Traditional Emirati Customs You Should Know Of

When visiting any country, it is important and respectful to have your research done to prevent offending anyone. This will also make sure you enjoy your trip without any problems. If you are visiting UAE, this is your complete guide to UAE’s customs!

Greetings

One major thing to know about Emirati culture is that the people from the UAE thrive on their hospitality. Emiratis are extremely friendly and welcoming people, so when greeting friends, they tend to use fairly long greetings, with praises to God, in addition to hugs and kisses. This is only done in between men. When it comes to Emirati women, one should not try to shake their hand unless she puts out her hand first and definitely avoid embraces and kisses.

Clothing

There are a few notes on clothing that people should keep in mind when visiting the UAE. Unless tourists are at a desert safari or another location that invites them to try one of the country’s national clothing, it’s actually seen as disrespectful for Western men to wear the Emirati national dress around. Additionally, women should be mindful of their clothing. Although some Emirates are more relaxed than others when it comes to dress codes, when visiting an Emirate home women should also try to dress in a manner that can’t be seen as provocative.

Emirati Women

It is actually high offensive when done to Emirati women. Under no circumstances should one take pictures of an Emirati woman. Additionally, it’s considered extremely offensive to stare at a woman in national dress. Although tourists may do so innocently and out of curiosity, this shouldn’t be done at all. Any sort of unwelcome physical contact is seen as a form of disrespect and even flirting with Emirati women is frowned upon.

Public Behavior

There are a few public behaviors that are extremely frowned up – and sometimes even illegal in the UAE. Considering that UAE locals don’t drink, being drunk and disorderly is a big no-no and people can even be taken in by the police for doing so. Additionally, public displays of affection are deemed to be rather disrespectful to Emirati culture. Another thing to be mindful of is as tourists are what to take pictures of. It’s illegal to take photos of women, in addition to military and government facilities.

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