Emirati hospitality and sport: UAE House in Paris brings nation's culture to Olympics 2024

Visitors can expect a taste of falconry, cycling and football, as well as camel and dhow races

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The UAE National Olympic Committee on Saturday opened UAE House to the public in Paris to showcase the nation's culture and hospitality, with a focus on its top athletes.

The exhibition is the first of its kind and will be open free every day until August 11 in the heart of Paris.

It offers visitors the chance to experience a traditional Emirati home, along with the country's deserts, sea and mountains.

“The UAE House at the 2024 Paris Olympics symbolises our commitment to unity and dialogue, showcasing our rich heritage, cultural understanding, and innovative spirit to the world,” Noura Al Kaabi, UAE Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told The National.

“This initiative highlights the UAE’s dedication to the Olympics and to fostering international friendships and understanding through sports."

UAE House director Rawdha Al Qubaisi has put hospitality at the heart of the pavilion's philosophy by designing the space for visitors to feel like they are guests entering a traditional Emirati home.

Greeted with Arabic coffee and dates, visitors are invited to walk through curtains set inside what has been made to look like the colourful outside walls of a large traditional home, with individual rooms built around a central courtyard.

Known locally as a shaabi house, this style of house gained prominence in the UAE in the 1970s.

At UAE House, first is featured the corridor, or sikka, then the welcoming area, or majlis. In each room, Emirati volunteers stand ready to give explanations in English, French or Arabic.

“These colours you see here were painted in our home country and were brought here to Paris to represent the exact doors” as they are in the UAE, said volunteer Amal Mazmi.

Behind the doors of the UAE House is a glimpse of UAE life. UAE House

Far from the rainy streets of Paris, the majlis's large, well-lit windows and soft soundtrack – the regular thumping of racing camels – serve as backdrop to showcase representations of a number of cultural icons.

They include sources of livelihood from the past, including a pearl nestled in a large oyster, in a nod to the historic role of pearl-diving in the UAE, as well as a dhow, the traditional sailing boat that pearl-hunters used to dive from.

Nearby stands Louvre Abu Dhabi, a symbol of cultural ties with Paris, surrounded by favourites from the animal kingdom, such as the blue whale, the falcon and the Arabian oryx.

Spectators in the Trocadero watch a light show on the Eiffel Tower during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. EPA

Former France international football player Zinedine Zidane, left, hands over the Olympic flame to Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal, who won the French tennis Open 14 times, at the Trocadero Stadium during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. AFP

The cauldron, with the Olympic flame lit, lifts off while attached to a balloon as the torchbearers French former sprinter Marie-Jose Perec and French judoka Teddy Riner stand in front during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Jardin des Tuileries (Tuileries Garden) in Paris. AFP

A balloon carrying the lit Olympic cauldron lifts off with the Eiffel Tower in the background during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. AFP

South Korean athletes in raincoats enter the Trocadero plaza, the venue of the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics. EPA

France's President Emmanuel Macron, right, and Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee, arrive at the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. AFP

Members of the Chinese delegation sail along the river Seine during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. AFP

Torchbearers run during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. AFP

French President Emmanuel Macron, centre, and his wife Brigitte Macron receive Guinea's Prime Minister Amadou Oury Bah, left and his wife Fatimatou Diallo Bah, right, prior to the Olympics opening ceremony at Elysee Palace in Paris. Getty Images

Crowds gather for the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. AFP

The Eiffel Tower is illuminated with a light show during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Getty Images

Zinedine Zidane, former French football player, carries the Olympic torch. Getty Images

French President Emmanuel Macron declares the Games open. EPA

Rafael Nadal of Spain carries the Olympic torch during the opening ceremony. Reuters

The Eiffel Tower and the Olympics ring light up. AP

The Olympic flag is presented by the The Horsewoman at the Trocadero. Getty Images

Volunteers in the parade of flags. AP

The Horsewoman, wearing the flag of the International Olympic Committee, appears on a metal horse at the Trocadero. PA

An orchestra performs at the Trocadero. PA

France's flag bearers Florent Manaudou and Melina Robert-Michon sail below the Eiffel Tower. Getty Images

Heavy metal musicians perform during the opening ceremony. AFP

Models present creations while walking a catwalk along the Passerelle Debilly bridge. AFP

Athletes head towards the Trocadero during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. PA

