Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) said its Al Taweelah site in Khalifa Economic Zone Abu Dhabi (KEZAD) sustained “significant damage” during Iranian missile and drone attacks on Saturday.

The incident comes after missile interceptions over Abu Dhabi resulted in debris falling in the KEZAD area, sparking fires in the industrial zone and causing injuries, according to authorities.

In a statement issued later on Saturday, EGA confirmed that a number of employees were injured in the incident, though none of the injuries are life-threatening.

Read more: Bahrain’s Alba confirms Iranian attack on its aluminium facilities

Separately, the Abu Dhabi Media Office reported that six people were injured. Authorities also successfully contained three fires, according to the Abu Dhabi Media Office.

“The safety and security of our people is our top priority at EGA at all times,” said EGA CEO Abdulnasser Bin Kalban.

“We are deeply saddened and are assessing the damage to our facilities,” he added.

The Al Taweelah complex forms part of EGA’s operations and is one of the largest aluminium production sites globally. The smelter produced 1.6 millions tonnes of cast metal in 2025 and includes an adjacent alumina refinery supplying raw material for production.

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EGA said it had substantial metal stock already on the water when the conflict began, along with inventory held in overseas locations—factors that may help cushion near-term supply disruptions.

The company is the UAE’s largest industrial firm outside oil and gas and the world’s biggest ‘premium aluminium’ producer. It is jointly owned by Mubadala Investment Company and Investment Corporation of Dubai.

Located between Abu Dhabi and Dubai, the Al Taweelah site was the largest single-site aluminium smelter in the world when it was completed.

EGA said damage assessments are ongoing.

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held high-level talks in Abu Dhabi, focusing on escalating security developments and their broader implications for regional and global stability.

The leaders discussed ongoing military tensions and their potential impact on international navigation and the global economy, underscoring the urgency of coordinated international efforts to maintain peace, a WAM report said.

The meeting took place during Zelenskyy’s working visit to the UAE, where he was warmly received by Sheikh Mohamed. The UAE President highlighted the significance of the visit, noting that it reflects the growing strength of ties between the two nations.

Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to enhancing cooperation, particularly through the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, which aims to expand trade and investment opportunities.

Note by Gareth van Zyl, group editor of Gulf Business

Martin Luther King Jr. famously said: “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

For many of us living in the GCC, the current regional crisis is revealing both the best and the worst of humanity.

That is why, listening to this powerful and moving speech by Dr Sultan Al Jaber — UAE minister of industry and advanced technology and ADNOC managing director and group CEO — I found myself feeling both inspired and reassured. Speaking in Washington overnight, where he was awarded the Distinguished Global Leadership Award by the influential Middle East Institute (MEI), which was founded in 1946, Al Jaber delivered a message that will resonate far beyond the room.

His remarks come at a critical moment, following high-level meetings in the US, including with Vice President JD Vance, where his focus has been on ensuring safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz: a critical artery for the global economy.

It is a speech that many across the UAE and wider GCC will draw strength from. We have published it in full below, along with including the video of the address published by MEI.

Full speech by Dr Sultan Al Jaber

March 27, The Ritz-Carlton, Washington, D.C.

Allow me to begin by congratulating the entire MEI family on your 80th anniversary. Eight decades of building bridges between the Middle East and the United States. Eight decades of hard work, and eight decades of dialogue. Eight decades of deepening trust. That is a legacy worth recognising.

Your Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, colleagues, partners and friends,

I will not stand here and pretend that this is a normal evening, because it’s not.

On February 28, my country, the United Arab Emirates, came under attack. An illegal, unprovoked, unjustified, erratic terrorist attack. Over 2,200 missiles and drones. That is over 60 per cent of everything that has been launched at the Gulf, aimed at our cities, our ports, our infrastructure, and our people.

We did not seek this conflict. In fact, we worked very hard to prevent it. But when it came, we were ready. Our defences held, our people stood firm, and our country kept running.

And my president, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, said it plainly: “The UAE is no easy prey. And we will emerge stronger than before.”

And I can tell you that is exactly what is going to happen.

I stand before you tonight as a proud son of my nation. A nation that did not flinch. A nation that did not freeze. A nation that stayed focused on progress, even as it defended itself from attack.

And I am proud to be here this evening in Washington, because even in a time of conflict, the UAE does not retreat from the world. We step up, we show up, and we continue to build bridges.

Iran wanted to export fear. Instead, they exported clarity, and it gave us the opportunity to show the world who we really are.

Excellencies, colleagues,

Awards are interesting things. Usually, they have one name on them. But they never belong to just one person. They are the sum of all those who helped shape you, guided you, and believed in you.

So, I accept this recognition with deep gratitude and great humility. Yet I honestly cannot accept it for myself alone.

Everything I know about leadership, I learned from one person: His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. His vision has shaped every chapter of my journey: and I mean every chapter.

His Highness does not talk about leadership. He embodies it.

Performing under pressure. Delivering stability when it matters most. Protecting all people from harm — citizens, residents, and visitors alike — and ensuring the nation keeps moving forward no matter what.

