My Life in Australia

I’ve started a new blog to record a series of essays I wrote during my stay in Canberra, Australia in 2007:

http://expatbobinoz.blogspot.ca/

Bob

The Souks of Dubai

The Dubai Spice Souk

I’m walking down a narrow, dark alley with wooden barrels on each side – it’s noisy and people are jostling me. A man steps out grabs something and shoves his fist right in my face. My nostrils twitch as the air fills with an intoxicatingly familiar smell. But what is it? This is Dubai’s old Spice Souk and it’s an education; I recognised the smell of vanilla, of lemon from dried lemons, of sandalwood, but I could no more have identified them than flown…

Gold, frankincense and myrrh; the magic of the Middle East must surely be found in its souks (markets). There are several in Dubai, each specialising in different commodities. We’d gone to the Gold Souk first, which deals in jewellery, watches and some clothing – these stores seem to be operated primarily by Indians, Pakistanis and Sri Lankans and you are expected to bargain when you buy. I go for gold jewellery (no surprise if you know my wife): first they weigh the piece, tell you the current price of gold and give you a price. Then you bargain – ‘that’s more than I wanted to pay!/what did you want to pay?/etc… I manage to get my guy to cut 30% so I feel good, whether I should or not…

In the Gold Souk, Dubai

As you walk through the Gold Souk guys call out to you, offering ‘knock-off’ Rolex watches, Gucci purses and Versace shirts, and initially I brushed them aside.  Then I remembered I’d promised to buy a Harley Davidson t-shirt for someone at home so I asked the next tout where I could get one. ‘I only know one place you can get them – follow me…’

I followed him through a maze of little alleys and finally got to a door where an old man stood. The old man ushered me in and up some stairs, looking left and right as he went. Then we reached another door and he flung it open and disappeared. Inside was a young guy surrounded by ‘knock-off’ items – no Harley stuff though. It was then that I realized my guide had mistaken ‘Harley Davidson’ for a luxury brand. So, I bought a Louis Vuiton purse for $25 (£15)…!

Spices in store

Then we went to the much older and more intriguing Spice Souk; many tiny stores jammed with colourful jars and packages, barrels overflowing with produce, and such smells; almost overpowering, unrecognisable but familiar smells. It was the hardest thing not to buy a little of everything. These guys were all Iranian though - no haggling here – I picked up four different items: a jar of curry, a pack of multi-coloured, gravel-like chocolate, sandalwood and frankincense – and he quoted a price. I offered him less, tried walking away, put the cash in his hand but no, the price was what the price was – take it or leave it… I took it!

Looking through Dubai's Textile Souk

Finally, the Textile Souk, which you reach by boat taxi (abra) across Dubai Creek – the most fun you can have for 1 Dirham (25c / 20p) the guidebook says – and it’s true. Passengers cram on one side or the other and head out, rocking from side to side, between huge aging dhows loading goods from the wharf – their crews waving as you pass.

The Textile Souk is housed in shops that open onto a cobbled street. The vendors are more aggressive here and call to invite you in and try a gown, scarf or sandals from the brightly coloured embroidered cloth that fills the street.

There are souks all over UAE but the ones in Dubai around its creek seem the most intriguing… All you have to worry about is bringing your purchases home!

Aboard an Abra crossing Dubai Creek

Dress Code

A colleague and I were visiting Dubai in July – he wanted to dip in the Arabian Gulf so we parked and walked across the sand. It was midday and hot. As we got to the beach, and he ran into the water, I noticed a couple walking towards us on the otherwise deserted beach. They were obviously European and, I supposed, in their forties; the guy had a golf shirt and slacks but the woman, a diminutive, plump, redhead, was bursting out of a string bikini.

“Lovely weather for a dip,” she said, followed by the inevitable: “Where are you from?” She offered that they were from Devon. “We always come to this beach,” she said, “the other beaches are full of guys ogling you – I never feel comfortable there,” oblivious to the fact that her behaviour may have contributed…

Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the UAE in general are populated primarily with men. There are a number of Emiratis and some Westerners but more than half are East Asians working to send money home – they can’t afford to have their families here.

Shopping at a rural festival souk

Modesty is the watchword in UAE. A local guidebook ‘Ask Ali’ (link) states that locals dislike immodest dress but tolerate it, as long as it’s restricted to the beach.

Local men all wear the full-length shirt (robe), the kandura (thawb in Saudi Arabia, dishdasha throughout Middle East), generally white, although other colours are seen (lemon, lime and even black). They always cover their hair with a scarf (keffiyah), which in UAE is also generally white. For formal wear (e.g. working in an office) it is draped over the head and kept in place by an agal (black cord). For casual wear the keffiyah is wrapped around the head like a turban. Several guys I spoke to said that they’d be sent home from work if they weren’t wearing their keffiyah with an agal. The other common keffiyah colour is a red and white check.

Mohamed in kandura,
keffiyah & agal

Under the kandura, men wear underwear and generally they wear sandals (no socks). But when it’s really cold, they wear socks and western-style shoes. You never see Emirati men in Western clothes, unless they are outside the country.

