The official religion of the United Arab Emirates is Islam and the call to prayer sounds five times a day on almost every street corner. People adhere closely to the tenets of Islam in all aspects of their lives. Family ties are very strong and nearly sacred.
Women wear the traditional abbaya or black cloak.
The most popular national sports include camel racing, falconry and football. The Sharia' Court enforces the law of the land which constitutes a mixture of written and verbal laws passed down from generation to generation. You must understand and respect the traditions of the UAE society in order to settle and to do business here. The cultural traditions go back to the days of the desert tribes and the influence brought upon them by migration. The leap into the developed world has taken place over a very short span of time.