The Taliban and Al Jazeera - Some Important Dates
62Lest we forget
There are dates we all remember - 1066 (Norman Conquest), 1314 (Battle of Bannockburn), 1984 (the year that didn't resemble the book), 2000 (the non-existent Millenium Bug), 2001 (the Space Odessy) - I'm sure you can add your own. But these are of little consequence when compared with...
Important Dates
Important dates grow on palms. They have been around since long before we started counting and will outlast us all. At this time of year they are beginning to ripen and passers-by help themselves from the lower hanging bunches. Not a lot else grows in the desert. That makes dates all the more wonderful. Against all the odds, Nature produces huge heavy clumps of fragrant sugar-rich fruit year after year, and all we have to do is gather it. The best dates are from Saudi. Many are boxed and sent around the world, but in the Gulf it's common to see them pressed into huge slabs which are then sliced in the local corner shops, using a cheese wire. You buy them by the kilo and eat them with turkish coffee.
Come buy, come buy
The Taliban are in the next but one street from my apartment. They don't cause any trouble here and are quite well respected. Theirs is a small establishment and one I've never had reason to enter. I'm sure the quality of their cloth is excellent, but I don't wear the dishtash myself. I have promised myself that before I leave the Middle East I will have one made for me. I'll probably go for the red and white checked headgear as the plain white is just too formal for my taste. I don't think the Taliban actually finishes garments. I believe it's mainly a wholesaler for the trade, but there are plenty of small local tailors who could do the job.
And Al Jazeera?
Apart from the Satellite TV Station, there are Al Jazeera premises all over Doha. And this is hardly surprising because the name simply means The Peninsula and describes the whole Arabian Peninsula region. Pictured is a local food store, but there are Al Jazeera juice stalls, garages, bookshops, apartments, and so on.
So if you were hoping for some revealing international conspiracy involving the Taliban and Al Jazeera TV (not forgetting the Important Dates), sorry if I have wasted your time. In fact, this is my 50th Hub, and I just felt like having a little joke, at no-one's expense. Thanks for the read!
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Comments
I enjoyed reading your hub and looking at the pictures with fun captions, LOL!
Congrats on your 50th hub! I am a slooow writer, maybe I will pick up and one day celebrate my 50th hub. :)
That's right - sandwiched between Saudi and Iran, fortunately with some water in there too!
Thanks VS. I slowed down a lot in the 30s but became more productive recently when I saw the 50 aproaching.
Haha I guess I'd not want to DATE any of them.
i lived in Saudi Arabia for 2 years, I was introduced to dates and i like them....i remember buying them by in bucket (pail) at the market every Friday......
In fact, I don't like them so much fresh. I like the slabs of dried dates. Dried gives the wrong idea - they're still very moist and sweet.
My disappointment in not reading about a juicy conspiracy theory is tempered by your wit and good humor--love those pix of the taliban and al jezeera emporia too. Congratulations on a delightful 50th hub-- I'm looking forward to many more:-)
Hi Robie - I've escaped from the heat for two weeks of British rain instead. If it ever stops, I'll do a local walkaroun hub, just for comparison. Thanks for the visit :)
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knolyourself says:
18 months ago
Never did like dates. Can't remember numbers. So you are in Doha ha. Have been wondering where you were, right across the straight from Iran, and where all the action will be, if there is an attack on Iran. Like the pictures. Happy 50.