Dubai becomes first city in world with own Microsoft font

Dubai claims the font is a new global medium for 'self-expression'

The typeface, designed with Microsoft, comes in both Latin and Arabic script

(Getty)

Dubai has become the first city in the world to get its own front, the government announced on Sunday.

The type face, simply called “Dubai Font”, comes in both Arabic and Latin script and will be available in 23 languages.

It was created in partnership with Microsoft and is now available to Microsoft Office 365 users around the world.

In a tweet, the Crown Prince Hamdan bin Mohammed al-Maktoum described the font as a “unique project” that reflects the heritage and culture of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and “reaches out to the world” with the hashtag “#ExpressYou”.

In a statement accompanying the launch of the font, officials said: “Self-expression is an art form. Through it you share who you are, what you think and how you feel to the world. To do so you need a medium capable of capturing the nuances of everything you have to say.

“The Dubai Font does exactly that. It is a new global medium for self-expression.”

Dubai, the largest city in the UAE and home to the world’s tallest tower, has championed technology and innovation as it looks to broaden its appeal.

However, the region has also drawn criticism for its poor human rights record and its restriction on free speech.

The Human Rights Watch says the UAE often “uses its affluence to mask the government’s serious human rights problems. The government arbitrarily detains, and in some cases forcibly disappears, individuals who criticized the authorities.”

In March, prominent human rights activist Ahmed Mansoor, who repeatedly drew the ire of authorities in the UAE by calling for a free press and democratic freedoms, was arrested.

Last year, a 25-year-old British tourist faced jail in in Dubai after telling the police she had been raped.

When she reported the rape at a police station, she was detained and charged with “extra-marital sex”, a crime punishable by jail, flogging and stoning to death in the strictly conservative country.

She was later released, but only following international outcry.