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VOLUME

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Shaikh Salman Bin Isa Al KhalifaExclusive Interview

H.E Sabine TaufmannGerman AmbassadorPassion for Bahrain

The Marvels of HermitageA Museum Worth Discovering

OudThe Scent of Tranquility

ColombiaA Latin American Paradise

Enchanting MomentsWith Clémence Faivre & Gotan

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Al Koun_Frankfurt Ad.pdf 1 8/22/12 11:30 AM

2012Autumn

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4 5Alkoun I Autumn 2012 Autumn 2012 I Alkoun4 5

Flash News يسبسي

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Contents

Chairman of Board & CEO

Hesham Salem

Editor in Chief

Khalid Khalil Zubari

Art Director

Sherif Saad Kotb

Director of Sales and Marketing

Anna Berdysheva

PR and Events Manager

Natalia Zhuravleva

Operations Manager KSA

Mohammed Al Issa

Operations Manager Qatar

Nayef Al Naama

Editors

Jessica Ricci

Radia Dridi

Nany Ashosh – Basma Sherif

Fatheya Marzooq

Legal Consultant

Maha Jaber

Web Design and Support

Layout and Design

Mahmoud Al Sawey

Printed By

Logistic Partner

Distribution

Bahrain: Al Ayam Publishing

UAE: Dar Al Hikma LLC

Oman: Al-Atta’a Distribution Est. LLC

Kuwait: International Group Media

Qatar: Dar Al Sharaq Publishing

Saudi Arabia: The National Company

Published BySabaya Journalism,

Publishing & Distribution Co. W.L.LResgistration No: 62320 ISSN 2210-0857

Chairman of Board A.Samad Al Nashaba

Tel: +973 77009117Email: info@alkoun.net

Website:www.alkoun.net

76 JEWELLERY Magnificentlydesignedandartisticallydecoratedwatches byPatekPhilippe ExquisitelyhandcraftedprayerbeadsfromDevji RemarkablediamondCollectionbyChopard Diamondandgold,thefineItalianjewellerybyDi.Go andmore…

102 BEAUTY MakeUpSecretsthisAutumnwithMariaSlinkina ClinicalChicat“5” MagnificentcreationsbyDior andmore…

120 HEALTH & FITNESS Balancebetweenmedicineandmedia Funfactsaboutushumans

130 WORLD OF COMMUNICATION Stepbackandthinkhowtocommunicatewithyourpartner

134 KID’S WORLD Developingyourchild’stalent

136 DÉCOR Homeiswheretheheartis.FeelathomewithFreedomfurniture

142 ART & CULTURE PicturetheworldthroughAce’slens TheNationalTheatreofBahrain-ADreamComeTrue

152 TRAVEL ExperienceluxuryatthemostspectacularEmiratesPalace MysticalMadagascar,indulginginwhattheislandhastooffer andmore…

172 ENTERTAINMENT ItalianFairytaleweddingsbyLudicaAntiqua andmore…

180 AUTOMOBILES ThestoryofMaybach,theultraluxurycar PhantomarrivesinBahrain RevolutionaryConceptbyPeugeot andmore…

206 SPORTS Theexciting6HoursofBahrainendurancerace HistoryofGeonaCFC,anItalianfootballclub andmore…

230 HOROSCOPES

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GUEST OF THE ISSUE

10 ShaikhAliAlJaberAlAhmedAlSabah, theGovernoroftheCapitalofKuwait

34 H.E.IainLindsay,TheBritishAmbassador totheKingdomofBahrain

18 FLASH NEWS BahrainJewelleryArabia2012adazzlingdateforyourdiary NationalDayofOmancelebration Atruehistoriclegend andmore…

48 FASHION & ACCESSORIES AutumnfashiontrendsbyAbirAchkar Valentino:Masterofcouture StepintostylewiththeSteveMaddencollection andmore…

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Aftertherelaxingholidaysweareallgettingbackintotheswingofabusyschedule,anitisupliftingto see many international events taking placeacrossthisgreatisland.

It was exciting to see the Bahrain InternationalCircuit host theWEC 6Hours of Bahrain. Theeventwas a huge success, as it was a fun filledweekendnotonly forWECenthusiastsbutalsofor families. It was reassuring to see Bahrainissupportsuchaspectacle.

There are other events to look forward thisautumn,namelytheBahrainJewelleryArabia2012,whichwelcomesthefinestjewellersfromaroundtheglobetoshowcasetheirwonderfulcollections.

We cannot but appreciate the efforts of aH.H.ShaikhaMaiBintMohammedAlKhalifa inthe creation and grand opening of theNationalTheatre of Bahrain (NOTB) on the 12th ofNovember2012;itistobecomeagreatlandmark

of cultural and artistic creativity, not only inBahrain but also for the entireGulf region.Weexpecttoseecaptivatingperformancesbyfamousinternationalartists.

