While everyone’s talking about offers, events, and festivities to look forward to this long weekend in celebration of UAE’s 53rd National Day, there’s much more significance than you’d think. We deep dive into the UAE’s rich heritage and uncover much beyond what your eyes typically see –
We heard from Dr. Shatha Almutawa, founder and director of Kutubna Cultural Center, Dubai’s newest independent bookstore and cultural center, which has launched “A Journey Through the Five Senses: Exploring Emirati Culture,” – an immersive program that explores Emirati arts, coffee, music, and fragrance.
Shatha Almutawa, Founder and Director, Kutubna Cultural Center/ Credit: Milo Sladakovic.
Dr. Shatha believes this creates opportunities for people in the UAE to experience and interact with Emirati culture at a deeper level: “We are creating a space where people get to know each other and become part of a community that cares about Emirati heritage as they gather to celebrate important elements of Emirati life.”
What makes Emirati theatre beautiful?
Naji Al Hai, Theatre Expert, and Playwright, explains what makes Emirati theater unique:
“The challenge of attracting audiences—a challenge especially severe here—has led to experimentation in Emirati theater. I believe that experimentation in Emirati theatre is not about scientific experiments, but rather about attracting the audience and making it stand out as an art form, since it faces the most audience disinterest.”
UAE’s heterogeneous architectural identity
A recent report by Titan Travel mentioned the UAE as part of the list of the most Instagrammable locations in the world, thanks to its rich landscapes, picturesque interiors, and quintessential developments.
Hussain Al Moosawi, Emirati Designer, Photographer, and Storyteller, gives insights into his project titled “Facade to Facade,” saying, “These photographs aim to document and understand the UAE’s heterogeneous architectural identity. Consistency is one of the elements that grab people’s attention, and at an essential level is a crucial facet to create a comparable set of typologies in this pictorial research.”
He mentions how a ‘visual approach’ serves as an important research method and equally delivers an aesthetic quality that attracts the audience.
Every corner of the country has something photo-worthy, hands down, thanks to the rulers’ magnanimous efforts in developing a nation that attracts scores of people to work, settle, and explore.
Credit: Supplied
The aroma of UAE: Bakhour
If you’ve stepped into the Nation’s borders, odds are you’ve caught a whiff of Bakhour. The aroma known to linger and with a signature across the MENA region, even beyond the UAE’s borders has now become a vital part of residents’ lives.
Bukhour Expert, Mike Metzger, explains how this phenomenon is an ‘integral part’ of Emirati culture – a traditional means of purification: “Purifying the air of homes, the scent of clothes, it also took on a spiritual form that the prayers of Muslims during Juma [Friday congregational prayers] would be connected to, to reach God faster.”
“Bakhour was also a deep gesture of hospitality to guests and travelers who came from long journeys to show kindness towards them. Bakhour naturally has a way to uplift the mood and give guests a sensation of relaxation and calmness from the scent,” he notes.
The beauty of the UAE’s rich heritage is unmatched, and its glory will always be a topic that people will love to learn about.
