| Author | Message | ||
| terryc
Senior Member Username: terryc Post Number: 1429 Registered: 11-2004 |
I am going to visit my daughter who works for an advertising firm in Dubai tomorrow(Friday UK time) Might get a gig over there!!!! | ||
| adriaan
Moderator Username: adriaan Post Number: 2682 Registered: 6-2002 |
Have a great trip! | ||
| davehouck
Moderator Username: davehouck Post Number: 9862 Registered: 5-2002 |
Cool! Enjoy! | ||
| crobbins
Senior Member Username: crobbins Post Number: 722 Registered: 6-2004 |
Good luck. | ||
| slawie
Advanced Member Username: slawie Post Number: 281 Registered: 8-2002 |
Terry a little light reading for the trip. Getting familiar with Dubai’s culture and etiquette. Dubai is a modern city that welcomes visitors from around the world. However, as it is also a Muslim city, there are certain factors to take into consideration in terms of dress code and behaviour. Religion plays a significant role in the culture of Dubai. Mosques can be found throughout the city and at sunset the call to prayer can be heard across the rooftops. It is possible for non-Muslim tourists to visit certain mosques in Dubai; perhaps the most impressive is the Jumeirah Mosque, tours of which can be booked through the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding. Ramadan is a popular time of year to visit Dubai; although all residents and visitors must refrain from eating or drinking in public in daylight hours, it is a wonderful time to experience the local culture and strong religious heritage of the city. Non-Muslims may eat and drink in designated areas, and many hotels and shopping malls will have various outlets that remain open during Ramadan. Visitors to Dubai should dress modestly, particularly in conservative areas and public places. Swimwear is acceptable at the beach or around the swimming pool, but visitors should cover up elsewhere. Shorts and T-shirts are suitable attire in many places, although when visiting mosques, religious sites or older parts of the city, both men and women may feel more comfortable wearing loose-fitting clothes that cover shoulders, arms and legs. Women will usually be required to wear a headscarf when entering mosques. Courtesy and hospitality are important virtues in the Arab world, and visitors will enjoy the friendliness and warm welcome provided by locals. If you are invited to a majlis, remove your shoes at the entrance. Males and females will probably be escorted to different sections. If you are sharing a meal with your host, accept food and refreshment before moving on to matters of business. It is important to stand up for new guests and older or higher-ranking people, and men are expected to stand when a woman enters the room. When greeting a member of the opposite sex who is Muslim, it is important not to offer to shake hands unless they extend their hand first – both men and women (more commonly women) may prefer not to shake hands with the opposite sex due to religious reasons. It is customary to accept food and drink with your right hand; this is also the hand you should eat with. Avoid showing the soles of your feet, or pointing your foot at anyone. If you are sitting in front of an important guest, it is considered rude to cross your legs. Do not beckon or point with your finger; if you need to use a hand gesture, use the whole hand. If you are hosting Muslim guests, do not offer them alcoholic beverages or pork. Alcoholic beverages are available in licensed bars and restaurants in Dubai. In order to get a licence, an outlet must be attached to a hotel or sports centre, and therefore, most bars, pubs and licensed restaurants can be found inside Dubai’s hotels. Visitors may also purchase alcohol from Duty Free shops at Dubai International Airport, as long as they observe the limits set by Dubai Customs. Drinking and driving is strictly prohibited, and Dubai Police take a zero tolerance approach – in other words, it is not safe to have even one drink if you are driving. Visitors should remember that, as Dubai is a Muslim city, a more modest code of behaviour is required. Being drunk and disorderly in public is unacceptable, and may result in a fine or worse. Public displays of affection should be minimal – holding hands is acceptable but kissing and hugging in public is not. Noise disruptions, bad language, making obscene gestures and showing disrespect in any way to Dubai’s religion or its leaders are all forbidden and may land you in legal trouble. The following are also considered illegal in Dubai: use or possession of drugs, cohabitation, sex outside of marriage, having a baby out of wedlock, adultery and homosexuality. Have a great trip slawie (Message edited by slawie on November 18, 2010) | ||
| ajdover
Senior Member Username: ajdover Post Number: 890 Registered: 11-2003 |
Is the firm Bates Pangulf by any chance? | ||
| ajdover
Senior Member Username: ajdover Post Number: 891 Registered: 11-2003 |
BTW, I've been to Dubai. Make sure you visit the Mall of the Emirates (where there is an indoor ski slope) and the Burj al Arab hotel. | ||
| terryc
Senior Member Username: terryc Post Number: 1430 Registered: 11-2004 |
Thank you slawie for the sound advice, as I have few muslim friends at home they have also give me some ground rules but you can never have enough knowledge..thanks again. My daughter has an itenary sorted some I am in good hands. | ||
| bigredbass
Senior Member Username: bigredbass Post Number: 1553 Registered: 9-2002 |
Just terrific, slawie. You know what makes me sad? When I read the last paragraph ('Visitors should remember that . . . '), it strikes me they don't want us to act the way we normally act in our own country. J o e y | ||
| sonicus
Senior Member Username: sonicus Post Number: 1415 Registered: 5-2009 |
And the old saying goes; "When in Rome do as the Romans do "_______ Have fun on your trip Terry! Wolf | ||
| hb3
Senior Member Username: hb3 Post Number: 556 Registered: 2-2005 |
Wait...you mean, Muslim countries don't treat non-Muslims the way they're expected to be treated in the West? Why, that's impossible.... | ||
| terryc
Senior Member Username: terryc Post Number: 1432 Registered: 11-2004 |
well I am back to an arctic freeze up!! Slawie..your advice wasn't needed as there are over 500,000 expats there but thanks anyway. One great experience was a visit to the Sheik Zayed mosque in Abu Dhabi that is one beautiful place!! Went up the Burj Khalifa, well up to 124th floor, there are another 36 beyond that! Amazing place It was pleasantly warm at 30 deg C for most of the week. I am booking my flight for next year!!! | ||
| davehouck
Moderator Username: davehouck Post Number: 9902 Registered: 5-2002 |
I just pulled up a picture of the Burj Khalifa; it looks big. | ||
| slawie
Advanced Member Username: slawie Post Number: 282 Registered: 8-2002 |
Glad you made it back to the icy ol' dart. Is there any evidence of the economic woes that seem to be plaguing Dubai at the moment? What I mean is the construction still as fervent as ever or could you see idle building sites? Go Aussies for the Ashes! slawie | ||
| terryc
Senior Member Username: terryc Post Number: 1436 Registered: 11-2004 |
slawie... construction is still going ahead albeit slower then the last two years, the have suspended the tramline transport system which was right past the exit at Jumeirah Beach Residences where my daughter lives, she said there was palm trees and plants in the middle of the road which is now all dug up. Apart from that everyone(including me!) was spending money. | ||
| terryc
Senior Member Username: terryc Post Number: 1441 Registered: 11-2004 |
A couple of pics me and my daughter at the beach and a view from burj khalifa   | ||
| peoplechipper
Advanced Member Username: peoplechipper Post Number: 225 Registered: 2-2009 |
WOW! that is a hell of a view! I was in Dubai last in '95 and loved the place, but it sounds like development has gone crazy since...Tony |
