In a city where opulence is both an aesthetic and a lifestyle, fine dining in Dubai has evolved into an art form. At restaurants like IDAM by Alain Ducasse, housed within the architectural marvel of the Museum of the Future, the experience of dinner ...
Giorgio Armani, the Italian designer who helped define modern fashion with his minimalist style and sharp tailoring, has died at the age of 90.
Armani rose to international prominence in the 1970s by introducing a softer, more relaxed approach to menswear, moving away from the stiff, structured jackets that had dominated for decades. His designs, often in neutral tones like navy, gray, black, and beige, became known for their clean lines and quiet elegance - qualities that appealed to both celebrities and professionals alike.
Beyond fashion, Armani played a significant role in shaping the global luxury market, including in the Middle East. In Dubai, his influence is most visible in the Armani Hotel, which occupies several floors of the Burj Khalifa. Opened in 2010, the hotel marked the designer’s first venture into hospitality and reflects his design philosophy of understated luxury. Armani-branded residences and retail stores across the city further extended his presence in the region.
Born in Piacenza, Italy, in 1934, Armani spent more than five decades building one of the most successful privately owned fashion empires in the world. He remained deeply involved in the business throughout his life, overseeing collections that spanned ready-to-wear, couture, and lifestyle products.
In Dubai and other global cities, Armani’s brand became a symbol of refined taste and modern design. His influence on fashion and design - both personal and commercial - continues through the Armani Group, which remains independent and under private ownership.
Dubai’s malls have always been more than shopping venues - they’re social hubs, architectural statements, and economic engines. But now, the emirate is redefining retail with a focus on technology, sustainability, and experience.
The recently launched Dubai Mall Zabeel expansion integrates AI-driven logistics and smart parking. Meanwhile, the Mall of the Emirates is experimenting with AR and VR tech to create immersive shopping environments.
E-commerce surged post-2020, but Dubai’s malls bounced back stronger, evolving into hybrid retail-entertainment complexes. Places like City Walk, Bluewaters, and Boxpark reflect urban outdoor retail trends, emphasizing walkability and local boutiques.
Simultaneously, Expo City Dubai is being transformed into a smart city-scale innovation and retail testbed, blending sustainability with commerce - a blueprint for 21st-century shopping districts.
Dubai is evolving into a global education hub, attracting international institutions and edtech investment to shape the region’s future workforce.
With Knowledge Park, Dubai International Academic City, and partnerships with global universities such as University of Birmingham, Heriot-Watt, and Rochester Institute of Technology, Dubai offers diverse programs from engineering to media studies.
In 2023, the UAE Ministry of Education announced reforms to integrate AI and climate studies into K-12 curriculums, preparing students for a rapidly shifting world. International schools in Dubai now rank among the best globally, with British, American, Indian, IB, and French curriculums widely available.
At the tertiary level, the focus on innovation, entrepreneurship, and future skills has created a knowledge-based economy parallel to oil revenues - mirroring the UAE's national diversification goals.
Dubai is making a concrete commitment to environmental sustainability.
Under the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan, 60% of the city’s area will be nature reserves or parks. Already, projects like Dubai Creek Harbour, Sustainable City, and Expo City Dubai are setting benchmarks in carbon neutrality, walkability, and smart grid integration.
The Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 aims for 100% clean energy sources by mid-century, spearheaded by the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, one of the world’s largest solar installations.
Dubai is also rolling out mandatory green building codes (Al Safat), and banning single-use plastics starting in 2024. These moves place the city at the forefront of eco-conscious urbanism in the Middle East.
Photo credits: Digital Dubai
Alexander Agafiev Macambira
Alexander Agafiev Macambira is former tech contributing writer for Forbes Monaco.
Dubai has quietly transformed into one of the most vibrant culinary capitals of the world. Once dominated by international chains catering to business travelers, the city’s food scene now celebrates local Emirati flavors, immigrant cuisines, and world-renowned fine dining.
The arrival of the Michelin Guide in 2022 marked a pivotal shift. Restaurants like Ossiano, 11 Woodfire, and Tasca by José Avillez earned stars not only for excellence but for introducing global audiences to Dubai's gastronomic diversity.
