They launched the project with an open invitation for people to submit their designs and if chosen, they’d then be able to paint them onto the electrical substations in that area.

With their first projects out of the way, NCCAL are now working on the next ones. One of the future projects targets what they call “trouble zones” all over Kuwait, breathing life into them with mural art. They also want to collaborate with a variety of entities such as Jedareyat, the Australian Embassy (future project in the works), and various private sponsors/collaborators.

I also found it interesting that NCCAL supports all local artists, regardless of where they’re from. Additionally, they aim to continue inviting international artists so they could bring diverse perspectives and experiences to the local scene.

NCCAL are currently in the process of setting up social media pages and an official website that will encompass all these projects, but for now, if you’re interested in obtaining a permit to create a mural on public property, you can do so through the NCCAL website, nccal.gov.kw

A hacker is claiming to have 600,000 passenger data for Kuwait Airways customers which supposedly contains the following information:

Member title, first name, middle name, surname, marital status, job title, dob, gender, e-mail address, nationality, Kuwait national ID, passport, passport validity period, primary telephone, second telephone, address, city, state, zip code, country, award mile, next card, qualify miles, quality sector, tier, total award miles, total qualify miles, valid from, valid till, contents.

Kuwait Airways have responded to the claim stating:

The security and privacy of our passengers’ information are paramount to us. We are investigating the claims made on social media and have engaged leading cybersecurity experts to assess and mitigate the situation. source

🇰🇼 Alleged Sale of 600,000 Passenger Data of Kuwait Airways

A threat actor claimed to have 600,000 passenger data belonging to Kuwait Airways and was putting it up for sale. Allegedly in the database: member title, first name, middle name, surname, marital status, job title,… pic.twitter.com/PRndsOe5ce

— ThreatMon (@MonThreat) March 25, 2024

I’m a Kuwait Airways customer so I originally was concerned my credit card details might have been part of the security breach. But, I checked and I don’t have my credit card details saved, and don’t think there is a way to save them anyway. So one positive I guess. For more details, check this article out on cybersecuritynews.com

As you’re probably aware by now, a few weeks ago I got access to Tareq Rajab Museums’ (@trmkuwait) private photography archive. While going through the photos I found ones of the British Embassy under construction, as well an aerial photo showing the embassy with two large buildings in the background. The other two buildings were the Sheikh Khazal’s Palace (Bayt Al Ghanim), and Diwan Sheikh Khazal (Sheikh Abdullah Al Jaber Palace).

The three buildings are still there today, but only the British Embassy is not falling apart and is still being used today. So, I reached out to @ukinkuwait for some information on the building, and what they shared was very fascinating.

The embassy was commissioned by the political agent Colonel Harold Dickson, and designed by architect Robert T. Russell, chief architect to the Government of India. The building construction was completed in 1935.

Harold Dickson and his wife Dame Violet Dickson (Umm Saud), were the first residents of the embassy. There have been 15 political agents and 21 ambassadors that have lived in the current residence.

The Residence was built with Basra Bricks and steel girders from Scotland. It was the first building in Kuwait built with steel girders which allowed rooms to be bigger than the height of a tree. At the time it was built, the building was really stunning for guests because they had never been in such large rooms.

The house originally was heated in the winter by 12 wood/coal burning fireplaces. All but three have been enclosed and are no longer used except as a decorative piece. The main terrace is designed in an arc to help catch the sea breeze and that a portion of it will always be in the shade to help create a natural breeze when the wind is not blowing in the summer.

Originally the embassy did not have AC and at that time it was normal in the middle east for people to sleep on the roof during the summer. Colonel Dickson and his family did that as well. But, the colonel was a bad sleepwalker and his wife Violet was scared he would walk off the roof since there were no railings. Initially, she tied his toe to the bed to keep him safe. Later she had a custom 2-inch-deep bath made that was the size of his bed. When he went to get out of bed, he stepped into the water and woke himself up.

On the first day of the 1990 Iraq invasion, the Ambassador then, Michael Weston calculated the embassy had 30 days supply of food and water for himself and his head of the Political Section Larry Banks. More than 5 months later, surviving on a little more than canned food and stagnant water (they drank the swimming pool), Ambassador Weston and his head of Political, locked the Embassy and climbed out a window and made their way to Baghdad until the coalition forces assisted in liberating Kuwait a little over a month later.

