The dress code is much the same as in your own country with some restrictions and variations across the different Emirates. Shorts, skirts, and short-sleeved shirts are quite acceptable, but with a sense of modesty and common sense. Revealing or tight fitting clothes should be avoided. There is no requirement for women to cover up. Those who do, do so out of choice and respect for their heritage and religion.

 

In public, most national women wear a black "abaya", a long loose black robe that covers their normal clothes, plus a headscarf, called a "shayla". Some women also wear a thin black veil covering their face, while some older women wear a small mask made of fabric known as a "burkha", which covers the nose, brow and cheekbones.

The national dress for men is the "dishdasha" or "khandura", an ankle length robe, usually white.Dishdashas are usually worn with a white or red-checkered headcloth ("gutra") and a twisted black rope-like coil ("agal") which holds the gutra in place; under the headdress is a skull cap ("gafia").