Meanwhile, grassroots food culture flourishes in areas like Deira and Al Karama, where South Asian, Levantine, and Filipino flavors tell the story of the city’s multicultural backbone. Dubai Food Festival and Dubai Restaurant Week now draw tens of thousands, highlighting the emirate’s ambition to be more than a luxury dining stop - but a global culinary destination.
When Dubai Metro launched in 2009, it became the world’s longest fully automated metro system at the time - now spanning 89.3 km with two lines and over 53 stations.
Its reach into communities like Al Qusais, Jebel Ali, and now Expo City (formerly Expo 2020 site) has quietly redefined how the city breathes. It averages over 650,000 daily riders as of 2023, reflecting its vital role in reducing car dependence in a notoriously car-centric environment.
Yet challenges persist: low-income workers—especially in peripheral labor camps—remain underserved by last-mile connectivity. The expansion plans (including the proposed Blue Line, linking key suburbs) promise more integration, but also reveal lingering inequities in urban mobility.
In a city of towers, equity begins underground. The metro is not just transport - it’s public policy made steel.
Launched in 2018, Bluewaters Island - home to Ain Dubai, the world’s tallest observation wheel at 250 meters—symbolizes a shift toward branded, engineered residential ecosystems. Developed by Meraas, Bluewaters is both a high-end destination and a residential experiment, with its 10 mid-rise buildings, beach clubs, and walkable districts entirely master-planned.
While it draws global comparisons to Miami’s South Beach or Singapore’s Sentosa, Bluewaters is more than a luxury enclave. It illustrates how Dubai is designing “livable enclaves” in place of organic neighborhoods. Public space, leisure, and private luxury are seamlessly integrated - but always curated.
The island’s success raises critical questions: Where is the line between urban design and urban control? When everything is manufactured, what space remains for unpredictability, for culture to emerge rather than be staged?
Bluewaters is Dubai’s most elegant paradox: a designed community in a city defined by engineered spectacle.
Photo credits: Blue Waters Dubai
Alexander Agafiev Macambira
Alexander Agafiev Macambira is former tech contributing writer for Forbes Monaco.
In a metropolis of glass and steel towers, the Ismaili Centre in Dubai stands apart for its embrace of tradition. Inspired by Fatimid architectural forms of Egypt and Syria, the Centre features a domed structure built with brick, wood, and craftsmanship from Kashmiri masons, employing rare artisanal techniques.
Its design philosophy underscores harmony, continuity, and mutual respect within society - an intentional counterbalance to the rapid modernity shaping Dubai. The Centre affirms that in a city of dizzying innovation, cultural rootedness still holds architectural and societal importance.
Dubai’s skyline stands as a testament to audacious urban ambition. Anchored by the Burj Khalifa, completed in 2009 and opened in 2010, the supertall skyscraper towers at 829.8 meters, holding the title of world’s tallest structure. Designed by Adrian Smith at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, its bundled tube design—a proven innovation from Chicago—promotes both strength and elegance, setting a template for mega‑structures worldwide.
Beside such iconography, the Museum of the Future emerges as a cultural landmark. Crafted by Shaun Killa Design, it achieved LEED Platinum certification in 2023 and carries Arabic calligraphy quoting Sheikh Mohammed about innovation and creativity on its façade. This structure reflects Dubai’s architectural modernism aligned with sustainability.
These edifices reflect a deliberate narrative: architecture as civic statement. With each curve, spire, and diagrid, Dubai repositions itself from a regional capital to a global crucible of design, innovation, and spectacle.
David Nahmad is one of the most influential figures in the international art world and among the largest collectors of Picasso works globally. A recent article in The Monegasque™ magazine by Karolina Blasiak offers a rare, in-depth look at his philosophy, legacy, and enduring impact on global culture.
IN THE RADIANT HEART OF MONACO’S cultural capital, David Nahmad stands as a beacon of art and humanity, his boundless passion for masterpieces weaving a tapestry of cultural unity that transcends borders. Born in 1947 in Beirut, Lebanon, to a Jewish family Nahmad’s journey from Lebanon to Italy to Monaco is defined by an insatiable love for art and a profound commitment to sharing it with the world.