Today, the British Embassy residence is still used as the ambassador’s residence, and so is considered to be the oldest continually occupied residential building in Kuwait.

Note: The colored photo is by Verity Cridland and taken in the early 60s.

This year’s World Happiness Report is out and Kuwait has moved up the list and is now the 13th happiest country in the world. This is the highest spot I’ve seen Kuwait since I started following the report back in 2012, and now outs Kuwait ahead of countries like the UK, US, and Canada.

Kuwait was out of the rankings last year for lack of surveys for a three-year period, so this year’s ranking is based only on the 2023 survey.

The happiest country in the world is Finland, while the unhappiest place is Afghanistan in 143 with Lebanon right behind in 142nd. Here is how Kuwait compares with some other countries:

1 – Finland
13 – Kuwait
15 – Canada
20 – UK
22 – UAE
23 – USA
28 – Saudi Arabia
32 – Oman
62 – Bahrain
126 – India
127 – Egypt
142 – Lebanon
N/A – Qatar

The results are based on surveys from people in more than 140 countries who are answering questions regarding their overall satisfaction with their lives. The study also takes into account six key variables including GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom, generosity and corruption.

For the full list head to the website worldhappiness.report

Just a quick update on my previous post on a new rule requiring a triptik for your car if you’re planning on driving out of Kuwait. Yesterday I had a day trip to Khafji and I didn’t get triptik for my car and nobody asked for it at the border.

The only issue I had actually was a 5KD parking fine. They wouldn’t let me leave Kuwait without settling the fine, luckily the border was empty due to the rain storm, so the guy just let me pay the fine while still at the window using the Sahel app.

So lesson of the day, always check to see if you have any fines before traveling. This applies only for expats.

Update: So it seems it could depend on what border you exit Kuwait from. The Salmi border are supposedly asking for triptik, the khafji border isn’t.

Since it’s the month of giving, I decided for this design highlight I’d post about Mariam’s Library, a corporate social responsibility project by local architects, Parallel Studio.

Mariam’s Library was created with the aim of providing enhanced educational opportunities to students situated in the village of Mwanyanya in Zanzibar. The project originated from Parallel’s Studio commitment to giving back to both local and global communities through their Parallel Gives Program.

The library has two main zones, the first is a designated area for reading and study. It was designed similar to a stage so to maximize seating capacity. The second zone is an open space meant for community engagement and group activities. The result is a space that fulfills both practical and aesthetic requirements.

Speaking of aesthetics, when it came to the design of the library, Parallel Studio made sure to balance traditional architectural elements with modern design principles, while still also respecting Zanzibar’s architectural heritage. The materials they used were carefully selected to honor both the environment and local craftsmanship. For example, they used clay bricks in both the exterior and interior since it helps cool down temperatures during the summer season, while the fiber corrugated roofing was installed to allow daylight to filter in and provide ambient lighting.

I love the look of this library and the initiative behind it. Plus, the fact that it took only 34 days from start to finish is impressive. To see more work by Parallel Studio check out their instagram @parallel_studio

Photos by Nassor Othman

If you’re a UFC Arabia subscriber then you probably already know they’re shutting down the service at the end of the month. UFC Arabia was the best way to watch UFC fights if you live in Kuwait (or the GCC). The service and features were great and the price was cheap, like 2KD a month and it included pay per view events which cost around 25KD each in the US.

But, they’re now shutting down the service and telling everyone to sign up to STARZPLAY, the new home of UFC Arabia.

I signed up to it and watched the last PPV event (UFC 299) on STARZPLAY and it SUCKED. I had two major issues:

First issue, you can’t rewind a live event. Most of the pay per view events start in the middle of the night and by the time I wake up around 7AM they’re nearly done. What I used to do with UFC Arabia is get on, press play, and quickly rewind to the start of the event so I don’t see any spoilers. I can even pause after rewinding so I can then make my coffee, sit down and start watching the fights.

With STARZPLAY you can’t do that, you have to watch live where the event is and you can’t rewind. So if I get on and it’s in the middle of the fight it’s like tough luck, I can’t do anything about it except maybe just not watch the fights in the morning as they’re happening and instead wait till after work or something. 
The second issue I had was that midway through the fights the STARZPLAY video stream died and didn’t come back. Thankfully UFC Arabia was still functioning so I just got on that and continued to watch the event there.
The whole STARZPLAY interface also sucks and it’s just too busy with so much going on. I tried watching old fights but it wouldn’t even let me change the commentary language, so I was forced to watch it in Arabic. It’s just a horrible experience compared to UFC Arabia.
So basically, if you’re a UFC fan living in the GCC you’re pretty much out of luck now.

