Always get up when someone enters the room?
When you enter a room or meet a stranger, try to shake hands with everyone, even if you have not been formally introduced to them. Place the palm of your right hand on your chest after each handshake. Sometimes the handshake lasts for a long time. Islamic etiquette advocates that a person should wait for the other person to withdraw his hand before he withdraws his hand. Always use the right hand when shaking hands.
A man should not shake hands with an Arab lady unless she extends her hand first. If the lady does not extend her hand, the man should simply place his hand on his chest in greeting. Avoid physical contact and prolonged stares with a lady. If you are a lady, there is no need to be angry that a Muslim man does not wish to shake hands with you.
When greeting a Middle Easterner, say "Salaam alaykum", which means "Peace be upon you". The polite response is "wa alaykum as-salaam", which means "peace be upon you as well". Please note that these words apply to people from Arab countries and other Muslim countries such as Pakistan. However, Dubai has a large expatriate population and many of the people you come into contact with may be foreigners. For example, Indians say "Namaste" when greeting and leaving, usually with their hands folded in front of their chest and a slight bow.
In business, Arabs use informal first names and last names; John Wang will be addressed as Mr. John.
When meeting with Arabs, it's also polite to ask about their health in detail. If you know each other well, you can ask about family members. However, if you are a man, you may not ask about another man's wife, daughter, or other female family members.
When you sit cross-legged, you must never point the soles of your feet at anyone else, as they are considered unclean. Shoes are usually removed when visiting an Arab home.
Never summon someone with your finger outstretched, as this is considered rude.
Never use your left hand to eat, hand something to someone, or receive an object. In the Middle East, the left hand is used when doing ablutions.
Avoid talking about politics, sex, women and religion. (Unless you are with a particularly good Arab friend, or you sincerely like Islamic culture, or talk about something positive about religion.)
Although Dubai is known for its great inclusiveness, it is best to dress conservatively when doing business. If you are a woman, you should wear slim, loose-fitting clothes and avoid tight, sheer or low-necked garments, and make sure your clothes cover up your legs, cleavage and shoulders. Long-sleeved attire is recommended. Men may wear general professional attire, but no shorts. Both men and women should dress neatly and professionally, as your appearance is often the first thing people will judge. In the Middle East, your dress may be the measure of your success and integrity. Well-dressed foreigners are often greeted by local government officials and business associates in a warm and friendly manner.
Although trade shows are an exception, business meetings in the Middle East often begin with a lot of small talk and sipping cups of coffee or tea. Getting straight down to business can be off-putting, as Arabs place great importance on building relationships and trust.
If the host of the meeting offers you a cup of coffee, it is not polite to refuse. You should accept the coffee and drink it with your right hand. Try to follow the host's lead as to how much coffee to drink. If you are hosting a business meeting, it is important that you pass coffee or tea to the attendees, otherwise it will be considered a serious breach of etiquette.
It is important for a foreign businessman to be on time for meetings, but be patient and understanding if your Middle Eastern business partner is not. Arabs sometimes don't care much about punctuality.
In the Middle East, it is possible to make phone calls during meetings. It is possible for someone to attend a meeting unannounced and then discuss their own agenda. If you are meeting with an Arab business partner, don't be distracted by the interruptions that follow.
Give your Arab business partner plenty of time to make decisions and don't pressure them too much. Avoid boasting, pretending to impress, or using too much sales talk.
Arabs hold their cultural traditions in high esteem, so best practice is to exude a genuine interest in local and Islamic culture, which will undoubtedly win praise from potential clients.
Middle Eastern cultures value personal words more than written agreements. What a person says is tied to his or her credibility. Contracts are seen as memorandums of understanding rather than fixed agreements. Always promise what you can deliver, and if you fail to do so, you will lose your credibility.
In the Middle East, it is common for men to hold hands with each other, so don't be surprised if you are taken to a place with your hand in yours.
Generosity is a way of life
While many Middle Easterners lead very modern lives, much of Middle Eastern culture has its roots in the Bedu, a traditional nomadic tribe that traveled the desert. The Bedouin believe that a sense of humor, courage, vigilance and religion are the four secrets of life. Because traditional life in the desert is so harsh, travelers through the desert often need the generosity of strangers in order to survive. Therefore, one should not refuse to help a traveler in need of rest and food. Adherence to this code of behavior is vital to one's credibility. Bedouin hospitality is highly legendary, and this tradition has thus been integrated into modern culture. Foreigners visiting the Arabs are often surprised by the level of hospitality offered by the locals. Don't overpraise a local's item, they may just give it away. The philosophy behind Middle Eastern culture is simple: if you treat them well, they will treat you well.
Turkish customs
Turkish people are free to practice their faith, but more than 98 percent of the population is Islamic, and the country has a special religious affairs bureau that oversees religious affairs. Eid al-Fitr is the Islamic world is also Turkey's biggest festival, after a month of fasting, Eid al-Fitr everywhere in a festive atmosphere, people visit friends and relatives, exchanging gifts, tasting sweet chocolate and a variety of desserts.
Turkey is full of mosques from the cities to the countryside, and the voice of Allah is heard from the minarets five times a day. Mosques can be visited on a regular basis, and ladies must wear a headscarf and skirt when entering a mosque.
