Culture of the United Arab Emirates

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

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

An Emirati folk dance, the women flip their hair sideways in brightly coloured traditional dress.

Many Emirati men and women prefer traditional Emirati clothes; the Kandura and Abaya.[22]

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]

The Emirati diet is a mixture of a Bedouin diet (meat and camel milk), a fishermen's diet (fish), and a farmer's diet (dates). These foods, along with key spices, such as cinnamon, saffron, and turmeric, form the basis of both historical and modern Emirati cuisine.[27]

Vegetables that are easy to grow, such as cucumbers and tomatoes, are featured prominently in the diet. Dried lemons, called loomi, are grown locally and used in numerous dishes. Mangoes are also grown in the northern emirates. Meats traditionally used include chicken or small fowl, such as Houbara bustards, and goats. Since camels are highly prized for milk and as a means of transportation, camel meat is normally reserved for special occasions.

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]

Majlis

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 sex 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]

Themes in Emirati poetry are diverse, ranging from satire, self-praise, and patriotism, to chivalry, religion, family, and love.[33][34][35]

As in many other Arab countries, poetry is considered a key art form. Traditional forms persist today, although some Western styles of prose poetry have gained popularity.

The first Emirati novel, Shahenda, was written by Rashid Abdullah Al Nuaimi.[36]

Contemporary literary figures include Nujoom Al-Ghanem, Ousha Al Sha'er, Khalid Albudoor, and Aisha Al Kaabi.

A band performs the Ayyala, which is a cultural dance derived from Arab tribes sword battles.

The United Arab Emirates is a part of the Arab khaleeji tradition. Yowlah is a type of music and dance performed mainly in communities of Bantu people from the African Great Lakes region.[37] One of the UAE's most famous traditional singers is Mehad Hamad, who is known for singing patriotic lyrics and poems about the desert.[38][39]

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.[40]

The Dubai Tennis Championships in 2006.

Football is the most popular sport in the UAE. Emirati football clubs Al-Ain, Al-Wasl, Al Nasr, Al-Sharjah, Al-Wahda, and Shabab Al-Ahli are the most popular teams and enjoy reputations as long-time regional champions.[41] The UAE national football team qualified for the FIFA World Cup in 1990 along with Egypt. It was the third consecutive World Cup with two Arab nations qualifying, after Kuwait and Algeria in 1982, and Iraq and Algeria again in 1986.[42] The UAE also won the Arabian Gulf Cup held in Abu Dhabi in January 2007.[43]

Cricket is one of the most popular sports in the UAE, largely due to the expatriate population from the Indian subcontinent. There are 3 International Cricket stadiums in UAE. They have hosted many international cricket matches such as one T-20, 2014 IPL, and many more.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is also increasing in popularity within the UAE. Both the adult team and the juvenile team frequently compete and win events both locally and internationally. The World Pro Abu Dhabi tournament attracts hundreds of competitors annually and features a large cash prize. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu also features prominently in local Abu Dhabi school curricula.

Inhabitants of Arab States of the Persian Gulf have enjoyed camel racing for many years as it is considered a traditional sport.[44] Formalizing camel racing was one way of maintaining its central role in UAE life. In the past, UAE had a reputation for exploiting South Asians as jockeys.[45] However, robot jockeys are now used after strict government regulations were passed prohibiting underage jockeys from racing.[46]

The UAE now has no fewer than 15 race tracks across the seven emirates. Nad Al Sheba Racecourse, 10 kilometers outside of Dubai, Al Wathba, 30 kilometers south-east of Abu Dhabi, and Al Ain track, which is 20 kilometers west of Al Ain, are all large, well-equipped camel tracks with high-tech facilities. Two smaller tracks are located in Sharjah, one in Ra's al-Khaimah and one in Umm al-Qaiwain. Others are spread throughout the desert areas.[47]

In 2021, the UAE formed its first ever all-female camel racing team.

Other popular sports include car racing, falconry, endurance riding, and tennis.[48]

A lot of holidays in the UAE include Eid Al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan, Eid Al-Adha and Arafah Day, both of which celebrated during the Hajj period, the UAE National Day on December 2 and 3, which marks the formation of the United Arab Emirates, New Year on January the 1st, Commemoration Day on November 30 to honour those who died fighting for the UAE, the Islamic (Hijri) New Year, and the Prophet's Birthday (Mawlid).[49][50]