Honored with France’s prestigious insignia of Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters (Chevalier de l'ordre des Arts et des Lettres) for his contributions to arts and culture, Nahmad is more than a collector—he is a global ambassador of elegance, fostering peace and understanding through the universal language of art. A titan of the art world, he and his family oversee a vast collection of valuable artworks, including an unrivaled 300 (and counting) Picassos, worth billions, solidifying his status as a preeminent marchand d’art and collector.
Much like Gustave Fayet, the early 20th-century French artist and collector dubbed the “Sovereign Eye” for his discerning taste in avant-garde art, Nahmad possesses an extraordinary ability to identify and acquire masterpieces that define cultural epochs. Both men, driven by a profound passion for art, have shaped the market through their visionary acquisitions—Fayet with his early support for Gauguin and Redon, and Nahmad with his strategic mastery of impressionist and modern treasures, from Monet to Rothko and Calder. Their shared legacy lies in their sharp, almost prophetic instincts, curating collections that not only reflect their times but also redefine the value of art itself.
Called “the man with a thousand paintings,” Nahmad’s collection, including iconic Picassos, Monets, and Kandinskys, represents a lifelong devotion to preserving humanity’s creative legacy. The most recent exhibition, “From Monet to Picasso”, ran through June 2025 at the Musée des Impressionnismes Giverny and showcased 57 of his finest treasures: Eugène Delacroix’s Juive de Tanger en costume d’apparat, 1835, luminous Monets, timeless Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, symbolic par l’excellence Gustave Moreau, vibrant Renoirs, evocative Degas, and Italian masters like Boldini and Zandomeneghi. This exhibition was but one chapter in Nahmad’s tireless mission to bring art to the world, with his masterpieces gracing museums from Tokyo to Nice, and from the Louvre to the Metropolitan, as well as Monaco’s own Grimaldi Forum.
“It’s better if the works can travel,” says David Nahmad, ensuring that art’s transformative power reaches all corners of the globe.
His passion was ignited in the 1960s by his visionary brother Giuseppe (known as “Joe”), who welcomed artists like DeChirico, Fontana, and Giacometti into their Milan home. By 1967, David, who abandoned his civil engineering studies, and his brother Ezra began dealing in art, driven not by profit but by an irrepressible love for beauty.
“We bought paintings when nobody wanted to buy—out of passion,” Nahmad recalls, recounting early purchases of Picassos and Kandinskys for mere thousands. His philosophy, “buy and hold,” reflects a collector’s heart, tempered by a duty to protect art for future generations. Even today, his energy remains relentless, scouring auctions for new treasures—and recently acquiring spectacular Dubuffets, Picassos, and a Fontana, to valorize and share with the world.
Beyond art, Nahmad’s life is a tapestry of cultural richness. A former World Backgammon Champion, he sees parallels between the game’s calculated risks and the art world’s unpredictability. Fluent in Arabic, he cherishes the deep ties between Jews and Arabs, deeply rooted in his family’s heritage in Aleppo and Beirut. “Jews and Arabs are cousins,” he reflects, recalling how Muslim neighbors protected Syrian Jews during times of peril.
"Art is a science; those who haven’t understood this shouldn’t collect. Before even starting a collection, you must buy art books and try to understand. Because without understanding, you cannot love. To love someone, you have to understand them, don’t you?" David Nahmad
His father, a banker, and his cousin, Edmond Safra, built fortunes on trust—a value Nahmad carries into his dealings with titans like Kahnweiler, Beyeler, and Berggruen.
Through his global exhibitions, and worldwide loans to museums Nahmad subtly fosters dialogue, uniting diverse cultures under the shared awe of a Monet or a Picasso. His collection, including masterpieces like The Women of Algiers (on loan to the Louvre and the Invalides Museum) becomes a quiet force for understanding, inviting nations to connect through art’s universal language.
