Khanjar belongs to the culture of the United Arab Emirates — a culture rooted in Bedouin and coastal life, in Islam and in the Indian Ocean trading world, and one that has absorbed a large expatriate population without losing its own idiom.
What it is
Emirati cultural practice is transmitted primarily through families and through the majlis, the gathering at which a community meets its leader and where poetry, genealogy and the news of the day are exchanged. Islamic observance sets the rhythm of the year, and the maritime and desert past continues to supply the vocabulary of hospitality and identity.
Today
Official cultural policy supports heritage through festivals, competitions and institutions such as the Sharjah Museums Authority and the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism. UNESCO has recognised several Emirati practices as intangible cultural heritage, which places them in the same framework of preservation and documentation as practices elsewhere in the world.
Understanding it as a visitor
None of this is a museum exhibit: it is ordinary life. Visitors are welcomed, but the ordinary courtesies matter — ask before photographing people, dress modestly in public buildings, accept coffee or dates when offered, and take an interest rather than an inventory.