5 Fascinating Dubai Facts (From Must-Know to Fun Trivia)
Are you looking for fun facts about Dubai? It’s a fascinating place with many unusual features and a wide variety of customs and traditions.
Discovering new cultures and customs while traveling is one of its most rewarding experiences. The fact that similarity only extends to the visible surface in this day and age, when the world has essentially become a global village with the same stores and eateries located everywhere, never ceases to amaze me. We are not all created equal; each of us has unique manners, traditions, viewpoints, and worldviews. Apply now for Dubai Visa.
Arabs don’t lose their Middle Eastern identity just because they use the newest iPhones to post photos and videos of their experiences on Facebook and Instagram while sipping Starbucks coffee in Dubai.
Additionally, it doesn’t imply that they identify with the Western way of life and thought. In no way!
Even a city as vast as Dubai has the potential to be more progressive and open-minded when you look beneath the surface. It’s just different; I’m not saying it’s better or worse. Even if you are only visiting as a tourist, there are a number of things you should be aware of about Dubai.
We’ve chosen the most fascinating facts about Dubai, including some sobering statistics as well as local laws and customs. Learn more!
It’s good to know that Dubai is modernizing and recently changed a few laws that seemed a little strange to a westerner.
Therefore, this fact sheet on Dubai has been updated to include these most recent adjustments. Additionally, we kept the original data so you could see the changes.
So here are some interesting facts about Dubai and The United Arab Emirates:
1. Dubai weekend is 2.5 days
In an effort to better align with the rest of the world and global markets, Dubai recently changed its working and weekend hours.
In Dubai, the weekend now lasts 2.5 days, including Saturday and Sunday plus a half-day starting at noon on Friday. Monday through Thursday, 7.30 AM to 3.30 PM and 7.30 AM to 12 PM on Friday are the official working hours.
A weekend in Dubai used to not fall on Saturday and Sunday as it does in the west. However, it was no longer observed on Thursday and Friday as it had in the past in the majority of Muslim nations (and still is in some countries). Instead, Friday and Saturday were designated as weekends in Dubai.
Recently, many Persian Gulf nations changed this in order to better adapt to global financial markets, and Dubai followed suit in January 2022.
2. Dubai was mostly a desert 20-25 years ago
When you consider how far the city has come, you cannot help but admire the rulers of Dubai’s vision. Sheikh Rashid, who was worried about Dubai’s future after the oil runs out, was the catalyst for everything. Dubai was transformed into the cosmopolitan city it is today by Sheikh Mohammed.
Every time you travel to Dubai, you’ll discover that the city has undergone yet another change. There are so many new constructions, tourist attractions, etc. going on. It’s a place that is constantly evolving and has something new to offer each time you visit.
3. Dubai has the world’s tallest building
The United Arab Emirates likes to be the biggest, tallest, and wealthiest in everything. The tallest buildings, largest malls, priciest hotel rooms, and artificial islands… They have whatever you can think of.
The Burj Khalifa, the tallest structure in the world (828 m (2,717 ft) – 163 floors), is located in Dubai. The Paris Eiffel Tower is 300 meters tall, comparison.
Dubai began construction on Dubai Creek Tower in 2016. It would surpass the previous record for the tallest man-made structure at 1,300 meters (4,265 feet). It was intended to compete with a Saudi Arabian project that would dwarf Burj Khalifa and maintain Dubai as the home of the world’s tallest structure.
However, the project in Dubai was halted at the same time the one in Saudi Arabia was. Then the pandemic struck, leaving Dubai Creek Tower’s future in doubt. The Burj Khalifa is still the world’s tallest structure for the time being.
4. There are 7 times more foreigners than locals in the United Arab Emirates
The UAE is home to more than 88% of foreigners, according to the most recent statistics. In Dubai City, this number is probably even higher.
Expats cannot apply for citizenship until they have lived abroad for 20 years. Indian, Bangladeshi, and Pakistani construction workers make up the majority of foreign residents in Dubai.
5. UAE population growth is one of the highest in the world
The population of the Emirates as a whole was 150.000 in 1965 and 9.26 million in 2015. The biggest increase occurred between 2003 and 2011, and it has since stabilized.
The population of the UAE is 9.99 million in 2022. 3.4 million people, or more than one-third of the entire population of the UAE, reside in Dubai.