Not sure why, but putting together this annual list of Ramadan buffets in Kuwait was exhausting this year. I think it’s definitely me since everyone answering the phone this year was actually prompt. Just a quick example, I realized I didn’t have Holiday Inn on my list so I sent them a DM at 7:30AM this morning and they replied back a minute later. Everyone seems to be on top of their game this year which made my life easier.

As usual, I’ve also highlighted the price variation from the previous year if applicable. You’ll find the variation in brackets after the price. More places increased their prices than decreased. The highest increase was Stambul at the Grand Hyatt, they increased their buffet price by KD5 this year. The biggest decrease was KD2 and four places did that.

Below is the full list divided into two parts, hotels and restaurants. If I missed a place let me know in the comments. I’m looking for really cheap buffets to add, I have a few listed but if you know of a place where the buffet is less than KD5, let me know in the comments.

HOTELS

Al Jahra Copthorne Hotel & Resort – Taima’a Restaurant
Buffet Price: KD9 (-0.900)
Telephone: 24590000

Courtyard by Marriott – Atrium
Buffet Price: KD16 (+1.000)
Telephone: 22997000

Crowne Plaza – Al Ahmadi Restaurant
Buffet Price: KD16 (-2.000)
Telephone: 1848111

Crowne Plaza – Al Noukhaza Restaurant
Buffet Price: KD17 (-2.000)
Telephone: 1848111

Crowne Plaza – Sakura Restaurant
Buffet Price: KD18 (Weekends Only)
Set Menu Price: KD14 (Weekdays Only)
Telephone: 1848111

Four Seasons – Jawaher Tent
Buffet Price: KD26 (+1.000)
Telephone: 22006000

Grand Hyatt – Stambul
Buffet Price: KD20 (+5.000)
Telephone: 22007698

Grand Majestic Hotel
Buffet Price: KD8
Telephone: 22254700

Hilton Garden Inn – The Avenues
Buffet Price: KD20
Telephone: 22262000

Hilton Resort – Teatro Restaurant
Buffet Price: KD19.9
Telephone: 22256222

Holiday Inn – Al Diwan Restaurant
Buffet Price: KD15.950
Telephone: 1847777

Inn & GO Hotel – Al Dallah Restaurant
Buffet Price: KD7.5 (+1.000)
Telephone: 22436686

Jumeirah Messilah Beach – Badria Tent
Buffet Price: KD22 (+1.000)
Telephone: 22269600

Jumeirah Messilah Beach – Garden Cafe
Buffet Price: KD22 (indoors) KD24 (outdoors)
Telephone: 22269600

Kuwait Continental Hotel – Darbar Restaurant
Buffet Price: KD5.5
Telephone: 22527300

Marina Hotel
Buffet Price: KD16
Telephone: 22230030

Millennium Hotel – Lamar International Restaurant
Buffet Price: KD15
Telephone: 22050505

Movenpick – Free Zone – Bays Restaurant
Buffet Price: KD13.9 (+1.900)
Telephone: 66100710

Movenpick – Al Bida’a – Breeze Restaurant
Buffet Price: KD15 (indoors) KD17 (outdoors)
Telephone: 22253100

Radisson Blu – Al Bustan Restaurant
Buffet Price: KD18.5
Telephone: 25673000

Safir Hotel – Fintas
Buffet Price: KD13.9 (+1.000)
Telephone: 25455555

St Regis – Diamond Ballroom Tent
Buffet Price: KD28
Telephone: 22422055

Symphony Style Hotel
Buffet Price: KD12 (-2.000)
Telephone: 25770000

The Regency Kuwait – Silk Road Restaurant
Buffet Price: KD24 (+1.000)
Telephone: 25766666