Boys grow to about 7 years old to hold a circumcision, circumcision after the boy dressed in white robes, head wearing a crown, holding a scepter, lying on the bed of God, family and friends are to come to send red envelopes, there is also a companion to accompany the boy circumcision of the boy will be and the boy's whole life and close relationship with the boy, equivalent to the status of the boy's father.
Turkey's more conservative women wear robes and headscarves, while the more open-minded women in the cities prefer to wear tights to show off their attractive physiques. Most women work outside the home and take their husband's name when they marry. While most public ****ing occasions are gender-neutral, massages and haircuts must be separate for men and women.
Turkey's wedding to feast on friends and relatives, guests to the bride's gift is generally a gold bracelet, the bride's two arms full of gold bracelets, you can later be clothed and fed. Turkey practiced burial, cremation is not allowed, the dead must be washed by the same sex, the head toward the direction of Mecca, otherwise it can not be ascended into heaven.
Turkish people are very hospitable, meet to kiss the cheek, and constantly greet. Turks are also very warm and friendly to Chinese people. If you go to the Turkish family as a guest, you must take off your shoes before entering the house, the Turkish home must be covered with carpets, and then poor people's homes are spotless. In the public **** occasions must not finger others, wipe nose, cut nails, etc., these are very rude behavior.
Turkey's handmade carpets are very famous in Europe, Turkey's food is famous for grilled meat, desserts, Turkish cuisine is known as the world's third largest cuisine. Turkey is also well-known: Turkish bath, belly dancing.
Turkish people live a very slow pace of life, eat a meal in a restaurant, at least two or three bells, but they drove up to the car is like riding a horse like a rampage. Turks like to drink tea and coffee, and the general tea and coffee is different, Turkey's tea and coffee to be boiled for a long time. Although they do not drink Chinese green tea or flower tea, they would be very happy if they were given a small bucket of Chinese tea.
Egyptian idiosyncratic customs
Color preferences
About colors, in general, Egyptians love green and white and hate black and blue. They call a good day "white day", while an unfortunate day is called "black day or blue day". Those who are sincere and honest are called "white heart", while those who are full of hatred, cynicism and treachery are called "black heart". The Egyptian mourning dress was black. Those who have status or are old prefer black or dark-colored clothing to indicate solemnity and show their prestige.
Widows with poisonous eyes
Some Egyptians often put themselves in certain physical phenomena associated with good and bad luck. When his ears buzzed, the Egyptian thought that someone was chanting about him, rushed to cover his ears and wondered who was talking about him. It is generally believed that the right ear ringing is a bad person in scolding him, the left ear ringing is a loved one in his thoughts, greetings to him, the folk proverb: "ears buzzing, good things come every day."
The same goes for the eyes. A jumping of the right eyelid is regarded as a sign that something bad is going to happen, while a jumping of the left eyelid is a sign of good luck, so the people say, "O Allah, let it turn into good luck!"
If the palm of the right hand is itchy, you may have a friend visiting you, and if the left hand is itchy, you will be lucky and profitable.
The Egyptians used to associate the eye with envy, and believed that if someone had a poisoned eye, it was called a poisoned eye, and if his gaze swept over people and animals, they would die; and if it swept over things, they would be destroyed. The way to prevent poisonous eyes is to burn incense, wear a mask or hang a small bag of fine salt around a child's neck.
In the Siwa Oasis, custom dictates that a new widow must spend a period of confinement in a darkened room, with food brought in by a maid. After the period of confinement, she goes out to bathe at the source of the spring, when someone walks in front of her shouting all the way to pedestrians to take cover, because the first person she sees will be poisoned by her gaze.
The Egyptian Needle
The needle is a tool for sewing, and is a daily necessity for almost every household, but it has a few mysterious colors in the minds of the Egyptians.
The Egyptians never sell needles from 3 to 5 p.m. every day, which has become an unwritten commandment in their lives. According to legend, every day at this time, there are gods down to give people some of the necessities of life, but the gods want to personally inspect the people's respective situations. The richer the person is, the more he receives; the poorer the person is, the less he receives. And the poor are always threading needles and sewing all day long, and in order that the poor may receive a greater reward and be saved from a lifetime of embarrassment, people will never sell their needles at this time of the year.
Under the influence of this myth and legend, some people in Egypt did not dare to do needlework even at night, or else they thought it would bring calamity to their mothers. Some women in the countryside to borrow the needle as a taboo, in the must borrow, the lender to insert the needle in the bread to the borrower, the borrower also dare not face to face with the hands of the needle out.
The needle was sometimes used as a verbal abuse by some women, and if a woman was called a needle, it was a great shame and a painful experience for her.
Today, the needle in the minds of Egyptians still has its unique, legendary status, the taboo on the needle has also been inherited as an Egyptian folk custom.
Egyptian business meeting
Appointment to meet government officials, heads of companies and enterprises or home to visit friends, no doubt have to make an appointment, it is not appropriate to be an uninvited guest. But because of the special circumstances of the risk of flavor visit, hospitable Egyptians will not be as Westerners as strange, they always smile and welcome, saying: "My home (office) door has been open for you, you are welcome to come at any time."
Working meetings take place in the office. Except for senior officials, no one treats you as a VIP and sends someone to wait at the door to shuttle you to the parlor. Meetings with people also tend to work while talking to you, for example, the next level to send a document to be signed, or to ask for advice on the handling of a matter, or outside to talk on the phone for a few minutes, at this time you will be left out of the side, no one cares. Meet a few times, you will slowly get used to this Egyptian-style meeting.