Dear Ali: I read that Emirati women like wearing gold, though when I got a gift for a mother of my Emirati friend recently, she wasn’t impressed, and even doubted that it was gold. It was a 14-carat gold bracelet. What type of gold is preferred by Emiratis? HA, Azerbaijan
Dear HA: A gift of gold to a woman is a very good choice. It shows how precious the woman is. Traditionally, gold is always given by a groom to his wife as a wedding gift.
Gold in the UAE is always in demand. Today, gold markets in the UAE are some of the biggest in the world. However, for Emiratis, their choice of gold jewellery will depend on two main things – carats and design. We’re not used to gold below 18-carat; the most popular is 21-carat. All traditional gold jewellery is made with 21-carat gold. Our mothers love this type of gold the most. Young women often buy international brands that usually use 18-carat gold of different colours such as pink and white.
Let me give you a quick tip: e’iaar or eyaar is the Arabic word for “rating”, so remember to use it when meeting jewellery salespeople at the gold markets. Wahid o ish-reen is 21 and arba’a o ishreen is 24. You can combine these terms to ask: “Indak thahab eyaar wahid o eshreen?” This means: “Do you have or sell 21-carat gold?”
Dear Ali: When I visited the UAE last month, I was impressed to see the culture has been preserved. What was the role of women in an average Emirati family in the past? Do you maintain the same lifestyle now? RN, Brazil
Dear RN: A family lived together – father, mother, daughters, sons and their wives. Men often left their houses for a season to work in the sea. During that time, women were in charge of the household. The mother was, and still is, the most important and respected member of the family, along with the father. She would control and manage everyone, and be a decision maker – from what food to cook and what fabric to buy for clothes to how to earn money. Women would do all the housework, clean the rooms, wash clothes and cook, as well as do agricultural work.
Sometimes they would gather to fetch water from distant wells or collect wood for the fire needed for cooking. When the major work was done, they would gather to sew dresses and do other handicrafts.
They were always supporting each other – if anyone was sick or died – and when women were pregnant, other women of the village would help deliver the baby, and even breastfeed the child if needed.
One of the most important roles of a woman was to maintain the pride of her man and the reputation of the family. Hence, she was always trying to avoid doing anything “ayb” – a shameful act – or provoke any doubts, and all children were raised with the same values.
Today, the role of the woman remains the same – she’s still the main person in the house. Yes, she probably maintains the house with the help of maids and workers because of how our lifestyles have changed. Our homes are bigger, so having assistants is crucial. She cares about all family members, including her own family and her husband’s.
Her role also now comes with more responsibilities towards the country’s vision. Women now work at all levels, from mothers to teachers, nurses, soldiers and ministers.
Ali Al Saloom is a cultural adviser and public speaker from the UAE. Follow @AskAli on Twitter, and visit www.ask-ali.com to ask him a question.
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