And here is what I find remarkable: that leadership did not stay at the top; it moved through an entire nation.

We see it in our armed forces, our civil defence, who are keeping the country protected and safe under sustained attack. We see it in nurses who stay at their posts while missiles and drones fly overhead. We see it in engineers who keep the lights on when it would have been easy to stop.

No one ordered them to be brave. They simply were.

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,

The last few weeks have reminded us of a fundamental truth: energy security is not a slogan. It is the difference between lights on and lights off.

And that difference runs through one narrow waterway — the Strait of Hormuz.

Nearly a fifth of the world’s oil, a third of its fertilisers, and vast flows of the raw materials that keep the global economy running all pass through a single chokepoint.

When Hormuz is open, the world barely thinks about it. When it is threatened, every economy on earth feels it: slower growth, higher prices, and the most vulnerable pay first.

So let me repeat what I said on Monday, because it bears repeating:

Weaponising the Strait of Hormuz is not an act of aggression against one nation. It is economic terrorism against every nation, every consumer, every family that depends on affordable energy and food.

When Iran holds Hormuz hostage, every nation pays the ransom — at the gas pump, at the grocery store, at the pharmacy — every household.

No country can be allowed to destabilise the global economy in this way. Not now, not ever.

And I genuinely struggle to understand why the world tolerates what can only be defined as an extortion on a global scale.

Colleagues,

You learn who your real partners are when the pressure rises — not in what they say, but in what they do, and how they show up.

And nowhere is that clearer than in the relationship between the UAE and the United States.

Across security, trade, investment, energy, technology, health care, education, and much more, our partnership is one of conviction. It is a partnership of true commitment.

Our partnership is not out of convenience. Our partnership is tested in peacetime and proven under fire.

A partnership like this matters now more than ever, because our region stands at a crossroads.

Two futures are competing for the Middle East.

One exports instability. The other builds industry.

One invests in proxies. The other invests in progress.

One seeks to build bombs. The other seeks to build bridges.

The UAE made its choice a long time ago. We chose openness over isolation, dialogue over discord, commerce over conflict.

I said a moment ago that you learn who your real partners are when the pressure rises. The same is true for nations.

Pressure does not build character. It reveals it.

So, if you allow me a moment, I would like to convey this message to His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan:

Your Highness, over the past weeks, and many conversations with UAE visitors and residents, and with leaders, investors, partners, and colleagues from around the world — including here in Washington — one message has been consistent:

The world now knows exactly what the UAE exemplifies: wisdom, integrity, dignity, resilience, and compassion.

This is your vision brought to life. This is your leadership in action. This is what the world witnessed when it mattered the most.

And this is the consistency of character that defines the UAE.

So tonight, I accept the Middle East Institute’s Distinguished Leadership Award on behalf of a nation that builds, a nation that partners, and a nation that steps up and shows up when it matters most.

In closing, allow me to thank my family: my anchor for always being there for me.

I also want to acknowledge the many partners, mentors, colleagues, and friends in this room here tonight. Some of you have been with me since the beginning, and some of you joined along the way.

All of you have shaped whatever success I have had.

So, from the bottom of my heart, I thank you.

I will treasure this. But more than that, I will treasure the relationships that made it possible.

I thank you.

ENDS

Today, The Courtyard in Al Quoz stands as one of Dubai’s most distinctive creative sanctuaries: a hub for artists, designers and cultural events in a district that has become synonymous with the city’s vibrant creative economy.

But long before the galleries, studios and cultural momentum, the area was a sparse industrial landscape, and the site itself was once a waterlogged “island” in the desert.

In Courtyard, a new book by renowned architect, artist and urban planner Dariush Zandi (pictured above), the story of how this space came to life in the 1990s is told through personal reflections and archival imagery.

Published by Motivate Media Group, the book traces the origins of The Courtyard, a project shaped by instinct, resilience and a deep connection to place.

Below, Gulf Business republishes the opening chapter of the book with permission from Dariush Zandi. The book is available to order on BooksArabia.com.

This is his story of how popular The Courtyard came into existence.

Chapter 1: The Early Days (1992–1998)

Helicopter shots 1988

In 1988, while working as an urban designer in Dubai, I captured these six photographs from a helicopter — my first encounter with the precious space that would become The Courtyard.

Tasked with photographing the land for the authorities, I took as many shots as possible using multiple cameras, driven by an urge to document it all.

Years later, when studying the land allocated to me in Al Quoz, I recognised it from these archived photographs, a whole series capturing this precious plot. Without digital technology at that time, the only way to view the land as a whole was to physically match the printed images, a challenging task due to the helicopter’s shifting perspective.

These six frames span along the Dubai–Abu Dhabi Road (now Sheikh Zayed Road), reaching what is now Al Manara. They reveal the impermeable, ocean-like nature of the land.

The only structures to exist at that time were a handful of buildings such as Juma Al Majid Cement and Block Factory, National Cement and Marble Factory (now Al Serkal Avenue).

The story of an island 1992

Dubai was a very different city then.

