Portugal not just oranges

Other Voices

By Ahmad Al-Sarraf

PORTUGAL is seen as one of the most modest ‘Western’ countries in the European Union given its economic capabilities and weak industry and may be the only nation that does not have, for example, a car industry or even an assembly plant.

Perhaps because of these reasons and the beautiful climate and the splendor of its cities, it has become a haven for celebrities, artists, political refugees and wealthy people.

This is in addition to the ‘friendly’ laws and willingness to give buyers of property worth at least half a million Euros the ‘Gold Visa’ who a few years later becomes permanent residents with several tax exemptions.

The late Jassim El Bahr was aware of Portugal’s tourist attractions much before others knew about it so invested in an area called Algarve and others where hotels, villas and golf courses sprouted and became a destination for many.

The old and beautiful building system also attracted many visitors to the capital, Lisbon, or ‘Lisboa’ as said in Portuguese which is close to Spanish.

The Portuguese had a role to play in underestimating the importance of the Middle East to the world but for oil discovery five centuries later.

Six years after the fall of Andalusia, the Portuguese seafarer Vasco Da Gama in 1498 discovered the Cape of Good Hope. This caused the Middle East to lose its importance because the commercial ships avoided it.

Al-Sarraf

This isolated the Arabs from the rest of the world, so they lost and continue to lose the ideas, progress and development that were happening around the world.

The situation worsened after the Ottomans came to the region as occupiers in 1516 and invaded Egypt, the Levant, Iraq and North Africa in the name of religion.

The Arabs lived more than four centuries under the most backward rule and occupation compared to the English and French occupiers.

The magnificent capital of Portugal is built, like the capital of Amman, with the difference, on seven interconnected hills that make walking in between them enjoyable, despite the hardships of walking through the city’s streets, boulevards, and lanes, especially when the weather is good, it is a great pleasure.

The Portuguese cuisine is more diverse and richer than the Spanish, especially with the Matos. Lisbon boasts of international restaurants close to its famous European counterparts, at half the cost.

Because of the new residence facilitations, famous chefs moved to live in Lisbon and opened famous restaurants.

The celebrities and select artistes such as Madonna live in resorts close to the capital, places such as Cascais and Estoril, and Portugal’s sandy beaches which run for hundreds of kilometers.

The property prices over the past few years have reached unacceptable levels and now the price of one square meter is more than 10,000 euros in Lisbon and a little less in the major coastal cities.

It is interesting that the name of Portugal is Romanian and means Port Cale (Portus Cale), and has nothing to do with the abundance of orange trees, as some Arabs believe, the naïve.

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