Useful information

The Emirates prefer the traditional and almost uniform cuisine for all Arabian countries.

As Moslems don't eat pork in meat dishes they mainly use beef, goat's meat, veal, fowl, fish and eggs. Meat is frequently fried on the heated frying pan without fat that adds a special zest. You should taste meat of a lamb with rice and nuts - "guzi", shish kebab "tikka", traditional Arabian "shaverma", cutlets of mutton with grasses "kustileta", the well-known shish kebab of marinaded mutton or beef - "kebab", mutton "shish-kebab", meat with spices and rice "makbus", traditional kebab of cut meat "kofta", fried meat balls "kebbe", roast from assorted meat "meshui-mushakkal", original pizza "rise", pepper stuffed with lamb and many other, no less original dishes.

Dishes of birds are very popular: stewed chicken with tomato, steamed chicken "al-mandi" with honey, baked pudding with chicken meat "kharis" (often is cooked with veal), rice with slices of the stewed chicken meat  "biriani-ajaj", shish kebab of chicken "tikka-dajaj", spicy cgicken "jaj-tannuri", quail meat "samman" which is highly valued in the east etc. 

Traditions and behavior rules in the country

The Koran forbids Moslems to drink alcohol, therefore there is a restriction  in the United Arab Emirates  to drink alcohol. Strong  beverages are sold to the visitors of restaurants and bars at the hotels. The majority of the restaurants outside the hotels have no right to sell alcohol. The emirate Sharj has "Prohibition" for the infringement of which even foreigners not being Moslems are punished without any indulgence, up to bringing to criminal liability.

The pork consumption is forbidden for Moslems. Thee supermarkets allocate a special isolated table to sell pork. The image of a cheerful pig on your t-shirt or the beach bag can be regarded not quite positively.

The clothes should be modest enough, especially during Muslim holidays and Ramadan - month of the Muslim post.

In the Emirates there are unwritten rules of behavior and clothes wearing. If bathing suits, including bikini, are acceptable on the beaches or at the hotel pool (but "topless" and nudist variant are excluded!!!) in other cases you should avoid appearance in public places in the open or fitting clothes. It is especially essential for the emirate Sharja, where the laws are more strict. 

Those who like to make photograph should know that it is not polite to make pictures of people without their permission. Moreover, here making photo of the Arabian women is taken as insult. It is not recommended to make pictures of the official institutions, banks, and also objects of military value.

Days off and holidays

Friday and Saturday are the official days off. The national holiday - on 02 December - on this day in 1971 the independent state United Arab Emirates was proclaimed. This day is celebrated everywhere as well as on 01 January (New year), 06 August (Day when sheikh Zaid ascended the throne) and some religious holidays, the dates of which change.

Potable water

It is not recommended to drink water from the crane. All hotels and restaurants serve mineral water of local manufacture. In shops the potable water is sold in plastic bottles.