The multi-lane Sheikh Zayed Road was in its infancy — a narrow dual carriageway of asphalt winding through the sand, navigating a small cluster of early high-rises.

It was in 1992, after the allocation of the land, that I made my first visit to what would later become The Courtyard. Once all the necessary approvals were completed, a surveyor from the Municipality accompanied me to demarcate the plot.

It had rained heavily the day before, and as we drove to Al Quoz, we found the site completely inaccessible by car. Struggling to pinpoint the exact location, I asked the surveyor to show me where it was. He pointed towards a raised patch of sand above the water and said, “There it is — that island.”

I imagined visitors arriving by all sorts of means — perhaps paddling, or even taking a boat. But knowing the land, I quickly realised this was a sabkha — impermeable ground.

The next day, we returned in my four-wheel drive. With water no deeper than knee-high, we drove straight to the “island”. When I asked if all of it had been allocated to me, the surveyor smiled and said, “No, you are a small entity on this island.”

An overwhelming sense of gratitude filled my heart.

Decades later, I see this island as the manifestation of my earliest instinct — a sanctuary for art, culture and nature, a peaceful love letter to creativity, shared with kindred spirits from across the world. I had hoped it could be a home for all of us, and in many ways, it became exactly that.

That moment marked an instinctive feeling — a true blessing — something I will never forget. I will cherish that memory forever.

Courtyard under construction 1996

Pre-inauguration, March 1998

Inauguration night — 21 March 1998

Bruce Oldfield fashion show — 21 March 1998

The Courtyard, with its grand entry, was destined to be an innovative cultural hotspot.

A welcoming host to a line-up of creative events, ignited by a fashion show by Bruce Oldfield and his Spring 1998 collection. This was his first-ever appearance in Dubai, and his fashion show lit up the Courtyard.

The walkways were alive with models and creative possibility, animating the space, a pivotal moment of performance that truly took on a life of its own.

The fashion show was followed by a charity gala dinner in aid of Al Mosanada Cancer support group, hosted in support of The Creative Quarter.

This opening set the tone for the Courtyard and for all the adventures to come.

Inaugural exhibition

The inaugural European Fine Art Exhibition showcased eighty paintings and thirty sculptures by world-renowned artists.

The curated selection of outstanding works by European masters, including Picasso, Miró and Magritte, offered the public a rare opportunity to see these masterpieces in the UAE.

The Courtyard Gallery organised the exhibition in association with the Carlton Gallery, one of France’s known art spaces.

About the Book

Courtyard is a visual and narrative tribute to one of Dubai’s earliest creative sanctuaries. Conceived by architect and artist Dariush Zandi, The Courtyard emerged as a green refuge for ideas – long before Al Quoz became the city’s creative heart. Shaped by Zandi’s deep affection for the UAE and his tireless exploration of its urban and natural environments, the space was built using reclaimed and locally sourced materials: discarded timber hulls from Jaddaf’s shipbuilding district, bricks from a Sharjah bakery, mashrabiya screens salvaged from the Zabeel neighbourhood, and wrought-iron railings from old houses in Deira.

Rooted in architectural memory and respect for craft, The Courtyard became a gathering place for artists, designers, performers and thinkers. Through photographs, stories and reflections, this book captures the spirit of a community shaped by people and ideas, offering a meditation on how culture takes root – and endures – in a city defined by constant transformation.

About the Author:

Dariush Zandi is an artist, architect, town planner, photographer and author. Born in Tehran and educated in the United States, he arrived in Dubai from New York in 1978 and has contributed to the city’s architectural and cultural evolution for decades.

Before moving to Dubai, Zandi worked as an architect and designer in New York with Total Design in the 1970s, later establishing its Dubai chapter. After studying photography and filmmaking in New York City and California, he went on to teach at various institutions in Dubai for over a decade.

Through his work with Dubai Municipality and private practice, Zandi played a formative role in shaping Dubai’s early urban landscape. His vision found lasting expression in The Courtyard, a pioneering cultural space in Al Quoz that brought together architecture, art and community. A committed educator and photographer, Zandi has authored and contributed to numerous books on culture, history and architecture. He lives in Dubai with his wife, artist Shaqayeq Arabi.

Zomato has introduced a limited-time offer in the UAE, allowing residents to access a three-month Gold membership at no cost through its lifestyle platform, District.

District, positioned as Zomato’s UAE-focused lifestyle and entertainment app, brings together restaurant deals, live events and attraction-based experiences, streamlining discovery for users seeking value-led outings.

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The premium tier, District Gold, typically priced at Dhs29 for three months, offers users access to exclusive discounts across a wide network of venues, including fine dining outlets and entertainment destinations.

As part of the promotion, users can activate the free membership directly within the app through a simplified onboarding process. This involves downloading the District app, signing in via mobile number, navigating to the profile section, selecting the Gold membership option, and activating the complimentary plan.

The membership is activated instantly, enabling users to access discounted experiences immediately across the platform’s partner network.

Recently, in a similar move, Dubai-founded lifestyle platform the ENTERTAINER opened up to 250,000 complimentary memberships across the GCC to residents seeking to support the region’s hospitality sector.