Local Info

Language

The official language of the country is Arabic, although English is very widely used and most road and shop signs, restaurant menus, etc are in both languages.

Climate

Dubai has a sub-tropical, arid climate. May - October are the warmest months with temperatures reaching high 40°C and high humidity, the rest of the year temperatures can fall anywhere between 20 - 35°C.

Rainfall is infrequent falling mainly in the cooler months around November to March. Occasional sandstorms are possible during Winter.

Local Time

The UAE is four hours ahead of GMT. There is no summer time saving when clocks are altered.

Public Holidays

The Islamic year is called the Hijri and dates are followed by AH - After Hijra. The Hijri calendar is based on lunar months.

Some religious holidays are frequently confirmed less than 24 hours in advance as they are based on the sighting of the moon and do not have fixed dates on the Hijri calendar. Some non-religious holidays are fixed according to the Gregorian calendar.