Waldorf Astoria – Al Kubbar
Buffet Price: KD27 (+1.000)
Telephone: 24774414

RESTAURANTS

Almayass
Set Menu Price: KD11.5 (-0.500)
Telephone: 25761001

Assaha Lebanese Restaurant
Buffet Price: KD12.5 (-0.500)
Telephone: 22533377

Avanti Palace
Set Menu Price: KD4.750
Telephone: 25751081

Babel
Set Menu Price: KD14.950 (-0.050)
Telephone: 22081111

Baker & Spice
Set Menu Price: KD12.5
Telephone: 96962816

Big C Restaurant & Cafe
Buffet Price: KD1.900
Telephone: 65683111

Dar Hamad
Buffet Price: KD12 (360 Mall) KD16 (Gulf Road)
Telephone: 22275555

Dean & Deluca
Set Menu Price: KD9.750 (Min 4 People)
Telephone: 22242224

Em Sherif
Set Menu Buffet Price: KD25
Telephone: 90977997

Francescas At The Top
Set Menu Price: KD18
Telephone: 90003858

Gulf Royal Chinese
Buffet Price: KD8.5
Telephone: 22622770

IKEA
Buffet Price: KD2.95 (+1.000)
Telephone: 1840408

Jihan Khanah
Buffet Price: KD10
Telephone: 1819991

Joori Min Beirut
Buffet Price: KD12 (-2.000)
Telephone: 22062068

Kuwait Towers
Buffet Price: KD15 (+1.000)
Telephone: 24965500

Leila Min Lebnen
Set Menu Price: KD15
Telephone: 22996414

Mughal Mahal – Hawally
Buffet Price: KD7.45
Telephone: 22626782

Palm Palace
Buffet Price: KD11.5 (+0.500)
Telephone: 67009575

Paul
Set Menu Price: KD10.5 (+2.000)
Telephone: 22208204

Saraya Palace
Buffet Price: KD9.5
Telephone: 25712998

Vapiano
Set Menu Price: KD7.950 (+1.000)
Telephone: 22597171

Villa Fayrouz
Buffet Price: KD12
Telephone: 22650052

Wok and Grill
Buffet Price: KD2.995 (-0.505)
Telephone: 64440089

This post was supposed to be a silly one, but after I started writing it I went down a rabbit hole and found some interesting information, so bear with me.

A couple of weeks ago I got access to Tareq Rajab Museums’ private photography archive, and part of their collection were the family photos of the Dicksons. While going through those photos, I came across a number of photos of their dogs. They were beautiful shots and I joked that they were probably the oldest photos of pet dogs taken in Kuwait. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that was probably true. How many people in Kuwait had cameras back in the 1920s let alone one they’d use to take random photos of their dog? Not many.

I found five beautiful photos, some taken outside the Kuwait wall which you can clearly see in the backdrop of the photos. H.R.P Dickson lived in Kuwait with his wife Violet Dickson, and daughter Zahra Freeth from the 1920s until the 1940s.

I started off by trying to find the names of their two dogs, so I took out my copy of H.R.P Dickson’s “The Arab of the Desert” to see if he mentions them anywhere, and ended up finding a whole chapter where he talks about Salukis. Turns out they were popular dogs in Kuwait at that time and mostly used for hunting. Also, unlike other dogs, Salukis were not considered “najis” (unclean) so were allowed to enter the tent and lie on the rugs and mats. But, Dickson never mentioned his dogs, so I started to think maybe they weren’t his.

I kept digging and it led me to buying the book “Saluki: The Desert Hound and the English Travelers Who Brought It to the West“. In it there are a few pages that talk about Dickson’s dogs and turns out they actually did get two Saluki dogs in 1929 while in Kuwait. The dogs accompanied H.R.P Dickson everywhere he went because he found them to be a good conversation starter with tribesmen, and his wife Violet was mostly responsible for walking them daily. I couldn’t find the names of the dogs, but at least I got verification they were in fact their pets.

I believe the young girl pictured above is their daughter Zahra.

Update: I managed to find out the names of the dogs! Brian Duggan, the author of Saluki: The Desert Hound and the English Travelers Who Brought It to the West dug up photos Zahra had sent him and on the photos she had written the names and the dates of two male salukis, Dhabaan and Khataaf.

Brian also discovered that in the book The Arab of the Desert, HRP Dickson mentions the name of his female saluki as well, Turfa.

Ibrah is a new ethical and sustainable online fashion store designed and produced in Kuwait. They recently launched a new look book showcasing their ‘serene pajama collection.’

The collection features pajamas with unique prints inspired by the breathtaking landscapes of Kuwait. There are six distinctive patterns, each capturing the diverse natural elements found in Kuwait.

