Future in the desert: United Arab Emirates
Rare facts about UAE
The UAE is a wonderful and unusual route for adventurous travelers. This mysterious and young country combines Arab conservatism and high technology. People come here for a beach holiday, expensive shopping, and a cultural program. If you cannot decide whether to go on your next trip, we recommend you to read our material about this amazing country.
Perfect Fridays
In the UAE, the working week is different from the usual: it starts on Sunday and ends on Thursday, and the weekend is Friday and Saturday. Such a schedule is associated with religion, since Friday is considered a holy day for Muslims and the time of obligatory prayer.
In Dubai and other emirates, schools, banks and government offices, as well as some small shops are closed on Fridays and Saturdays. However, shopping centers, cafes and entertainment venues work without a break for the weekend - especially for tourists.
Immigrant city
Prior to the discovery of oil in Dubai in 1966, only 1,200 people lived there. However, thanks to visitors, the city began to develop rapidly and the population grew to 3.3 million people. Moreover, local residents are 7 times less than visitors.
Obtaining UAE citizenship is an almost impossible practice. To do this, you must have lived in Dubai for at least 30 years, be fluent in Arabic and have a high level of income. However, even after applying for citizenship, the chances of obtaining it are extremely small.
In 2021, the law was changed, and now foreigners can also obtain citizenship, but only those, who are ready to invest billions of dollars in the country, or those, who are ready to develop it - scientists and inventors.
However, the UAE government takes care of its citizens by providing them with free housing, free education abroad, childbirth benefits and wedding ceremony fees. Also, when applying for a job, a local resident receives a salary 2-3 times more than a foreigner in the same position. So, in order to live well, theoretically, a native citizen of the UAE does not even need to work. Wow!
Not only dessert and skyscrapers
Not far from Dubai is the city of Al Ain, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This city has a rich history dating back thousands of years.
Al Ain is the only major city in the UAE that is located away from the coast and ranks fourth in terms of population. The city is translated from Arabic as "garden city", thanks to the many parks, squares and alleys that adorn its territory.
Al Ain is famous for its cultural attractions, among which are the Jabal Hafeet mountain, the Hili archaeological garden, the ancient settlement of Bidaa Bint al-Aziz and many oases in the district.
7 shades of sand
The UAE consists of 7 emirates and each of them has its own color of the sand:
- Abu Dhabi – orange;
- Dubai – red;
- Fujairah – black;
- Ras al-Khaimah – white;
- Ajman – beige;
- Sharjah – brown;
- Umm al-Qaiwain – blue.
Camera! Action!
Hollywood filmmakers are most fond of the deserts and urban landscapes of the emirate of Abu Dhabi.
Footage from the planet Tatooine was filmed here in Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015).
In the movie Furious 7 (2015), you can see the oasis of El Liv, the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, the Formula 1 track and the Etihad Towers architectural complex.
Denis Villeneuve filmed the surreal views of the planet Arrakis from the film Dune (2021, 2023) in the desserts of Abu Dhabi.
And Dubai masterfully disguised itself in Star Trek: Infinity (2016). The footage was filmed at the Meydan racetrack, the Burj Al Arab Hotel and the Jumeirah Lake Towers, which helped capture the atmosphere of Yorktown's fantastic starbase.
The United Arab Emirates is a unique country that offers Western tourists many attractions created by nature and man. You should definitely visit this exotic region to immerse yourself in a world that is so different from ours.
Editor's note! Despite all the technology in this region, the UAE has some of the highest prices for mobile Internet. We have fixed this sad fact - connect the fedafone bundles for UAE and enjoy your vacation without worrying about traffic!
