Folk arts and traditional handicrafts in Abu Dhabi are much the product of local ancestors’ interaction with their environment, especially performing arts. Folk dance and music, most of which are performed by men, are an expression of bravery such as in war, happiness such as in celebrating a marriage, or they are simply reminiscent of the old times when special rhythmic songs were used to entertain labourers such as pearl divers. Women, meanwhile, invested their free time in a range of handicrafts including gown embroidery, weaving shawls (incorporating gold strings) and rugs, pottery, weaving baskets and making henna tattoos. Today, the desire to preserve and promote traditional arts, handicrafts and heritage is stronger than ever, encouraged by several local art and culture clubs, competitions and projects to reconstruct old fishing villages, traditional markets and Bedouin tent dwellings.
Similarly, there is a revival of literary arts, especially poetry, which have flourished all over Arabia for thousands of years. Local architecture, on the other hand, has its own distinctive features in Abu Dhabi. Though the mud houses with palm-frond roofs of the past have almost vanished, the special architecture of the houses built in the first half of the 20th Century still survives.
Much of the cultural life in Abu Dhabi revolves around Islam, whether in literature, arts or festivals. Though Islam is the state religion in Abu Dhabi, expatriate communities of various faiths also celebrate their religious festivals in the emirate.