shoulders covered. If visiting or staying in a large
hotel, more formal wear is appropriate in the evening.
A visit to the Sheikh Zayed Mosque is a must for any
visitor, but respectful dress must be adhered to. All
nationalities and creeds are welcome. The Mosque
provides traditional dress for any female visitors. Men
should also dress appropriately.
Islam
Islam is the official religion of the UAE. There are
five calls to prayer each day. They occur at dawn,
mid-day, mid-afternoon, sunset and nightfall. The
numerous Mosques around Abu Dhabi have loudspeakers on their minarets; this means you will never
miss the distinctive call to prayer. The religion is
based on five pillars; faith, prayer, charity, fasting
and pilgrimage. Islam is very much part of everyday
life and is central to everything. Most offices and
shopping malls contain prayer rooms to facilitate
those that cannot get to a Mosque to pray. It is also
not uncommon to see people kneeling by the side
of the road praying. It is considered rude to stare
at people doing so. All hotel rooms contain a Qibla
which points to the direction of Mecca which should
be faced when a Muslim prays. Friday is the Islamic
Holy Day and most shops and malls remain closed
until mid afternoon. The working week tends to run
from Sunday until Thursday.
During Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting,
participating Muslims refrain from eating or drinking
anything from dawn until dusk. Non-Muslims are
expected to show respect for this custom by avoiding
eating, drinking and smoking in public. Whilst
alcohol is available in hotels throughout the rest of
the year, during the Holy month of Ramadan it is
not available anywhere. Pork is not consumed by
Muslims and is not widely available in Abu Dhabi.
Ramadan does not have a fixed date each year and
occurs depending on the positioning of the moon.
The end of Ramadan is celebrated by the Eid Al Fitr
feast which is a three day celebration. This is the main
religious event of the year.
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