Those who harass believing men and believing women undeservedly, bear (on themselves) a calumny and a grievous sin. O Prophet! Enjoin your wives, your daughters, and the wives of true believers that they should cast their outer garments over their persons (when abroad) That is most convenient, that they may be distinguished and not be harassed. [...] (Qur'an 33:58–59)
Since arriving less than a week ago, I've seen all kinds of traditional Muslim attire. From my research, I've learned that the dress is largely regional, with colors and scarving chosen according to traditions in the country. However, you really do see it all here.
The Muslim women I've seen usually wear this or something similar. The robe is called an abaya and is floor-length, black, and flowing. The head scarf or veil has many names, but I mostly see it called a shela or niqab. Here, most women that wear shelas have a slit for their eyes like the one pictured above. 
I have seen a few women with veils over their entire face like this. It's odd to see someone walking around like this, but they tend to avoid eye contact in this culture anyway.
Men's attire is pretty simple. The ankle-length cloak is called a kandura or a dish dash, as the expats like to call it. They typically wear white in the summer to reflect the sun and grays or browns in the cooler months. The men's head scarves are called guthras and are usually white or red & white checkered in the UAE. They can be worn loosely or tied in a turban. The black rope that secures the guthra is called an egal or igal. Historically they actually used these to tie down their camels.
The gold-painted, stiff mask called a batula or briqa is mainly worn by the older UAE nationals, as it has gone out of style with the younger population. It's usually worn in place of the face veil and was reserved for married women only. I have seen a few of these, and was surprised that some are thin enough to only cover her nose, with her mouth exposed.
Lots of women wear headscarves like this that only cover their neck, hair, and ears. There are lots of definitions for this word, but I think this is called a hijab. Hijab is also used as an umbrella term for the Muslim woman's modest dress. I have seen these scarves with and without abayas. Sometimes I've seen a women in jeans and a long-sleeved shirt with a scarf. If you look at the sleeve and skirt of this abaya, you'll see intricate beading and embroidery which is very common.
Lots of women wear black gloves with their abayas, and you see lots of henna here. I also see women with bare hands.
Fortunately, I don't have to wear any of this. Dubai is full of expats and western clothing, so I can wear a sleeveless shirt or long shorts. In Abu Dhabi, expat women dress more conservatively - no shoulders or knees showing. I was so curious about the different kinds of traditional dress here, so I started researching and decided to just share it with all of you. However, this is just a few hours of internet research, so I can only hope that I'm telling you correctly!
Since arriving less than a week ago, I've seen all kinds of traditional Muslim attire. From my research, I've learned that the dress is largely regional, with colors and scarving chosen according to traditions in the country. However, you really do see it all here.
The Muslim women I've seen usually wear this or something similar. The robe is called an abaya and is floor-length, black, and flowing. The head scarf or veil has many names, but I mostly see it called a shela or niqab. Here, most women that wear shelas have a slit for their eyes like the one pictured above. I have seen a few women with veils over their entire face like this. It's odd to see someone walking around like this, but they tend to avoid eye contact in this culture anyway.Men's attire is pretty simple. The ankle-length cloak is called a kandura or a dish dash, as the expats like to call it. They typically wear white in the summer to reflect the sun and grays or browns in the cooler months. The men's head scarves are called guthras and are usually white or red & white checkered in the UAE. They can be worn loosely or tied in a turban. The black rope that secures the guthra is called an egal or igal. Historically they actually used these to tie down their camels. The gold-painted, stiff mask called a batula or briqa is mainly worn by the older UAE nationals, as it has gone out of style with the younger population. It's usually worn in place of the face veil and was reserved for married women only. I have seen a few of these, and was surprised that some are thin enough to only cover her nose, with her mouth exposed.
