To err is human, to forgive is divine. Everyone knows of this adage. On the same lines, to have money is rich, to live in money is to be an Arab. Yes, Arabs are so rich that they can probably fill up the bank account of every beggar in this world and still be able to live a lavish lifestyle. Yes they are that rich. The Middle East is situated in a desert area, popularly known as the Arabian Desert. They struggled to meet their needs of food and water, basic necessities of life. In pursuit of water, they kept on digging and incidentally, they struck gold. Not solid gold, but liquid gold, petroleum!

That proved to be a turning point for the nomadic Arabs. They tapped into their natural resources, and began the oil business. And they’ve never looked back from there. Now the Arabs have grown so rich, just by the dint of its oil reserves, that it shouldn’t be a shock if they have more money than GDP’s of some countries out there! And when you have money, you’ve got to spend it! And boy, they have some unique tastes and ways of spending money. Live life King Size, the Arabs take it very seriously and they sure know how to live like a king. Here are some insanely eclectic habits of the uber-rich Arabs. And yeah one last piece of advice, when in Arabia, don’t do as the Arabs do lest you should go bankrupt!

15. Hunt those Bustards

Bustards are one of the most beautiful birds on this planet. But for the wealthy Arabs, killing bustards is a hobby! During the winter season, Houbara Bustards fly from Central Asia to Pakistan, and at the same time, the Arabs reach Pakistan in their private jet just for the sport of hunting them! Majority of them are from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain. The Arab’s love for Bustard hunting started centuries ago. A Saudi prince poached around two thousand Houbara Bustards during his twenty one day safari in Chagai, Baluchistan. This bird is considered as a vulnerable species by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), at present only 50,000 to 100,000 Bustards remain alive. But do the Arabs care?

14. The Big Fat Arab Wedding

In the United States, people invite 100-150 guests, at the most, to a wedding, even the billionaires do the same too. But Arabs, well, one can just not imagine the wedding functions of Arab billionaires, they bring heaven down on the earth! The wedding functions go for a week and it’s a matter of pride for them. They are crazy and spend millions on stage decoration and food. In fact, ten American weddings can be arranged easily in the amount an Arab billionaire spends on his daughter’s wedding. Rich Arabs who are settled in the West are also very generous when it comes to spending money on weddings.

13. A Solid Gold Toilet

For a common man, buying a gold necklace for his better half is a life time dream. Gold rates have rocketed so high that sometimes it just remains a dream for a few. But Arab billionaires are the least bothered about it. Forget having gold biscuits in the safety locker, they can decorate their bathroom with pure gold! In fact, Arab billionaires are known for using golden toilet accessories! The Saudi Arabian monarch gave his daughter a golden toilet, and it was her dad’s wedding gift to her. Expensive hotels that serve rich Arabs also have golden toilet seats and handles for toilet tissue. Observing this trend, a company called Toilet Paper Man introduced a 22K gold toilet paper. Don’t be surprised, when there are rich people with a habit of taking shower in the most expensive bathroom, companies will be ready to produce anything according to their needs. Interesting is the question that whether the gold toilet paper would change colour after being used.

12. Exotic Animals As Pets

Everyone desires to have a pet at home, a delicate and demure kitten or a cheerful and lively puppy. However, Arab billionaires, as always, have eyes for bigger things. They raise cheetahs, tigers and lions at their home without any fear. And the most shocking fact is they take their wild pets in their expensive cars and also for a stroll in the open. If you are planning to visit a Middle East country for the first time, be prepared for your life’s biggest shock! These pets sit on the top of the cars and sometimes show their affection to the owner by cuddling with them. Don’t worry, they are well-trained pets, perhaps they will never think of harming strangers, perhaps. Rich Arabs share their selfies with their ‘wild’ pets on Instagram; it’s a matter of great pride for them.

11. Falcon Airlines

No doubt, falcons are the Arabs’ most favoured bird and they always want their pet bird around, even while visiting a neighbouring country! Surprising is the fact that rich Arabs book air tickets not only for themselves but also for their falcons and the airways have special and ‘Official Falcon Policies’. In the flights of prestigious Qatar Airways, one can take up to six Falcons in the Economy class whereas Etihad Airways allows just one falcon per seat. He can carry an additional falcon only if he pays for an extra seat in the same class. Etihad gives a green passport to each falcon in order to ensure their safety. Once a Saudi Prince traveled on a flight with 80 Falcons on board, it was an instant hit on social media.

10. Rarest Species of cars

Do you want to see the most expensive cars available in the world? Just visit Dubai. The city has a great collection of gold cars, white-gold cars, stone studded cars etc. Thanks to the community of Arab billionaires and their craze for vehicles, one can find the most eclectically procured cars in Dubai. A Gold decked SUV, a Gold Mercedes SLS AMG, a pure white-gold Mercedes, gold and gem encrusted Lamborghini etc., the list is endless. A car that was designed for a particular Sheikh of Dubai is 98 foot long and has the capacity of carrying 23 passengers. It’s the second most expensive car in the world and is priced at $10M. A UAE billionaire owns a custom-made Bugatti L’Or Blanc, priced at $ 2.4 billion.

9. The Kids Are Spoiled Silly

Arab teenagers are too lucky when it comes to getting pocket money from their parents and that’s visible on their Instagram page. They keep showing off expensive articles on Instagram. The list of “expensive” things include gold iPhones, Ferraris, Golden Rolexes and many more such articles that are beyond the reach of a common teenager. Some of them even own private jets and their holidays at exotic places can make anyone jealous. For someone living in a country like the USA, these kids may look like spoiled brats! But that’s how Arab rich kids are leading their life in the cities like Dubai!