The pajamas are for both men and women, and there are kids sizes as well.

The whole concept is very interesting, and I like the fact that they were inspired by Kuwait, but then actually went ahead and produced them in Kuwait. Browsing their website the prices also seem very reasonable considering they’re a limited run.

If you want to check them out, visit their instagram account @shop.ibrah and also make sure you visit their website ibrah.com.kw

While in London this week I watched Dune 2 in the cinema and it was the worst experience. I looked for a cinema in central London that was showing it in the IMAX 70mm format, and I think I found 3 or a handful of cinemas that were showing it in that format. The two best places for IMAX in London according to Reddit were BFI and the Science Museum, but I was booking on Saturday to watch on Sunday and both those theaters had Dune 2 sold out for the whole week. Eventually found seats at Odeon in Leicester Square. Wasn’t too excited about it since I hate that area because it’s so busy and packed with tourists, but whatever.

I wish I watched it anywhere else, even if it wasn’t in IMAX. The theater was huge, and the screen was probably huge, but because the theater was much much larger than the screen, the screen looked tiny. I swear I was like wtf, I could have just watched it on my iPad or at home on my TV, you can see in my photo above how small the screen looked like.

When the movie started I thought about leaving and just watching it once I was back to Kuwait, but thankfully I didn’t because it looks like Dune 2 was removed from the cinemas here. Both Cinescape and VOX are no longer showing Dune 2, most likely because it’s been banned due to scenes and a storyline related to religion? Not sure, but it’s not showing anymore. Oh well…

Update: Never mind, it turns out Cinescape removed Dune 2 from the cinema and will show it again in April, I guess during Eid. I don’t think I’ve ever understand this thinking process, but for those of you in Kuwait you now have to wait till April to watch Dune 2 while the rest of the world is watching it and talking about it now. On the bright side, at least it’s not banned, but by April it’s probably going to be available to stream for free on HBO MAX anyway from what I’m reading as well.

Let us know in the comments if you’ve watched anything interesting this week.

Movies at the Cinemas
The movies below are now showing at the local cinemas:

New This Weekend:
Phoenix (5.1)

Other Movies Showing:
Argylle (6.2)
Bob Marley: One Love (6.5)
DarkGame (5.9)
Fast Charlie (6.2)
In the Land of Saints and Sinners (6.1)
Madame Web (3.8)
No Way Up (5.3)
Red Right Hand (5.3)
The Beekeeper (6.8)
The Holdovers (8.0)
Wish (5.8)
Wonka (7.4)

The numbers in brackets refer to the IMDB rating at the time of publishing.

Last year while visiting the set of the Netflix show, The Exchange, I saw an old Kuwaiti village being constructed for another show. The village was looking amazing and very realistic, but I couldn’t take photos to share since the show hadn’t been released yet.

A few weeks ago I remembered the village again and got in touch with Beyond Dreams, the studio behind The Exchange to see if I could pass by to take some photos. Turned out my timing was perfect since they had built an even larger village since my last visit, and it was for a new show that is airing on TOD and beINDrama this Ramadan called “Zaman Alajaj” (Time of Dust).

The village is huge, if you stand on one side you can’t see the other, there are alleyways, animals, and even a small farm with real vegetables growing. There is a street filled with shops, a village square, homes, and even a graveyard. So many details and all very realistically reproduced.

What is even more incredible is that the village is located in the suburbs, and not out in the middle of the desert. So one minute you’re stuck in traffic, and the next you’re walking around an old village with no cars in sight. The feeling is very bizarre, and because there are no tall buildings outside the wall, it really adds to the feeling that you’re in a village in the middle of nowhere.

All the structures are real and functional, so it not just a facade. If you open a door there is something behind it, it could be someone’s home, or it could be a shop selling spices, there will be something. The details are all there, and I remember it was the same thing when I visited the set of The Exchange.

Zaman Alajaj is being produced by Abdullah Boushahri, and the same team behind The Exchange. The story follows Wijdan (played by Mona Hussein), a woman seeking refuge from her abusive father and ends up infiltrating this simple village. It’s a drama with an intense and suspenseful storyline filled with conspiracies and conflict.

The series was produced for TOD and so will air exclusively on TOD and beINDrama. If you want to check out the trailer, it’s now up on @tod.tv

Note: This is a private set built for the show and so it not accessible to the public.