The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a federal elective monarchy made up of seven emirates, with Abu Dhabi serving as its capital. It shares land borders with Oman to the east and northeast, and with Saudi Arabia to the southwest; as well as maritime borders in the Persian Gulf with Qatar and Iran, and with Oman in the Gulf of Oman. As of 2024, the UAE has an estimated population of over 10 million, of which 11% are Emiratis; Dubai is its most populous city and is an international hub. Islam is the official religion and Arabic is the official language, while English is the most spoken language and the language of business.
Dubai is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populous of the country's seven emirates. As of 2024, the city has a population of around 3.79 million, more than 90% of which are expatriates.
The Emirate of Fujairah is one of the seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates, the only one of the seven with a coastline solely on the Gulf of Oman and none on the Persian Gulf. Its capital is Fujairah.
The Emirate of Umm Al Quwain is one of the seven constituent emirates of the United Arab Emirates, located in the north of the country. It is the second smallest and least populous emirate in the UAE and borders the Persian Gulf. Umm Al Quwain lies between Ras Al Khaimah and Sharjah/Ajman on the west coast. It has a coastline stretching to 24 km. It had 72,000 inhabitants in 2007 and has an area of 770 km2 (300 sq mi).
Islam is the official religion of the United Arab Emirates. Of the total population, 76.9% are Muslims as of a 2010 estimate by the Pew Research Center. Although no official statistics are available for the breakdown between Sunni and Shia Muslims among noncitizen residents, media estimates suggest less than 20 percent of the noncitizen Muslim population are Shia.
The Arab conquest of Iran, which culminated in the fall of the Sasanian Empire to the nascent Rashidun Caliphate, brought about a monumental change in Iranian society by purging Zoroastrianism, which had been the Iranian nation's official and majority religion since the time of the Achaemenid Empire. Since the Rashidun invasion, Islam has consistently held the status of Iran's official religion except for during a short period in the 13th century, when the Mongol invasions and conquests destroyed the Abbasid Caliphate and smaller Islamic realms before resulting in the establishment of the Ilkhanate. The process by which Iranian society became integrated into the Muslim world took place over many centuries, with nobility and city-dwellers being among the first to convert, in spite of notable periods of resistance, while the peasantry and the dehqans took longer to do so. Around the 10th century, most Persians had become Muslims.
Dubai Marina, also known as Marsa Dubai, is a district in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is built around an artificially constructed canal along a 3-kilometre (2 mi) stretch of the Persian Gulf shoreline. In 2018 it had a population of 55,052.
Al Garhoud, or simply Garhoud, is a commercial and residential zone in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is bounded by Port Saeed to the west, Umm Ramool to the east, Dubai Airport to the north and Al Kheeran to the south.
A husayniyya is a building designed specifically for gatherings of Shia Muslims for spiritual practice, religious education and commemoration ceremonies, especially the Mourning of Muharram. The Husayniyya is a multipurpose hall for the commemoration rituals of Shia and gets its name from Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of Muhammad. They are referred to as Takya among Sunni Muslims and have common origin.
The population of Dubai, the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates, is estimated to be 3.5 million as of April 2022 according to government data. As of 2021, 3.2 million were non-Emirati, and 69% were male. About 58.50% of the population is concentrated in the 25-44 age group. This unnatural age and gender distribution is due to the large proportion of foreign workers, most of whom are working-age males. Life expectancy at birth was 81 years for males, and 82.1 for females.
Sharjah is the third-most populous city in the United Arab Emirates, after Dubai and Abu Dhabi. It is the capital of the Emirate of Sharjah and forms part of the Dubai-Sharjah-Ajman metropolitan area.
The Emiratis are the citizen population of the United Arab Emirates. Within the UAE itself, their number is approximately 1.15 million.
Emirati Iranians or Emirati Persians are residents of the United Arab Emirates of Iranian national background. The community accounts for 5-8% of the country's population and is highly respected for its contributions to the social and economic fabric of the UAE.
Islam is the majority and official religion in the United Arab Emirates, professed by 74.5% of the population as of 2020. 63.3% are Sunni, 6.7% are Shia, while 4.4% follow another branch of Islam. The Al Nahyan and Al Maktoum ruling families adhere to the Maliki school of jurisprudence. Many followers of the Hanbali school are found in Sharjah, Umm al-Quwain, Ras al-Khaimah and Ajman. Their followers include the Al Qasimi ruling family. The other main religions present in the country include Christianity (12.9%), Hinduism (6.2%), and Buddhism (3.2%). Zoroastrians, Druze, Baha'i, Judaism, and Sikhism are also practiced by some non-nationals. 1.3% of the population is agnostic.
Shia Islam is practiced by a minority of Muslims in the United Arab Emirates. It is also practiced among expatriate Muslim communities living in the country, most notably Iranians, as well as some Arabs, Pakistanis, Indians, and other nationalities. Non-Twelver Shia branches such as Ismailis and the Dawoodi Bohras are also present in the UAE and account for less than 5% of the total population. Shia nationals are concentrated in the city of Dubai, belonging mostly to the latest (1920s) wave of migrants who managed to obtain citizenship.
The Iranian Mosque Hosainia is a Twelver Shia hosainia located near the old Textile Souk in the Bur Dubai district of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Built in 1979, the mosque is also known as Ali Ibn Abi Talib Mosque, in honor of Ali Ibn Abi Talib, the central figure of Shiism.
The Iranian Hospital is a non-profit rural general hospital in Dubai is located on the Al Wasl Road in Jumeirah. Inaugurated on 14 April 1972, it was built by and is affiliated to the Iranian Red Crescent Society, and is the oldest known provider of healthcare services in Dubai. Most of the hospital's medical staff are from the Iranian community in the UAE. It is a private hospital and comes under Dubai Health Authority (DHA).
The architecture of the United Arab Emirates has undergone dramatic transformation in recent decades, from operating as a collection of fishing villages to a global business hub known for its innovation and dynamism. Between the 1960s and 1970s, architecture in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) remained solely traditional, with narrow alleys and windtower houses still in use, reflective of a strong Bedouin heritage. Architecture is influenced by elements of Islamic, Arabian and Persian culture.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowments (GAIAE) or (Awqaf) is a federal agency of the government of the United Arab Emirates.
