UAE National Day

Before we write about our absolutely amazing vacation in Azerbaijan, I need to write about the UAE National Day.

The United Arab Emirates is a rather young country, brought together by the late, great Sheikh Zayed in 1971.

This is the image of Sheikh Zayed that is found everywhere in the country. Younger photos of him show a young, happy guy, usually holding a falcon or standing next to one of his racing camels. When I asked someone why they didn't use a nicer picture of him, I was told that he had to "look like a leader".

Up until that point, this whole country was made up of smaller "Sheikhdoms" (An "Emirate" is basically a principality), and had pretty much been left alone, except by the UK (which had been aiding in their development since the time of the Trucial States).

Abu Dhabi and Dubai spearheaded the initial writing of the Constitution, then invited the other Sheikhdoms (including Qatar and Oman, who didn't join) to come together under the umbrella of the UAE.

Sheikh Zayed is still a big deal here. His image is displayed everywhere, and he's buried near an absolutely massive mosque that was built in his honour. At any function that I've had a chance to attend, the speeches inevitably contain some reference to him (I hear something like "ArabicArabicArabic Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al Nahyah ArabicArabicArabic). His son, Khalifa bin Zayed, is the current President of the UAE (and his picture is everywhere too.... but more on that later - see below).

At my schools, National Day was a rather big deal. For about 2 weeks beforehand, students and teachers spent an incredible amount of time decorating the school, making posters, and organizing kiosks for the day. On our side, at the girls' high school, we had a kiosk with pictures of the Sheikhs, a quiz about the history of the UAE, and greeting cards for students to sign.

The real treat, though, was when I went to the girls' middle school and was treated to traditional dancing by the students. The room was full of older women, wearing burqas and abayas, and the girls - all dressed up and bejewelled - danced the "hair dance" and the "camel dance".

The hair dance basically just has the girls swishing their hair from side to side. The camel dance is supposed to resemble either a person riding a camel, or a camel itself, as the girls will go down on one knee and jerk their heads back and forth.

It was a great day, and I came home loaded with presents and candy, as well as being full of yummy traditional food and a gallon of cardamom coffee..... then changed out of my kandura and abaya, grabbed the backpacks and headed off to Dubai to catch the plane!

In celebration of National Day, we bring you....

The My Sheikh Game (Official Rules)

1 - Upon sighting any Sheikh's image, players must shout out "My Sheikh!". The first person to "claim" the Sheikh is awarded one (1) point.
2 - A picture/poster/billboard with more than one Sheikh will result in multiple points, but only if the player shouts out for each Sheikh ("My Sheikh! My Sheikh! My Sheikh...").
3- Images must be visible by all players. Players who insist on always calling the 1-storey tall image of Sheikh Zayed on a couch from 1 km away down the Abu Dhabi Corniche will be pouted at.
4- Sheikhs may not be claimed if the other player is asleep, reading a map, or not currently present. Texting a "My Sheikh" to another player does not count. Players may not wake up their opponents to point out a Sheikh to claim.
5 - If one player spots an Adnoc Oil Truck, the other player loses all their points. When in Dubai, where there are no Adnocs, one of Dubai's gas trucks (i.e. Emarat) may be substituted. Adnoc trucks are not coupons and may not be saved until your opponent has 27 Sheikh points.


6 - Games last the duration of one (1) drive, and may not be kept for the next trip.
7 - Sheikhs and Adnoc trucks may only be claimed once.
8 - The winner gets nothing but glory.

Additional Rules (to be voted on, at a later date)

A) Additional points for saying the Sheikh's complete name ("My Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al Nahyan!").
B) Penalties for wrongly identifying an advertisement for mascara as a Sheikh.