Emirati women wear black. A full-length, light, black gown, an abaya, covers their arms and legs. Under this gown, they tend to wear Western clothes; the trendier girls wear designer jeans and name brand high heels. But even their abayas are exclusive (Chanel, Dior, etc.); despite being black they are adorned with gold patterns or quilted sleeves. This is worn with a matching scarf (shela), a light, loose, black cloth often adorned to match the abaya.

Trendy Abaya & Shela  |  Hijab  |  Niqab  |  Shela as cover  |  Bedouin Burqa
Note: Carol illustrates some of these - it’s improper to photograph women

The chic Emirati’s, particularly in downtown Abu Dhabi and Dubai wear their shela so that the front of their hair shows. The more devout wear a hijab, a scarf pulled tightly around their hair to conceal all but their face. Out in the suburbs it is more common to see women wearing the niqab; combined with the shela this covers their hair and face leaving only the eyes. Surprisingly, it’s still possible to recognise someone when you can only see his or her eyes. Try it!

Occasionally, you’ll see women with their shela draped over their head completely covering their hair and face. In the various rural communities where we’ve attended festivals most local women wear the traditional mask-like Bedouin burqa.

Although most beaches are open to all, in order to protect the modesty of women, some beaches are designated ‘family’ beaches. Men can only access these areas if accompanying women and children. And, it is an odd sight to see young Western women in their bikinis alongside local women dressed from head to toe as their children play together in the sea.

On the beach at Dubai

The Pillars of Islam

The UAE is an Islamic country and Emiratis follow the five pillars of Islam:

Grand Mosque Chandelier - Muscat

1. Acceptance that there is only one God, Allah, and Muhammad is his messenger

2. To pray five times a day

3. To give alms to the poor

4. To fast during the 30 days of Ramadan

5. Make a pilgrimage to Mecca, once in a lifetime (the Hajj), if you are able

Living in the UAE, the proclamation of the first pillar is heard in the Adhan (call to prayer) as it permeates the air five times a day. In the community where I lived there was a constant battle over the volume of the Adhan from our three mosques, particularly the pre-dawn call, before 4:30am in summer, which some claimed destroyed their children’s sleep.

Muslims pray five times a day, often in the mosque but almost anywhere will do. Worshippers must face Mecca (a direction called Qibla); there are Smart phone Qibla apps and each hotel room has a little arrow on the ceiling or in a bedside drawer. What I didn’t realize when I offered my Calgary office as a prayer room for a couple of visitors was that they cannot pray in the presence of human or animal likenesses. I’d removed all my family photos, marked the Qibla on the floor, and provided mats but they wouldn’t use the room – only afterwards did I realize it was my large concrete sheep (don’t ask!) and Welsh rugby dragon that had stopped them.

Grand Mosque Ceiling - Muscat

The lack of figurative art has created a unique approach to the inside of mosques. This has focused Islamic artists on three levels of art: Geometric patterns, often expressed with ceramic tiles, Arabesque which employs depictions of plant life and finally, Calligraphy, seen as the highest art form, being the depiction of God’s word from the Qu’ran (Koran).

Even secular Arabic script is beautiful though. The logos of humble plumbers or the stretched letters of a bank sign can lift your mood.

Alms is payable as a percentage of assets owned. There are agencies that exist to collect this annual tithe. Muslims believe that they are answerable to God for their treatment of the poor and so charity is a fact of life. There are clearly defined groups eligible to receive alms other than the destitute and it includes the payment of ‘blood money’ on behalf of those that cannot afford to pay it (see previous blog).

Arabic Calligraphy - Grand Mosque Abu Dhabi

Fasting during Ramadan, the Muslim Lent, is intended to focus believers on their own actions and the plight of the poor. Emiratis eat at around 4am, before the first prayer of the day, and don’t eat or drink again until after 7pm when they break the fast with Iftar.

My friend Mohamed invited me to take Iftar with him and his brothers during Ramadan at his house. Emiratis eat sitting on the floor and the meal was laid out on the elaborate carpet over a plastic tablecloth. When you’ve spent your life eating on the floor it’s easy but when you are over 60 and only had the occasional picnic it can be a struggle. Mohamed insisted I sit on a cushion but getting comfortable down there was only half of it. They eat with their hands, so I had to lean forward and support myself as I grasped lamb biryani (rice and lamb) and attempted to get it to my mouth. The food was delicious though.

It seemed that almost everyone I met had completed his or her Hajj; it’s a short distance from Abu Dhabi to Mecca in Saudi Arabia, close to Jedda. The local airlines stage Mecca Specials. I’d always thought you could go on your pilgrimage whenever you wanted but no, Hajj takes place on specific days of the 12th month (Al Hajji) and follows a specific schedule, so all of the attendees are moving in a single mass through the each of the rituals.

Non-Muslims are forbidden from entering the holy city of Mecca and the penalties are quite severe so I imagine I’ll never get invited there!

