Saudi Arabia has built the world’s first underwater mosque. A group of divers constructed the aquatic place of worship off the Saudi coast close to the border with Jordan. It is made from plastic pipes filled with sand. One of the divers Hamadan bin Salim Al Masoudi told the “Al Madina” newspaper: “One of our colleagues came up with this idea last summer and we decided to carry it out.” He added: “When we put the final touches on it, it was time for afternoon prayers, so we performed group prayers.” It is not yet certain whether the mosque will be open for prayers to the general public. Worshippers would need to don scuba diving equipment and there is currently no call to prayer. The building of the mosque comes as a variety of companies in neighbouring United Arab Emirates has unveiled plans to build underwater hotels. The Dubai-based shipbuilding company Drydocks World penned a deal to develop undersea hotels in Dubai with a Swiss firm. One such project is the World Discus Hotel, a discus-shaped underwater complex. It will be one of five underwater establishments planned by the two companies. The plans are seen as another sign of Dubai’s cutting-edge prowess in the luxury hotel sector. Drydocks chairman Khamis Juma Buamim told reporters: “The discussions are to build these around the world, not just in the UAE.”

The sandwich is 250 years old this weekend and residents in the English town of Sandwich, where the bread meal was first eaten, are celebrating their culinary history. According to the town’s records the English nobleman Earl, John Montague first ordered a sandwich in 1762. It is reported he was playing cards with friends and wanted something he could eat without a knife and fork. He requested slices of beef between two pieces of bread, and so the sandwich was born. Montague chose to live in Sandwich over another port town, Portsmouth. Had he chosen the latter, we would be eating portsmouths today. It is perhaps a coincidence Sandwich is just a few kilometres from the town of Ham.

The 11th Earl of Sandwich, also named John Montagu, hosted a celebratory lunch in honour of his ancestor and his contribution to the global fast food industry. He told reporters: “My ancestor…could never have imagined that his simple invention would spawn a multi-billion dollar industry, employing hundreds of thousands of people." He added: "My favourite sandwich is a traditional one - roast beef and hot horseradish on freshly baked bread.” Organisers of the celebrations are equally excited about the historic event. Mandy Wilkins said: “The sandwich is a global food and Sandwich, our town, is just a little town full of medieval buildings. It's bizarre that such an important food item should be named after us.”