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United Arab Emirates

Culture & History

Personality, Culture, & Identity

The United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) is a country that knows what it has and isn't afraid to flaunt it to the world. Like a needy child, the U.A.E. craves attention and easily overshadows Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, and in many respects, even Saudi Arabia. With this constant need for attention, comes a pride, which, at first is only noticed in subtle forms like the "national dress."

The pride Emirates share is based on their humble beginnings as nomadic desert dwellers striking it rich with oil. Constantly trying to maintain humbleness, the U.A.E. bounces between over-spending and material excess with their roots. They're constantly reminded that they are a minority in their own country, making who they are more significant, while also making them almost forgotten. To remedy this and, in order to compete with their fellow emirates, they swing back to high-spending as they build the world's next architectural icon.

The citizens of the U.A.E. primarily identify as Emirate, however some claim their ancestral tribe to be more important. For the most part, as a minority in their own country, they stick together and, with the people of Qatar and Bahrain, they often times identify widely as citizens of the gulf coast countries. As liberal Muslims, they view themselves as a part of Arabia and the Islamic world, but tend to separate from this identity due to the extreme social differences between themselves and their neighbor, Saudi Arabia.

History

The land of the present-day United Arab Emirates has a long history, but this history is divided between the land the coastal people occupied, and the isolation of the interior desert dwellers. For much of history, this region was controlled by Persia and remained so until the arrival of Islam in the 600s.

In the 1400s the Europeans arrived by sea and took power in much of the region. By the 1700s the British held most of this control, which was sought in order to gain control over the Persian Gulf's lucrative trade with Africa and India. The British forced peace treaties on the local tribes on the coast, but later in their rule the local sheikhs voluntarily agreed to British protection. However, during this time the British never ventured into the nearby desert interior and, other than protecting the waterways, there was no true economic motivation for the British to control the region.

The modern-day U.A.E.'s only real wealth came from pearl diving, but this industry dried up in the 1900s and the region returned to nomadic Bedouins living in poverty. In the early 20th century this changed again when oil was discovered and export of the good began in the 1960s. Abu Dhabi focused their economy of this good, while Dubai focused on being a trading center and port city as the rest of the Emirates fell into obscurity.

In 1971, Abu Dhabi's sheikh, Zayed worked with the other gulf coast emirates' sheikhs to create a united nation as the British discussed giving up control over the region. Most of the emirates along the coast joined (Bahrain and Qatar didn't) with Abu Dhabi acting as the country's capital. Since then, power has been primarily held in the emirates of Abu Dhabi and Dubai, however all the emirates have benefited from this union.

Today the United Arab Emirates has quickly become one of the most progressive and modern countries in the world as oil money and tax-free trade through Dubai have made the country a meeting place for the entire Arabic speaking world as it also attracts workers and tourists from nearly every country in the world. Today the country's residents primarily consist of foreign non-citizens (over 80%), but the local population financially benefits from their work.

Dress & Behavior

As a Muslim country, there are a number of religious laws which should be obeyed by everyone in the United Arab Emirates, although few people seem to actually follow them. Nearly 75% of the country is foreign, many of whom come from Europe, North America, India, and the Far East, to whom local religious dress and dietary restrictions mean little to nothing.

The locals dress one way and most foreigners dress in whatever way they want. The local dress or national uniform is worn with pride by the locals and trying to imitate this dress can actually be more offensive in the U.A.E. than it is "correct."

Although following local dress isn't necessary, covering up is greatly appreciated and respected by the local population and by visitors from neighboring Muslim countries, who are numerous. Although most foreigners who live in the U.A.E. and most tourists to the U.A.E. don't follow these guidelines, you should make the effort to do so since all are simple and easy to follow.

Women may cover their hair, although very few do, even Muslim women from other countries tend to ignore this rule as they view the U.A.E. as a liberal place where they can ignore dress restriction. However, even these Muslims from abroad tend to cover their legs and shoulders. Since the locals are used to foreign tourists, they accept shorts and short sleeve shirts.

It is also improper to touch a woman, even holding your wife's hand or offering to shake a local woman's hand can be considered inappropriate to a strict Muslim, but in the U.A.E. you'll rarely encounter this issue, especially in most resorts.

Islamic law forbids pork products and alcohol, however the country is aware of foreign interest in these items so they can be found with a bit of searching. Alcohol can be purchased at any "foreigner" hotel restaurant or bar, however outside of hotels there are no bars or pubs and alcohol cannot be bought for home consumption unless you are a foreigner residing in the U.A.E., in which case you can purchase a certain amount of alcohol each month. Pork can also be bought at certain stores by foreign residents, but it is not sold in restaurants, not even in western restaurants. To learn more about dining etiquette in the U.A.E., visit the Emirati Food page.

This page was last updated: August, 2011