Dubai arabic houses
The average property is also more spacious than its equivalent in Europe or the USA. The exterior and interior quality of buildings is high throughout the region, and improving as prospective landlords vie with each other to have the most attractive buildings. On the other hand, compounds can be rather ghetto-like, with a claustrophobic ‘clubbiness’, isolation from the local community and a lack of privacy. A disadvantage of these is that they generally lack the extensive facilities found in most compounds and there may be fewer English-speaking people to ‘show you the ropes’ than in a compound. Separate apartment blocks, which tend to be higher than those within compounds, usually contain a high proportion of expatriates. In Dubai, there are some compounds (mainly occupied by westerners) where the majority of accommodation consists of low-level apartment blocks. (In Arab houses, women aren’t seen unless the visitors are close relatives.) The rest of the accommodation is to the sides or rear. Many compound houses are built in majlis style, with an area opening immediately from the front door where the men meet visitors and sit with them. Children might be catered for with a play area and there might be a form of community hall known as a majlis – the traditional Arab meeting area for visitors. Some have a cosmopolitan mix, others contain people from one nation only or perhaps from one social group or caste.ĭepending on the size of the compound, the facilities may include a communal swimming pool, a restaurant and shop, tennis and squash courts and a gymnasium. Different compounds have different combinations of nationalities. Some compounds are huge, and accommodation is usually available because of the continual movement of expatriates. The term ‘compound’ refers to a group of houses or small, usually low-level, apartment blocks within a walled enclosure, rather like a private estate. The rapid development of the economy and the sudden influx of foreign workers meant that accommodation had to be constructed quickly, which meant that apartment blocks rather than individual houses were built. Young newly-married couples are given low-cost loans and in some states these turn out to be gifts if the loans aren’t repaid within a particular time limit.įoreign workers tend to live in either compounds or apartments. The indigenous population in Dubai is well provided with housing. The less well-off still prefer houses to apartments.
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With up to three generations to accommodate, groups of two or more villas are common.