It was recently announced that “The ManamaCapital of Arab Tourism 2013” is scheduled tobeginearlynextyear.Thiseventhasproventhatthe Kingdom is the favourite destination on theArabandinternationaltourismmap.Incelebrationof this grand event the Ministry of Culture willbe organizing events and activities (exhibitions,seminars, workshops, lectures, competitions). Inaddition the Ministry of Culture will inaugurateprojects and strategies to develop the tourismsector by focusing on the development ofarchaeological,craftsitesandhospitality.Bahrain is truly becoming and international hotspotforadiverserangeofevents,whichgivesusmuchtolookforwardtoo.Ihopeourreaderswillenjoy thisAutumn Issue as it is filledwithmanyinterestingandexcitingthemes.

An Eventful Autumn Season…

Hesham Salemhesham@alkoun.net

عاصمة »المنامة.. فعاليات تدشين عن اإلعالن جاء المملكة لحضور تأكيًدا »2013 للعام العربية السياحة والعالمية، العربية السياحة كوجهة مفضلة على خريطة

في ظل المقومات السياحية الثرية التي تمتلكها.

وتتوجه أنظار العالمين العربي والغربي والمهتمين بقطاع السياحة إلى المنامة عروس السياحة العربية.وهي مناسبة متمّيزة لتثبت فيها البحرين حضورها الفاعل على خريطة بإعداد الثقافة وزارة وتقوم والعالمية. العربية السياحة بعروس احتفاًء عديدة وأنشطة وفعاليات مميزة برامج نثّمن أن إال يمكننا ال السياق هذا وفي العربية، السياحة

جهود الشيخة مي بنت محمد آل خليفة.

و من المؤمل افتتاح مسرح البحرين الوطني في 12 نوفمبر عاصمة »المنامة.. المملكة احتفاالت ليواكب 2012الثقافي السياحة العربية للعام 2013«، ليصبح صرحًا لإلبداع والفني ليس فقط على مستوى البحرين وإنما على مستوى

دول الخليج العربي.

وأمتعتنا واكبناها التي المناسبات من الكثير وهناك نجاحًا حقق والذي ساعات ل6 للتحّمل البحرين كسباق فصل خالل أخرى فعاليات إلى ونتطلع النظير، منقطع الخريف، ومن أهمها معرض المجوهرات العربية 2012 والذي

يتيح عرض أرقى المجوهرات من مختلف دول العالم.

عروس السياحة العربية

Welcome

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Exclusive Interview With H.E Shaikh Ali Al Jaber

Al Ahmed Al Sabah From Kuwait

Alkoun Magazine had the great honour of being able to interview H.E Shaikh Ali Al Jaber Al Ahmed Al Sabah, current Governor of the capital of Kuwait. We were able to find out more about his life and his great achievements.

Please give us a brief background about yourself?

AsyouknowmynameisAliAl JaberAlAhmedAlSabah, I ammarriedwith children and I graduatedfrom the University of Cairo with a Bachelor ofLiterature. I began working for the Ministry ofInteriorasaSuperintendentofRevenueandFinance,however a few years later I resigned and beganmyownbusiness for4years.At that time, the lateH.H. Shaikh SaadAlAbdullah choseme to be theAlHamadiGovernor,andlaterIwasalsonominated

to be theAl Jahra’aGovernor and at themomentI am the Governor of Kuwait City. Prior to mycurrent position Iwas a boardmember for severalgovernment shareholding companies, and I chairedtheKuwaitFarmer’sUnionforaperiodoffiveyears.IntheeightiesIwroteseveralarticleswithmyKuwaitinewspapercolleagues.Between2006till2011IwentbacktowritingunderthenameofAlMouaten(TheCitizen), at that timemyfirst twobookswere alsopublished(Motherland,MotherlandandTheCitizen).

Can you tell us about your childhood memories?

Ihavecountlesswonderfulmemoriesofmychildhood;mostofwhicharedifficulttoforgetbecausetheyareconnectedwithmyfamilyandfriendswhomarestillagreatpartofmylifetoday.

How was your relation with your father, and what did you learn from him?

My late father, JaberAlAhmedwasclose tomeaswell as the restof thepeople.Even thoughhehadmanyresponsibilities,healwaysremainedhonourableashetreatedeverybodyasafatherandnotaruler,which is the reason why everyone loved him. Hewasaveryaccomplishedmanandwaskind-hearted,which I think is a rare quality in people today. Hewasareligiousman,kindandhumble,hehadmanyotherfinequalitiesandgoodhabits.MybrothersandIcouldneverbecomethemanhewas,howeverwehavelearnedmuchfromhim.

GuestoftheIssue ضيف العدد

سبتمبر / 2006 لقاء جاللة ملك مملكة البحرين

عند زيارتنا للمملكة رسميا وتقديم إهداء لجاللته

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What does the future mean to you and are there reasons to fear it?

Futureishopeandoptimismjustifiesallfears.Ifwehavehope,optimismandbeliefinfatalism,thefuturewillbebrightwithoutworries.

How has Kuwait developed in regards to women’s values and so on?

