Having intimate relations before marriage in Dubai is a serious offense. Engaging in this activity before legal marriage can end up in jail sentences or deportation. Further, public displays of affection are seriously discouraged and frowned upon in the Muslim city of Dubai. If you travel there, it is strongly suggested that you refrain from any sort of PDA from holding hands, to kissing.
In the past, there have been numerous instances of ex-pats being put in jail after the discovery of premarital sex. Unfortunately, in these instances, things are pretty primitive and the man’s word is given much more credence than the woman’s. Distressingly, several foreign women have been thrown in jail after making an attempt to report that they were assaulted by local authorities.
Major Fashion Hub
Though you may think of New York, Paris, London, or Milan when you imagine the world’s most prominent centers for fashion, Dubai is actually an up-and-coming fashion hub in the world. The epicenter of fashion in the Middle East, Dubai is quickly making a name for itself as a go-to spot for innovative fashion.
Every year there is a major fashion show in Dubai. The city even has an area specifically dedicated to fashion. Local designers are making worldwide names for themselves in Dubai and have been featured in fashion shows in Paris and New York City. Though the fashions in Dubai are sometimes more conservative than the fashions of the West, they are still lauded for their creativity and craft. Get yourself familiar with designers in Dubai, because you’ll most likely be seeing more and more of them in the future.
Once a Major Source of Pearls
During the 19th and early 20th centuries, Dubai was major in pearl farming. Later petroleum became a major source of income and now, the main source of industry in Dubai is tourism.
During the First World War, the pearl industry collapsed in Dubai. The Great Depression, as well as the invention of the cultured pearl in Japan, played a large role in the collapse of the pearl industry in Dubai. However, they soon moved on to other sources of income and continue to grow in amazing ways each year.
Hands Off
Though there is a great deal of leniency when it comes to tolerating Western culture in Dubai, there are certain cultural lines that cannot be crossed. The UAE is more conservative than many Western countries and many ways of interacting on a day-to-day basis differ between the two cultures. In Dubai, it is not tolerable to display public affection, and engaging in such acts can have legal repercussions.
Married couples are permitted to hold hands while out in public, but this is the extent of permissible PDA in Dubai. There is absolutely no kissing allowed and any physical contact between members of the opposite sex is publicly shameful. It is important to be very mindful. Shaking hands of a woman should not occur unless she initiates the contact, for example. Keep your hands to yourself and you should be all right.
Rapid Growth
Dubai is growing at an amazing pace and is actually considered to be one of the fastest-growing cities in the world. In Dubai, in 1968 there were only 13 registered vehicles there. However, that small number has grown quite a bit since then.
The traffic in Dubai is so intense these days. Due to construction and development, the roads can become quite congested. Not to mention foot traffic isn’t that common due to the high temperatures Dubai reaches. Amazingly, double-decker roads have been built in Dubai to help ease the traffic issues that arise in Dubai.