Mosque at night - Muscat

Muscat Accidental

A friend of Carol’s was in UAE on a visitor’s visa; these are only valid for two months; you need to leave and re-enter the country in order to renew it. So, she invited Carol to fly to Muscat, Oman for the day (less than an hour’s flight), and off they went. This is Carol’s account of that day…

Sultan Qaboos

We landed in the city of Muscat on a Monday morning in November, thinking that it would be a regular mid-week, mid-winter day. We’d wander around, see the sights, buy a few trinkets and partake in a couple of relaxing meals, then head home. We didn’t realize that it was Monday the 18 November – National Day in Oman.

National Day celebrates the succession of Sultan Qaboos to the throne in 1970, when he deposed his father and ushered Oman into the modern age. Just like UAE, locals dress up their vehicles with pictures of the Sultan and head to the beach in their hundreds….

We arrived in the city around 10:00 and took a walk through a souk full of ethnic clothing and spices. As we only had a day we decided to take a Big Bus tour (on a red double-decker bus) – the city is quite spread out. We got off at the third stop for lunch then got back on to see the sights. We boarded the bus thinking we would go two stops to see the Opera House, but along the beach road we saw lots of cars ahead and realized that they were celebrating the 43rd anniversary of Oman's creation.

Cars decorated in flags and silkscreen graphics of their leaders soon surrounded us. After about half an hour the driver asked if anyone would mind missing stop four as we could not get through; we were stuck with cars parked everywhere. We had a great view from the top deck of the bus and were enjoying the absolute chaos around us but agreed it was better to get away and continue the tour. The only problem was turning a double decker bus within two lanes that were chock-a-block with cars! It took a while but eventually we were on our way.

Turning the Bus

I wasn't sure we were going the right way and I was right. We entered the port area and stopped next to a cruise ship, a few people got off leaving five of us still in our seats. A bus manager boarded, spoke with the driver, and then asked: "Aren't you all on the cruise ship?" After we said 'no' she panicked and said, "You're not allowed in the port area unless you're boarding the ship. If the police see you, the bus company will lose its license.” I said: 'Maybe we should hide under the seats.' She readily agreed and told us to be careful and hide! As we moved off we were all laughing from our hiding places – I asked if anyone knew what it was like in Omani prisons? ...We made it out safely.

We decided we deserved a drink (or two...) so went to a hotel for dinner; we enjoyed a good meal and some wine. As we got the bill, an Arabic man appeared next to me. He introduced himself and said he would like to pay our bill. We refused, but he explained that I looked just like his mother and he really wanted to pay. I couldn't see how - I (strawberry-blonde, white and freckled) could possibly look like this man's mother but told him I was pleased I’d reminded him of this very important person in his life but could not accept the offer.

We paid and made a hasty retreat with a final wave and goodbye to my phantom son. Traffic was still a challenge but we made it home safely after a long adventurous day.

Family Play at Sunset - Muscat

Blood Money

Justice is different in UAE. As I might have said previously, you take your life in your hands when driving here – fast cars and aggressive driving make accidents common. Fortunately, we escaped unscathed!

If you are involved in an accident, you’re obliged if you can to move your vehicles off the road as soon as possible – or you risk a fine for impeding the flow of traffic.

The Fire Chief’s Corvette; Dubai Police drive Lamborghinis

The police arrive, make an assessment, and assign guilt to one of the parties. Every police officer carries a pad for just such occasions – it has three sheets: one red, one green and one white. If you receive the red sheet, you’ve been deemed guilty; if you receive the green one, you’re off the hook, the white one stays with the cop. And, you can’t get your car repaired without presenting a copy of the red or green sheet.

Drinking and driving? You can expect to be arrested, charged and eventually deported. Penalties will be higher if you didn’t have a liquor license.

If there are injuries though, life gets a little more complicated, especially when it’s determined that you are at fault – even if it’s an accident. Under Sharia law, the injured party is assessed for disability, caused by the accident, and you are charged ‘blood money’ for the degree of disability (loss of limb, eye, etc.), similar to assessment of damages in the west.

In the case of death, under UAE law, a man’s life is valued at $60,000 (£40,000). A recent case saw a truck driver, who had caused an accident that killed 21 people, fined and jailed for the offence but in addition was ordered to pay a total of $1.2M (£840k) in blood money (or Diyya) to the victims families (link to article). Clearly this is beyond his means on a wage in the order of $1,000/month and often someone will step in and pay.  It could be his employer, a charitable fund set up in his home country, or the generosity of an Emir, the latter usually an act coinciding with Eid or National Day celebrations.

Sharjah Minaret

It’s more complex in the case of someone convicted of murder. In UAE, persons convicted of homicide are usually sentenced to death. But, before the sentence can be carried out, the victim’s family is consulted. They can agree to the execution or request the payment of Diyya and an accompanying pardon for the offender.

The Qur’an preaches forgiveness rather than retribution so Muslim families, at least, are encouraged to absolve the felon and settle for Diyya. To seek revenge may be viewed as assuming the power of God.

Where it gets really difficult is when the authorities are unable to trace family members. It’s a challenge at the best of times with expats (offshore, non Emiratis) comprising more than 80% of the UAE population. In this case, the court acts on behalf of the family, but they are not empowered to uphold the death sentence. Many convicts sit on death row for years as they wait for their victim’s family to be found (link to article).

So, I encourage everybody to drive carefully…

Tree at Dawn