Dundee was just named as Scotland’s most unexpected cultural city escape by an international media outlet

Picture: Shahbaz Majeed

An international media outlet has just featured Dundee as an unexpected cultural city escape, highlighting the city’s transformation and its global connections.

The National, a leading newspaper in the United Arab Emirates, has published a major travel piece positioning Dundee as “Scotland’s most unexpected cultural city escape”.

Written by journalist Hayley Skirka, the feature explores the city’s growing cultural reputation, with a particular focus on its longstanding ties to Palestine. Dundee is also twinned with Dubai, making the coverage in a UAE-based outlet especially noteworthy.

The article opens with the Palestinian flag flying above Caird Hall, a symbol of Dundee’s twinning with Nablus since 1980.

It explains how this civic bond has developed into practical acts of solidarity, from restoring medical centres and replanting olive groves to the donation of a fire engine that still serves in Nablus today.

Central to the feature is the Thread Memory: Embroidery from Palestine exhibition at V&A Dundee, running until spring 2026.

The exhibition, which marks the 45th anniversary of the twinning, showcases historic dresses, jewellery and headdresses from across Palestine alongside contemporary works by artists such as Leena Nammari.

The National highlights how the show is not just an international exhibition but also a reflection of Dundee’s own identity.

The coverage also extends to Dundee’s wider cultural scene, with mentions of the RRS Discovery, McManus Galleries, Dundee Contemporary Arts and the city’s street art trails.

The newly opened LIVEHOUSE venue and the city’s connections to comic icons like The Beano are also noted as part of Dundee’s evolving cultural landscape.

Food, hospitality and nearby attractions in Broughty Ferry are recommended to readers in the Gulf, alongside boutique hotels such as Malmaison and Hotel Indigo. The National concludes that Dundee, long overshadowed by its larger Scottish neighbours, is now standing out as a destination in its own right – a place where creativity, history and solidarity meet.