Part One: Culture (UAE)

United Arab Emirates

1. Popular Sports (Including Popular Teams or Athletes)

Popular sports in the UAE include falconry, boat racing, camel racing, rugby, tennis (Dubai Tennis Championships), soccer (football) (UAE Football Association), motor sports (Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Dubai International Rally, etc), and cricket (UAE National Cricket Team).

2. Music (Traditional Music, Popular Music, Well-Known Performers)

Rock, metal, jazz, traditional arabic, and cover band music are all very popular in the UAE, especially in the city of Dubai. Popular artists include Mohammed Al Muhairi, Ahlam Ali Al Shamsi, Hussain Al Jasmi, and more. Popular and traditional bands include Gandhi's Cookbook, Abhorred, Dahab, Kamal Musallam, and more.

3. Food (Traditional Foods, Popular Foods)

The food culture of the UAE is cosmopolitan with different dishes coming from around the world. Typical arabic cuisine is prevalent in the UAE, especially hummus, kebab, falafel, sheep, seafood, shawarma, dates, many different wheat blends, and poultry.


4. Major Religious and/or Spiritual Beliefs

100% of Emirate citizens are Muslim, predominantly Sunnis. Expatriates/foreigners, which make up 42% of the population, primarily come from South Asia. Their religions include Hinduism, Buddhism, and Christianity.

5. National Holidays and Traditional Customs

National holidays include the Day of Sacrifice, Ramadan, the Islamic New Year, the Night Journey, New Year's Eve/Day, and Arafat Haj Day. Most gulf countries follow the Islamic Calendar. Western clothing is the norm, especially with foreigners, however traditional dress for men includes white robes and sandals while women are encouraged to completely cover themselves from head to toe.

6. Popular TV Shows or Movies (And Popular Stars)

Reality TV, news, dramas, and talent shows (Arab Idol, Arab's Got Talent) are very popular in the UAE. Bollywood and Pakistani films and TV shows are often shot in the UAE. The Dubai International Film Festival and the Gulf Film Festival are very big and highly attended movie screenings within the country that bring a lot of attention to the middle-eastern film scene. Popular figures in UAE entertainment include Bassam Al-Thawadi, Mariam Sultan, Khaled Siddiq, Khalifa Shaheen, and Saad al Faraj.

7. Online News Sources (With Links)

Below are links to the more popular online news outlets for the UAE.
Khaleej Times: http://www.khaleejtimes.com/index00.asp
Al-Jazeera: http://america.aljazeera.com
GoDubai News: http://www.godubai.com/news/
CNBC Arabia: http://www.cnbcarabia.com
Gulf News: http://gulfnews.com

8. Online Forums for Expatriates (Include Links)

InterNations: http://www.internations.org/uae-expats/forum
Expat Chat Dubai: http://forum.expatechodubai.com

9. Type of Government (Plus Political Leaders, Political Parties)

President: Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Prime Minister: M. bin Rashid Al Maktoum
Federal National Council Speaker: Mohammad Al Murr
UAE Constitution Adoption: 1971
Government Type: Absolute Monarchy
The UAE is a federation of seven constituent monarchies: The Emirates of Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah, and Umm al-Qaiwain. Each Emirate has its own ruler with the rulers instilling local government policies.
-President Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan: Ruler of Abu Dhabi
-Vice President and Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum: Ruler of Dubai
-Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Mohamed Al-Qasimi: Ruler of Sharjah.
-Sheikh Saud bin Saqr al Qasimi: Ruler of Ra's al Khaimah
-Sheikh Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi: Ruler of Fujairah
-Sheikh Saud bin Rashid Al Mu-alla: Ruler of Umm al Qaiwain
-Sheikh Humaid bin Rashid Al Nuaimi: Ruler of Ajman