Ourconstitutionhasdevelopedover theyears, thelawsare fair and ithas grantedwomen their rights.Mostofthewomenhaveachievedtheambitionstheyhavealwaysdreamedof.

How do you assess the art of music in the past compared to now?

In the old times, songs included a combination oflyrics,musicandofcoursegoodvocalists;thesingersweredevotedtotheircareerverymuch.Todaywiththeuseof videos it is all about thepicturenot thevoice or the lyrics, plus there is the aid ofmodernequipment. Therearehugedifferencesbutwecanstillfindbeautifulvoices.Itislikecomparingblackandwhitemovieswithcolouredmovies.

How do you think a person can become honourable?

Apersoncanbecomehonourablebycommunicatingand treating people honestly with good intentions.Additionallytheymustlearntostayawayfromenvy,gossip and other bad behaviours. This attitude willensurelove,trustandcreateasuccessfulrelationshipwithothers.

Where do women stand in your poetry and personal life?

They play amajor role inmy life, by gathering thefamily together,upbringingthenewgenerationandspreading love and peace around the family. Theyaremothers,wives,sistersanddaughters.Theyarethebasisofavirtuousandgoodindividual,whoarethenucleusofsociety,andhavetheprovenabilitytogive,shareandreform.Thereissomuchevidenceofthis.Asforuspoetsthewomanwasandstillisagreatinspiration.

You are known to be a great nature lover. You take a great interest towards Azaiz Ranch, who are its main visitors?

Every human should love nature, as it is God’screation.As forAzaizRanch Iamhonouredby thevisitsofH.H.theAmir,CrownPrince,myunclesand

myRoyal family brothers, aswell as theDiplomatsandtheordinarypeopleofKuwait.How do you balance between work and family life?

Ilovemycountryandservingitismypriority,sayingthatdoesnotmeanIamneglectingmyfamily.DuringthedayIamatmyoffice,intheeveningIreceivethecitizensandofficialdelegatesandontheweekendsIspendtimewithmychildren.

What have your children learned from you as a leader?

WhateverIlearnedfrommyfatherIamnowteachingmychildren.

What have you added to your children’s lives that you have missed in your childhood?

As long as I raise them theway I was raised, theywillnotmissoutonanything.Mylatefather,whomIconsideredtheprinceofhearts,raisedmewithloveandpassion.

Who are your role models?

MylatefatherJaberAlAhmedandnowH.H.ShaikhSabahAlAhmed.Do any of your children have the gift of poetry?

He who loves poetry writes their thoughts; I havefoundmysonSabahhasthistalent.

Alkoun Magazine congratulates Kuwait for wining a medal at the summer Olympics, what is the future of sport for Kuwait?

Thank you. The future of sport depends on statesponsorshipandIamconfidentthatthiswilldevelopinthecomingfuture.

Do you think Arabs can win more medals, and how so?

Arabsaresurelycapableofwiningmedals,howevertheymustnotonlyhavetherightencouragementbutalsomoderntrainingfacilitiesandsoon.Theathletesdefinitely need to be nationally or internationallysponsoredandsupported.

What does the name Shaheen mean to you?ItisthenicknameIusewhenIwritepoems;thisnamehas a place inmy heart, as it is a species ofHawkfamousinKuwaitandtheGulf.

If you had two bouquets, to whom would you present them to?The first would be to our GCC leaders and wishthemwellnessandlonglife,thesecondtoeveryonewhoisdedicatedinservingtheircountry.

Do you have any last words?I would like to thank theAlkounMagazine Team. Iwishyougreatsuccessand Ihopeyourreaderswillenjoythisinterview.

Is there something in particular you remember from your father that influenced the course of your life?

Everything he did, even his daily routinewas donewith excellence and hewas arolemodel.

Naturally you have ambitions, some of which you have already achieved. Which other ambitions would you still like to achieve in the future?

Everybody has ambitions and thanksto God I was able to achieve them onpersonal level in the form of poetry.Myfuture ambitions andwishes are to keepKuwait and other GCC states safe andsecure and for Kuwait to become onceagainthegulfspearlasitusetobe.

Which country do you like visiting the most during the summer?

Therearesomanybeautifulplacesaroundtheworld.HoweverifImustchooseoneit would have to be Switzerland, this isbecause the people respect the law, itis clean, it has an astonishing landscapeand not tomention it is very quiet, it isalso perfectly located between France,GermanyandItaly.

What hobbies do you practice?

I think it is important for one to havehobbies,bothpermanentandtemporary.I like hunting and reading but lately I donothavethetime,nonethelessmycurrenthobbiesaremotorcycle ridingandfishingontheweekends.

GuestoftheIssue ضيف العدد

من اليمين

علي جابر األحمد

بندر جابر األحمد

أحمد جابر األحمد

نايف جابر األحمد

خالل إستقبال حضرة صاحب السمو أثناء زيارته لمزرعة عزايز

جريًا على العادة السنوية لسموه