Around eleven million people live in the UAE, and only about one in nine is a citizen. Everyone else came to work — from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Egypt and a hundred other places. Arabic is the official language; English is what people actually use to talk to one another.
That mix makes the country easy for a visitor and easy to misread. The tolerance is real, but it sits on top of local law and local custom, and both still apply to you.
The majlis
A majlis is the room where guests are received: cushions round the walls, coffee, an open door. It is also the institution behind it — the place where disputes were settled and decisions made, and where a ruler could be approached directly. UNESCO added it to its list of intangible cultural heritage in 2015.
Arabic coffee (gahwa) is poured from a long-spouted dallah into a small handleless cup, filled only a third, and served with dates. The host keeps refilling. When you have had enough, tilt the cup gently from side to side as you hand it back — that is the signal. Take and give with the right hand.
Falcons, poetry and dance
- Falconry is on the UNESCO list and is not a museum piece. Falcons hold their own passports, travel in aircraft cabins and have dedicated hospitals — Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital treats thousands of birds a year and admits visitors.
- Al-Ayyala, listed by UNESCO in 2014, is performed by two facing rows of men with thin canes, moving to drums and chanted verse. You will see it at weddings and national holidays.
- Nabati poetry — verse in the spoken dialect rather than classical Arabic — remains genuinely popular, with televised competitions that draw large audiences.
Ramadan
During the holy month, Muslims fast from dawn until sunset. Non-Muslims are not expected to fast, but eating, drinking and smoking in public during daylight is inappropriate — rules have been relaxed in recent years and many restaurants stay open behind screens, though courtesy still counts.
Working hours shorten, the city gets slow in the afternoon and lively after dark. Iftar, the meal that breaks the fast, is the best invitation you can get; if one is offered, accept it.
Everyday rules
- Dress: cover shoulders and knees in public places, malls and government buildings. Beaches and hotel pools follow their own norms. In mosques women cover their hair.
- Affection: holding hands is fine for married couples; kissing in public is not.
- Photographs: never photograph people — especially women — without asking, and never photograph government or military buildings.
- Alcohol is served in licensed hotels, bars and restaurants. Drinking in public and any alcohol behind the wheel are treated severely — the limit is zero.
- Language: insults and obscene gestures are criminal offences here, and that includes what you write in a message. People have been prosecuted over a WhatsApp exchange.
- Do not point with a finger or show the sole of your shoe.
Practical notes
The weekend is Saturday and Sunday — the country moved from the Friday–Saturday weekend in January 2022. Friday remains the day of congregational prayer and the midday hours are quiet.
For the other side of the culture, both Louvre Abu Dhabi and Dubai Opera run serious international programmes, and the museums of Sharjah cover the region's history in far more depth than anything on the coast.