Athletes from the US travel by boat down the Seine. AP

Mezzo-soprano Axelle Saint-Cirel, standing on the roof of the Grand-Palais, sings the national anthem of France. EPA

Representatives of the French armed forces carry the national flag of France. Getty Images

Palestinian flag bearers Wasim Abusal and Valerie Rose Tarazi travel with teammates along the Seine. AP

Performers dance along the banks of the Seine. AFP

The Institut de France is illuminated with fireworks. AFP

The torchbearer runs past Pont Neuf during the opening ceremony. AFP

Acrobats perform. AP

Smoke in the colours of the French flag explodes over Pont d’Austerlitz. Getty Images

Smoke billows near windows as performers participate in the opening ceremony. AP

American singer-songwriter Lady Gaga performs at Square Barye during the athletes’ parade. Getty Images

UAE athletes aboard a boat in the floating parade. Reuters

Actors perform during the opening ceremony. AP

Dancers perform on a roof. Getty Images

Tightrope walker Nathan Paulin performs on a high rope during the athletes’ parade. Getty Images

A heart created during a aerial display. Getty Images

An aerial view of the Eiffel Tower and Trocadero at the start of the opening ceremony. Getty Images

Athletes from the Refugee Olympic Team's delegation sail on a boat along the Seine during the opening ceremony. AFP

Team Great Britain athletes sail on a boat as they pass under a bridge on the Seine. Getty Images

The Olympic Torch is seen at the beginning of the athletes’ parade on the Seine. Getty Images

Olympics fans wearing rain capes as they take their seats for the opening ceremony. Getty Images

A maintenance worker sweeps water off a skateboard ramp installed on a floating platform in the Seine river. Reuters

US singer-songwriter, rapper, artist and designer Pharrell Williams and French actress Laetitia Casta stand next to the Olympic torch in Saint-Denis, northern Paris. AFP

French gendarmes patrol in front of the Louvre before the opening ceremony. Getty Images

Performers practise near the Seine. Reuters

French police officers secure the perimeter before the opening ceremony. EPA

People start queuing to enter the venue of the opening ceremony. AP

Security officers from the UAE border force on patrol in front of the Louvre. AFP

French special forces patrol the Seine as the security perimeter for the opening ceremony is put up. Reuters

Workers prepare the red carpet before the arrival of heads of state at the Elysee Palace in Paris. AP

Behind them, a cyclist appears to climb a mountain – a reminder of the increasing popularity of cycling in a country with a varied landscape, said Ms Al Qubaisi.

“They know us as the UAE with deserts and camels, but we are more than that,” Ms Al Qubaisi told The National. “We wanted guests to know that we have mountains in the UAE.”

The largest room in the UAE house, the al liwan – place of connection – showcases eight athletes of particular pride to the UAE, starting with Sheikh Ahmad bin Hasher, a shooter who won his country's first gold medal in 2004.

There is also Safia al Sayegh, the first female cyclist from the Gulf region to compete in the Olympic Games, and Ayesha Al Shamsi, who has qualified to participate in the Paralympics which will run from August 28 to September 8.

Visitors are then invited to walk through large screens in the following room, meydan, meaning public square in Arabic, which offers an immersive experience of sports in the UAE.

Meet the athletes representing the UAE at the Olympics

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They include falconry, a dhow race, football, a camel race and cycling. “You hear it and you feel it … without hearing any conversation happening,” said Ms Al Qubaisi.

For younger visitors, the following room may be the most fun. The aim at hiwy, the place of play, is to re-create century-old UAE games in a digital and interactive manner.

Players have the choice between tag games, races and ball games. “We need to represent our old games and our heritage to the people,” said volunteer Wafaa Al Dhanhani.

The last room, erth, or legacy in Arabic, was set up in collaboration with top French cooking school Ecole Ducasse and showcases the best of French and UAE fusion cuisine.

The menu has been thought up by 22-year old Maitha Warshaw, the first Emirati national to study a bachelors in culinary arts.

They include a dish of French foie gras, date paste, and balsamic panna cotta, and chocolate with the cardamom and saffron flavours of Arabic coffee.

By showcasing UAE culinary arts, sports and games, organisers hope to reach a wide audience.

“This landmark presence at the Olympics is part of our continuing commitment to cultural exchange and co-operation and underscores our commitment to promoting unity and collaboration,” said Ms Al Kaabi.