UAE - A Plot of Sand for $34 Million
A British fashion entrepreneur has sold a coveted plot of sand on a luxury island in Dubai in a record-setting deal.
The empty, 24,500-square-foot parcel of land, which lies on the man-made Jumeirah Bay Island and has no structures on it, sold for 125 million dirhams, or $34 million, on April 19, according to Knight Frank, the real estate firm that brokered the off-market deal.
The seller, Umar Kamani, founded and until recently served as the CEO of PrettyLittleThing, a fast-fashion retail business based in the U.K. Knight Frank indicated that the buyer, whose identity was not disclosed, plans to build a “spectacular custom-built mansion” on the plot.
Kamani purchased the property for 36.5 million dirhams in 2021, earning him a hefty profit of 88.5 million dirhams, or $24 million, before fees, Bloomberg reported.
Meraas bills it as “the address of choice for home owners keen to enjoy the luxury of their own private beach on an island replete with great sea views and vistas of Dubai’s impressive skyline.”
-www.cbsnews.com, 24 April 2023
Arno's Commentary
This report reveals unlimited luxury, almost unfathomable just a few decades ago. These expensive houses will serve as retreats for recuperation or celebration.
We notice that the formal relationship between Israel and the United Arab Emirates was established in August of 2020. The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) was formed in January 2009 and is headquartered in Masdar City, UAE. One hundred sixty-five countries are members of the agency. As the name indicates, this organization aims to facilitate cooperation between nations in renewable energy. Will they succeed? We believe so. Energy is said to be related to global warming. Thus, in the end, no nation can afford to be outside this club.
Here we are reminded of Sodom and Gomorrah. When the prophet Ezekiel pronounces judgment against Jerusalem, he gives us the reason why Sodom fell under judgment: “Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy” (Ezekiel 16:49). Note the words “pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness.”
What follows, however, is targeted against Jerusalem: “Neither hath Samaria committed half of thy sins; but thou hast multiplied thine abominations more than they, and hast justified thy sisters in all thine abominations which thou hast done” (verse 51).
From New Testament perspectives, we are reminded of Mystery Babylon the Great, whose judgment we read about in Revelation 18:7: “How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.” That’s a fitting picture for today’s successful world.
Arno Froese is the executive director of Midnight Call Ministries and editor-in-chief of the acclaimed prophetic magazines Midnight Call and News From Israel. He has authored a number of well-received books, and has sponsored many prophecy conferences in the U.S., Canada, and Israel. His extensive travels have contributed to his keen insight into Bible prophecy, as he sees it from an international perspective.