This philanthropy is no mere gesture but a profound obligation. Nahmad’s loans his art collection to museums worldwide—Tokyo, Potsdam, Nice, and recently a red Fontana Concetto spaziale to the inauguration of Rosso at Piazza Mignanelli 23 (PM23), the new venue hosting cultural initiatives supported by the Fondazione Valentino Garavani & Giancarlo Giammetti in Rome and beyond—are acts of generosity, ensuring that masterpieces inspire and educate.
“To sell a work of art is first and foremost to protect it,” he says, a credo that underscores his role as a guardian of culture. His Monaco home, facing the sea, adorned with only a few paintings, reflects his humility; he shuns ostentation, preferring to let art speak for itself in the world’s great institutions.
While the reconnaissance of the Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres celebrates Nahmad’s extraordinary contributions, his true reward lies in the countless lives touched by his vision. From mentoring young collectors to “educate themselves” to championing art’s enduring value, he plants seeds for future generations. In a world often divided, Nahmad’s tireless pursuit of beauty—through art, trust, and shared humanity—offers a path to unity.
What does he take away from it all, now aged 78, the last living member of a sibling trio that left its mark on the art world in recent decades? “I didn’t work; I had fun,” he says with a smile, recalling his encounters with great gallerists and artists like Dalí, De Chirico, Miró, or Calder: “The most beautiful part of my life.”
Another lesson learned by the man who cites Magritte’s The Legend of the Centuries as the first painting that struck him: “The pretty is the enemy of the beautiful, and art has nothing to do with the pretty,” (“Le joli est l'ennemi du beau, et l'art n'a rien à voir avec le joli”)—Fernand Léger.
As The Monegasque™ honors this Monaco icon, we celebrate a man whose passion not only preserves the past but lights the way to a more connected, compassionate future.
Dubai’s economy is a case study in transformation. From early dependence on oil, the emirate has matured into a diverse economic powerhouse. As of 2023, Dubai’s GDP reached AED 429 billion (approximately USD 116.8 billion), with oil contributing less than 1% to the total output.
Today, key drivers of the economy include trade, real estate, transportation, financial services, logistics, and tourism. The establishment of free zones such as the Dubai International Financial Centre, and major logistics hubs like Jebel Ali Port, have positioned Dubai as a business gateway between East and West.
Emirates Airline, launched in 1985 with just two leased aircraft, has grown into one of the world’s most influential aviation brands. It plays a central role in Dubai’s connectivity and economic model.
In parallel, the emirate has invested heavily in innovation, sustainability, and smart city initiatives. The result is a resilient and future-ready economy that continues to thrive, even amid global headwinds.
Dubai’s tourism industry continues to surge in scale and influence. In the first half of 2025, the city welcomed 9.88 million international overnight visitors—surpassing total annual figures from just a few years prior. This represents a 6% year-on-year growth, reinforcing Dubai’s trajectory toward becoming one of the top three global tourist destinations.
The average hotel occupancy rate reached 80.6% across the city by mid-2025. Both the average daily rate and revenue per available room also showed notable increases. These metrics reflect a strong rebound and continued expansion within Dubai’s hospitality industry.
Several luxury properties debuted in 2025, including Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab and Cheval Maison. Meanwhile, the upcoming Ciel Dubai Marina is set to become the tallest all-hotel tower in the world. Combined with a growing roster of internationally acclaimed restaurants and experiential tourism initiatives, Dubai is steadily solidifying its place at the top of the global travel industry.
Set within Zabeel Park, the Dubai Frame declares itself boldly - 150 meters tall and 95 meters wide, it is both monument and mediator of time. Visitors ascend to the glass bridge and look northward to the labyrinthine streets of Old Dubai, then turn south to drink in the polished spires of the new city.
Conceived through an architecture competition and completed in 2018, the Frame carries undercurrents of creative dispute and resilience. But above all, it is a poetic vantage point where Dubai’s narrative - from dhow fleets to gleaming towers - unfurls in a single breath.
Image suggestions: a full-on, symmetrical capture of the Frame at midday; or interior perspectives with visitors standing in awe above contrasting cityscapes.
