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Get to know the UAE:

Multicultural education is a big thing these days - to me, it does not only mean having to teach children from multiple cultures inside your classroom, but also to teach the children inside your classroom about multiple cultures! When teaching them the reasons for other cultures' choice of clothing and heritage, it makes the sight of seeing people with other beliefs than your own more bearable and it teaches respect.
As an expat in the UAE for the last 5 years, I am now more than capable of introducing their culture and heritage to you.

Way back before there was Air Conditioning, these friendly folk of the cities used to build summer houses called Al-Areesh. Because of the extreme summer temperatures and high humidity of the Middle East, the Al-Areesh was a house the Emirati people lived in during the summer months. In the past, the Areesh was the second house for the Emirati family which reflected the customs and traditions of the Emirati's.

Al-Areesh
The walls were made of palm fronds (called Da'an), supported by pillars (called Yado'o). Da'an was also used for the roof.

People used to move to other areas of the cities' outskirts as to overcome the heat of the summer.

Local clothing

The Emirati people are distinguished for their unique clothing which links them to their national identity, customs and traditions. Whether they are females' , males' or childrens' clothing, all of them are a symbol of originality.

Female

1. The Embroidered (Mukhawarah) Candura:

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It can be made from all types of fabrics, and it is embroidered all around the neck and the edges.

2. Burqa, Niqab, Hijab:

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To cover the face, hair and/or shoulders from other men.
The following is one that older women mostly wear. I have never seen a young lady with one of these. It is made of golden paper-like cloth sewn to cover the woman's face:

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3. Abaya:

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It was formerly called Swaiiyah. It is made of black fabric and worn over clothes for decency. Abaya making has developed a lot and is now available in very fashionable designs.

Male:

1. Arabian Candura:

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It is a white colored males' wear worn over the clothes for decency.

2. Bisht:

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A cloak that is worn over the candura only by some.

3. Gahfiyah, ghutra, egal:

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It is a cap (a) worn under the ghutra (b), helping fix the egal (c) on the head:
(b) ghutra: white cloth to cover the head and shoulders
(c) egal: a wool braid placed on the ghutra as a headdress

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4. Isama:

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Men tie this red and white colored ghutra around their heads without the egal. It is an old habit and are mostly worn by young men.

Let's do an ART activity to see how cool they really are!

With the help of your friend, make a model of an Areesh.

You will need:

Palm fronds, 5 cm
long wooden sticks
wooden base
small rope
glue and scissors

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Create little Emirati paper dolls to decorate your house:

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Resource:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_the_United_Arab_Emirates
https://dreaminginarabic.wordpress.com/interesting-snippets/traditional-houses/
http://www.yourabudhabiguide.com/emirati-clothing.html

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