Culture of the United Arab Emirates

Artifacts uncovered in the UAE show a history of human habitation, transmigration, and trade spanning over 125,000 years.

The UAE's official language is Arabic, but English is widely spoken due to the country's diverse nature and economic globalization.^[11][12][13] Farsi, Hindi, Urdu, Bengali and Mandarin are also widely spoken by expatriates from Iran, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and China.^[14][15][16]

Native Emirati nationals speak the Gulf Arabic, which is similar to that spoken in other GCC countries and Iraq.^[12][17][18]

Naming conventions

The first name is followed by “bin” or “bint,” which means ‘son of’ or ‘daughter of’, respectively, and the name of the father is followed by the family name.^[14]

After marriage, women retain their family names, and children take the name of the father.^[19]

Architecture

The United Arab Emirates' architecture is influenced by

A courtyard architectural layout was commonly seen in the vernacular architecture of the UAE such as houses, schools, mosques, and governmental buildings. The courtyard was a thermal regulator in hot and humid weather but also had privacy functionality. Privacy and ventilation are important components in traditional architecture of the UAE.[21]

Lifestyle

Clothing

Many Emirati men and women prefer traditional Emirati clothes; the

Traditional clothing is designed for comfort in high temperatures and to keep with the Islamic religious beliefs in the country. Clothing that cover more parts of the body from the sunlight is preferred.^[23][24] Ballgowns are common in this area. Ballgowns are commonly adorned with silver and gold.^[25]

Colourful embroidered dressing is common during occasions such as weddings or dancing. A common dance in the Gulf Arab countries is the Khaleeji folk dance which entails rows of women in close proximity to one another who move in a slow fashion while rhythmically swaying their hair from side to side. The dress is an important aspect of this dance.^[26]

Diet

The Emirati diet is a mixture of a

Muslims do not eat bacon, ham or pork, and they do not drink alcoholic beverages.[28]^[29]

Popular dishes include harees, fouga, kabsa and luqemat. Common Middle Eastern cuisine is also widely available. Due to the cosmopolitan nature of the United Arab Emirates, the most popular street-side snack is the Middle-Eastern shawarma.^[30]

One of the best national dishes is stuffed camel cooked slowly over a pit of burning charcoal.^[29] Harees is also a national specialty; it is a porridge-like dish often served in Ramadan or during large celebrations like weddings. It is made with wheat, meat (or chicken) and salted water.^[31]

Greetings and social customs

When entering a Majlis, guests will start greeting individuals from the right side to the left side of the room, unless there is an elderly guests, who should be greeted first. For men, the traditional Emirati greeting is the khushmak, or touching of the noses. Women greet each other by shaking hands and giving a kiss on the cheek. Kissing the top of the head is also a common way of greeting in the UAE.^[32] Members of the opposite gender should not embrace unless they are closely related.^[14]

After greeting guests, the host serves Emirati Coffee to the guests starting from the right side of the room and moving their way to the left of the room, it is also common for the host to serve the elderly guests first or an important guest in the room. It is also part of the Emirati social custom for the person serving coffee to hold the coffee pot "dallah" in their left hand and serve the coffee cup to the guest using their right hand. In a male gathering, the person serving the coffee will remain standing until the guest shakes their coffee cup to indicate that they do not want a refill, while in a female gathering, the woman serving the coffee is allowed to sit while serving others coffee. Less than half the coffee cup should be filled and the coffee being served should be hot to indicate to the guest that the coffee was specially made for them. For the guests, the coffee cup is taken with their right hand and given back using their right hand once done.^[32]

Literature

Poetry

Based on their educational backgrounds and historical environment, Emirati poetry is divided into three main periods. Initially, the generation that emerged in the early 1900s did not have any official education, but they made significant contributions to Emirati literature, especially in the style of Arabic poetry known as

Of all the literary forms, dramatic literature seems to be the least popular among Emiratis. Like poetry, there are two main genres that Emirati drama falls into. The first category, popular drama, may only appeal to Emirati readers because it is written in the Emirati dialect. On the other hand, Tawfiq al-Hakim, an Egyptian playwright, set the blueprint for the second category, which is known as intellectual drama. Because they are written in standard Arabic, these dramatic works are accessible to a wider readership. Both types of Emirati drama add distinctive viewpoints and creative expressions to the UAE's cultural scene, despite their difficulties in gaining general recognition.^[33]

Fiction

The Arabic short tales first became popular in the United Arab Emirates in the late 1960s and early 1970s when a few young Emiratis started distributing their works to a particular readership. The first efforts toward the creation of Emirati literature were made during this time, laying the groundwork for further expansion. Journalism was crucial in developing Emirati writing in the 1970s and 80s, especially in the field of short tales, as newspapers and magazines offered spaces for publishing and promoting these works. ^[33]

Among Emiratis, the novel is the kind of fiction literature that is least popular.As most literary critics and pundits have long speculated, Emirati novel's sluggish evolution can be linked to the fact that it is typically longer than other modern literary genres and far more intricate and challenging to write.^[33] The first Emirati novel, Shahenda, was written by Rashid Abdullah Al Nuaimi.^[37]

Music, dance, and film

The United Arab Emirates is a part of the Arab khaleeji tradition. Yowlah, a type of music and dance also known as Al-Ayyala, has been registered by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2014.^[38] One of the UAE's most famous traditional singers is Mehad Hamad, who is known for singing patriotic lyrics and poems about the desert.^[39][40]

Many traditional songs and dances, handed down from generation to generation, have survived to the present time. Young girls would dance by swinging their hair, which was traditionally worn long, and swaying their bodies. Men often re-enacted battles or successful hunting expeditions using a weapon dance; such as the Yowlah.^[41]

Sports

• Cultural Policy in Abu Dhabi
• Demographic of the United Arab Emirates
• Tourism in the United Arab Emirates

References