8. Colourful Belly Dancers

Belly dance is popular all over the world, but only a few people are aware of the fact that it originated from the Gulf Countries. It is actually a Middle Eastern folk dance. Rich Arabs invite famous belly dancers to perform at Arab weddings; you’ll have to sell a kidney or two to have them even shake a leg at your wedding, let alone their belly! Some rich men even shower money on these dancers at the dance club. A YouTube video shows a young Arab throwing a lot of money on an Iraqi belly dancer. In another video, a Rich Arab guy is showering money on a hot singer and his assistants are standing next to him with bundles of notes.

7. Arabs Spend Tons Of Money During Their World Tours

The Arabs have no hesitation in spending humongous amounts on foreign tours. According to the official information released by the Saudi government, its citizens are the biggest spenders, when they are in other countries as tourists. At least 4.5 million Saudi people go for a tour in a year. That might not be a big deal, but the shocking fact is they spend as much as six times as Western tourists! A study had claimed that Saudi tourists spend, on an average, £4,500 on a tour. Saudi Arabia has realized the importance of improving its own tourism sector in order to tap the money Arab tourists spending on other countries.

6. They Flock To Manchester To Go Shopping

Manchester is the favorite place to visit for most of the Arabs. Around 60,000 people from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and Iraq visit Manchester in a year, and as per the calculations, each of them spends at least £1,000 during their stay! Why are they crazy for Manchester? Well, the reason is that the city has some exotic shopping sites and most importantly, shops are located at walkable distance from the hotels, so they prefer Manchester over London. They pay hundreds of pounds for an extra room to keep the things that they purchased throughout their stay! A hotel manager revealed that a family used their hotel’s entire excess luggage space for their newly bought items from prestigious Louis Vuitton and Alexander McQueen stores, they also rented another room for £180 to keep their designer shoes, clothes and jewelry. The heights of shopping!

5. Rich People Deserve A Gold ATM

In Dubai, there are ATMs that are made of gold. And the other shocking fact is that you can get gold by swiping your card at those golden ATMs! Thrilling, isn’t it? Now, you may be wondering whether it’s a show piece or does someone really use it? Don’t be surprised, Dubai is teeming with billionaires who are fond of gold ATMs and gold. So if you are planning to visit the Burj Khalifa, you will find a golden ATM that dispenses gold bars, coins, and medallions there. In fact, such ATMs are available at multiple places in Dubai. God bless those rich people!

4. An Artificial Ski Park In The Middle Of The Dessert

The Middle east may not be a right choice for people who desire to spend their life in the lap of nature. Arab billionaires can create anything artificially and they are extremely proud of it. Today, they have been successful in creating artificial gardens all over their desert homeland. When it comes to weather, the Middle East cities are not so lucky because the temperature usually hits 40 degrees, but that hasn’t stopped them from skiing. They have built an indoor ski park in Dubai. It covers 22,500 square meters and the total investment was ‘just’ $400 million!

3. They Pay Millions For Their License Plates Alone

Spending millions on number plates is the craziest habit of Arab billionaires. They have no regrets too! In UAE, Arab bidders are ready to pay a heavy amount to get their favorite number plate on their car. In fact, you can buy an expensive car for your family in the money Arabs spend for their car’s number plate. An Emirati businessman Arif Ahmad Al Zarouni paid 18 million dirhams for the Sharjah Number 1 plate. In 2008, a rich Arab spent £7 million (approximately $5 million U.S.) for a number plate that had the number ‘1’. “I bought it because I want to be the best in the world,” said Saeed Khouri who belongs to one of the richest families of Abu Dhabi.

2. They Hire Celebrities All The Time

Most of us long for a selfie when we spot a celebrity in a public place. Now think of the super-rich Arabs who can have their favorite celebrities at their private parties! As mentioned earlier, everything is possible in love and war and for rich Arab. Saudi Prince Fahd-Al-Saud arranged his graduation party at Disneyland Paris and some of the Disney characters were also included in the list of guests. A 14-year-old Arab boy Rashed Saif Belhasa is known for taking selfies with celebrities like Akon, Paris Hilton, Jackie Chan, Nicki Minaj, Messi etc. You may be wondering how he gets a chance to meet so many celebrities. Well, he is the son of Dubai’s construction mogul Saif Ahmed Belhasa, so everything is possible for him. There are several rich Arab kids like Rashed who create a hype on the social media with their pictures with celebrities.

1. The craze to be on the top!

Arab cities keep making headlines for their incomparable architecture. They are famous for building hotels that reach the sky, and the surprising fact is that Arabs keep breaking their own records in the construction field. For Arabs, architecture is a matter of pride. Through their architecture, they tell the world how rich and technologically advanced they are. Dubai is expected to have its first multi-room underwater hotel in the world called Hydropolis very soon. The Palm Island in Dubai needs no introduction, the magnificent man-made island is visible from space as well! Dubai’s Burj al-Arab Hotel is the only 7-star hotel and also the tallest hotel in the whole world. Don’t be surprised if an Arab billionaire thinks of having another Burj al-Arab in the same city, they can afford it!

Sources: BBC, NPR, Daily Mail, Huffington Post, Mirror, The Richest