Abu Dhabi and Dubai Blog

“Holding hands in public, dancing, kissing, nudity and playing loud music in public are now considered inappropriate behaviour in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates.”

http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,25191521-5012895,00.html

From the Toronto Star, Waheeda Harris visits the marketplaces of Dubai:

The path is narrow, and the vendors crowd me as I peer into the small shops. From floor to ceiling, the rich shades of the spices beckon me, from the brown shades of cumin and cinnamon to the bright red of saffron and the deep black of pepper and clove.

[Show as slideshow]

http://www.thestar.com/Travel/article/592365

In a tribute to the spirit of womanhood, a leading real estate developer in Dubai will soon build arguably the world’s first tower where only
women can own office space. United Arab Emirates (UAE)-based real estate firm Hydra properties has announced that excavation work for the 20-storey tall ‘Eve’s Tower’ in Dubai’s Business Bay area has been completed and the project is scheduled for completion in 2010.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Gulf/A_tower_in_Dubai_where_only_women_may_own_office_space/articleshow/3543212.cms

The story of a British pair facing possible jail terms on charges of having drunken sex on the beach made headlines around the world, but in Dubai, reports are frequent of hapless foreigners falling foul of local laws that strictly control drinking and ban homosexuality or kissing in public.

http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/news/story.html?id=a7ef95cb-907c-42ff-816b-c9ff6dec0ea7

Rap crew Diligent Thought is the latest in a series of underground musical acts launching out of Dubai’s diverse expatriate community.

http://www.thenational.ae/article/20080826/ART/316828801/-1/SPORT