find out more about traditional emirati culture
In the ambiance of a beautiful restored wind tower house courtyard, located in the historic Al Fahidi neighbourhood of Dubai, the guests resting on the beduin style pillows scattered around a table decorated with a selection of traditional Emirati dishes featuring a divine desert Ligmati “small bites", were sipping cups of freshly brewed arabic coffee and nibbling the middle east delicacies. The strong smell of cardamon & saffron mixed with a delicate sweetness of dates was floating in the air.
Nasif was giving his vigorous speech, cracking a joke after a joke. He was wearing an angle lenght, loosely fitting white robe. The galactic empire accessory - Yoda head cufflinks were adding an imperial character to his look. His head was covered with a white scarf and a piece of black cord.
Why you make your women wear black?! To me black is hot. You torture your women!
This question brought a wide feisty grin to Nasif’s face. His nimble and witty reply made everyone roar with laughter:
Our women torture us inside the houses, we torture them outside.
Men and women in the UAE wear the same type of clothes. White is reserved for men & black for women. Have you ever been wondering who picked the colours? & Why the heck anyone living in the Middle East scorching hot deser would wear black? & Why it needs to be a woman?
In the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding (aka SMCCU) you can enjoy traditional Emirati cuisine & conversations. SMCCU offers guided walking tours in the neighbourhood area & cultural meals. Their motto is “Open Doors, Open Minds” . Your questions no matter how sensitive are welcome and anwered (in a very frothy way). So come, eat, laught and learn (Tip for gluttons: it is all what you can eat option and what you cannot eat you can take with you). Advance booking is required.
Did you know? Men in the UAE can have up to four wives. Remember “can” in English means it is optional. In practise, one wife is enough for most of them. Emirati are strogly discouraged from marrying non-nationals and a young man receives 19 000 USD from the mariage fund if he marries a national. (Yes, this is sad news for many Non-Emirati women). It is estimated that 86% of population in the UAE is Expacts and only 14% is Emiratis.
IT IS high TIME FOR SHOPPING IN DUBAI
Within a short distance from SMCCU, at the textile souq, you can inulge a shopping passion and give yourself along with a content of your wallet, to the Emirati merchants. They already know your favourite colour and are very desperate to make sure you do not come back home with some empty space in your suitcase. So be aware.
You can also board an abra boat (costs 1 AED) & take a short ride across the Dubai Creek to visit the gold & spice souqs. Tip for men: If you travel with a woman, the safest place for your wallet and credit card in Dubai, is a beach. Stay there, at least sun is for free.
BACKING THE WRONG CAMEL - CAMEL RACES IN THE UAE
To emerge yourself deeper in the local culture, in located 0.5h drive from the city - Al Marmoon Camel Racetrack, you can sit down in the bleachers & watch the traditional Emirati sport - camel races. The racing season in the UAE runs between October and April. The most popular days are Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. This is an exceptional opportunity only a few places in the world have to offer. Where else you can lose (your) fortune backing the wrong camel? Wake up at sunrise (the races start quite early approx. 7 am) and embrace a glorious day in Dubai.
PS. Still wondering why in the Middle East women not men wear black? Me too. At SMCCU they were trying to convince me that black does not actually absorb all the light and does not make you feel any warmer… Maybe let’s swap the colours boys?