Lots of women wear headscarves like this that only cover their neck, hair, and ears. There are lots of definitions for this word, but I think this is called a hijab. Hijab is also used as an umbrella term for the Muslim woman's modest dress. I have seen these scarves with and without abayas. Sometimes I've seen a women in jeans and a long-sleeved shirt with a scarf. If you look at the sleeve and skirt of this abaya, you'll see intricate beading and embroidery which is very common.Lots of women wear black gloves with their abayas, and you see lots of henna here. I also see women with bare hands.A new & controversial trend in the Muslim world is this "camel hump" hijab. I laughed a little when I was researching this because all I could think about was a giant BumpIt under the scarf. I've seen lots of younger women wearing this style. The controversy stems from the traditional purpose of the hijab, which is to de-emphasize the woman's hair. Some call this style haram, or forbidden according to the Koran.
Fortunately, I don't have to wear any of this. Dubai is full of expats and western clothing, so I can wear a sleeveless shirt or long shorts. In Abu Dhabi, expat women dress more conservatively - no shoulders or knees showing. I was so curious about the different kinds of traditional dress here, so I started researching and decided to just share it with all of you. However, this is just a few hours of internet research, so I can only hope that I'm telling you correctly!
Colin did as well as can be expected on our 13.5 hour plane flight. He moved from his car seat to our laps to perching in front of the emergency exit door. This was a popular place for figety toddlers. I happened to meet a nice lady from NJ whose son is 6 days younger than Colin, but we failed to meet up again to exchange contact information. She was so nice and offered to help me get oriented. Maybe I'll run into her again! We also met a couple at baggage claim from Atlanta. They seem to be about our ages, and moved to Dubai in January this year. They were impressed with how well Colin did on the plane! He only slept for about 4 hours the whole flight, so we had our hands full!
We used the in-flight games to entertain Colin a lot, and they had map and flight information available which was neat. One of the screens was the Mecca screen. At one point I thought a man was praying to Mecca at the emergency exit, but it turns out he was just stretching his back - haha. The flight was huge, full, and dark for most of the trip. We got three meals and they left snacks and water out for us the whole time. The flight attendants slept in this tiny little box. It was like watching clowns come out of a clown car. I couldn't believe how they fit that many in one place. Anyway, I digress. Once we (FINALLY) landed, customs went over without a hitch and we loaded our 8 million bags into a minivan taxi, finally made it to the apartment, ordered a pizza, gave Colin a bath, and went to bed. We watched Employee of the Month with Arabic subtitles which is weird.
Colin slept from midnight until I woke him up at 10:30am, and only woke up crying once. This morning he ate his breakfast in our bed and watched one of his movies. 
Then, we went shopping at Baby Center at the Oasis Centre. Joe calls this location the "Mecca" of baby products in Dubai. It's basically Babies R Us but doesn't carry the same brands and specialty items. The good thing is the playroom! Colin really enjoyed it.
We got lots of important baby things, most noteably, a high chair. The brand Juniors is popular here, but I can't seem to find it on the Internet. We also got Colin a rocking horse which he loves :)
Here's our car, a Nissan Sunny. It's pretty much a Sentra. We have a designated spot in the parking garage of the apartment. To get there, you type in -2 (negative 2) at the elevator (lift) and then the correct elevator letter (A, B, or C) shows up so you'll know which one to go to. Kind of nice! To get to our floor, you just press our floor number and it does the same thing to take you there. 
This sign in the parking garage makes me laugh: If you're going to run...run HERE. (My iPhone takes crappy pics in dark places)
After nap we went shopping at 
We bought grapes from the U.S.A. (DH = dirham = AED = approximately 27 US cents)
Want spices? This is how you get them.
Geant is in the nearby mall Ibn Battuta ("ee-ben ba-toota"). That's the fountain at one of the entrances. The mall is incredibly ornamental and was INCREDIBLY busy because of 
We had McDonald's for dinner (I'm amused with the Arabic writing on everything) and now we're at home watching the UGA game on slingbox. 
3 seconds in - Some of the marina buildings on the left, Jumeirah Lakes Towers on the right.
