UAE Society & Culture
The United Arab Emirates is home to a rich cultural heritage that has been strongly influenced by its unique environment. The region's varied terrain, desert, oasis, mountains and coast, dictated the traditional lifestyles that evolved over the centuries. A resilience and resourcefulness necessary to survive in these harsh conditions was fostered by society’s age-old tribal structure: each family was traditionally bound by obligations of mutual assistance to his immediate relatives and to the tribe as a whole. Among the tribe an individual's selfless hospitality was the source of his honour and pride. A common religion, Islam, also provided the cement that held society together.
The UAE’s rich history is rooted in trade and tied to Islam, which came to the region in AD 630. For centuries, the region was home to small fishing towns and a nomadic Bedouin people. Eventually, its location between Europe and the Far East attracted merchants from India and China and was prized by Europeans. And over time, cities like Abu Dhabi and Dubai became large trading hubs. In the 19th and early 20th century many inhabitants were semi-nomadic, pearling in the summer and tending date gardens in the winter for trade. Today, the seven Emirates have forged a distinct national identity combining the traditional with the modern.
The UAE’s culture is rooted in the traditions of a nomadic, desert people. The tribe has been the principal building block of UAE society since successive waves of migration, beginning in the middle of the first millennium BC, brought Arab tribes to the region. The terrain which these tribes inhabited—desert, oasis, mountains and coast—dictated varied lifestyles but the common thread was the resourcefulness in managing the harsh environment. This was assisted by the social structure in which each family was traditionally bound by