On a patch of city land beside the sea, urban Emiratis sit beneath the shimmering skyscrapers of wealthy Dubai, revamping a camping tradition rooted in the desert.

Dozens of camper trailers are lined up, with simple facilities set up in the open air against a backdrop featuring the world's tallest building, the needle-like Burj Khalifa -- a symbol of the ostentatious lifestyles and consumerism associated with the city.

Khaled al-Kaissi, 38, is among the minority of the population -- around 10 percent -- who are native Emiratis.

In the United Arab Emirates, foreign labour largely from Asia is cheaply available, including for household help, to the benefit of many locals.

But "sometimes you need simple things", like preparing your own cup of tea, he said, voicing a desire for "simplicity and humility".

On the sandy ground, some visitors at the makeshift urban camping site have set up rugs and cushions to create a "majlis", a type........

© Al Monitor