The Emirates - Bride Of The Gulf

I could sense the vibrations of excitement through my body as I type this! The United Arab Emirates, the only home I know, born and raised in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the Emirates. It has sheltered me, educated me and influenced who I am today.
Visiting the Emirates will be a wonderful idea if you're into modern architecture, clear watered beaches and miles of beautiful sand.

Al Khazna Desert 

 The United Arab Emirates, not long ago was a land of desert inhabited by Bedouin tribes, fishing villages and date farms.
Abu Dhabi was one of the poorest Emirates, while Sharjah was the most populated and powerful. The region remained a quite backwater of finishing villages, pearling, camel herding and farming in the oasis. However, all that changed with the discovery of Oil.
In July 1971, six of the Trucial States (Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Umm Al-Qaiwain, Ajman and Fujirah) agreed on a Federal Constitution for achieving independence as the United Arab Emirates. The UAE became independent on 2 December 1971, making that memrobale date a day to celebrate every year. The remaining state, Ras Al Khaimeh joined the United Arab Emirates in February 1972.
Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan of Au Dhabi took office as the first president of the Gulf's bride.

National day celebrations 

 Today, the UAE is a major international tourist and business center as well as one of the most modern, stable and safe countries in the world. 

It has one of the highest per capita incomes in the world at nearly $25,000 USD.  The UAE has approximately 10% of the world's total known oil reserves, 90% in Abu Dhabi and about 10% in Dubai. 

 While the Abu Dhabi reserves are expected to last another 100 years, at present rates of production Dubai's reserves will last only another ten years. 

Fortunately, the UAE is no longer solely reliant on oil and gas revenues.  Today, the oil sector contributes 30% of the country's GDP.  Thanks to the foresight of the UAE leaders, trade, tourism, real estate and construction are large contributors, most notably in Dubai.

Dubai

In 2013 the UAE's total population was 9.2 million, 1.4 mllion are Emirati citizens and 7.8 million are expatriates.
I was lucky enough to grow up with people from all around the world and I got to know traditions, languages, accents and habits from many countries!

Population Demographic

Here comes my favorite part of the post! MUSIC AND FOOD!

Contemporary world culture and music are well represented in the modern, cosmopolitan Abu Dhabi, thanks to theatres, cinemas and TV, but the UAE still preserves its rich folk traditions in the form of story-telling, songs, poetry and dance.

The interpretation of these folk arts varies between the coast, the oases and the desert, but the structure is broadly similar and the common themes are pride, religion, praise, masculinity, strength and chivalry.

And now .. THE FOOD!

Due to harsh desert conditions, the traditional food of the United Arab Emirates uses a lot of meat, grain, and dairy. Vegetables are easy to grow in some areas, and are strongly featured in the diet. Traditional dishes include Ma'louba, Margooga, Harees, Machbous, Frsee'ah, Fireed, Jisheid, and Mishwy. Meats traditionally used were chicken or smallfowl, such as Houbara bustards, and goats. 

The dishes are usually like stews, as everything is often cooked in a single pot. Saffron, cardamom, turmeric, and thyme are the core flavors used in Emirati cookery. The introduction of rice to the diet came when the traders moved to the region. Leaves from indigenous trees, such as the Ghaff, were also used to stuff small birds, releasing their flavor during the cooking process.

Breakfast in the UAE usually features breads like raqaq, khameer, and chebab, served with cheese, date syrup, or eggs. These were made over a curved hot plate, resembling a stone, which would have been used by the Bedouins. Balaleat is another dish, but its advent again with the traders, who introduced pasta.

Sweet options include luqeymat, a deep fried ball of pancake batter that is rolled in sesame seeds and then drizzled with date honey. Other desserts include khabeesa, which is flour bread crumbs blended with sugar, cardamom, and saffron or bethitha, a semolina blended with crushed dates, cardamom, and clarified butter.

At the close of the meal, it is usual to be served with a red tea infused with mint, which aids the digestion. Other traditions to the meal include a welcome with dates and gahwah(Arabic coffee), which are offered on arrival and are kept available through the guests visit.

Harees

Luqeymat

Chebab

I can't wait to go back home and eat all this good food, yummy in my tummy!

Do consider the UAE for a visit, just make sure you check the climate as it is ridiculously warm most times of the year but that shouldn't be a problem as you can literally go ice skating in August, which is the warmest month of the year! The Emirates is so cool to the point where they have outdoors activities indoors!