A traditional Muslim marriage carries one risk: you never know what you get until the last moment. An Arab diplomat in the United Arab Emirates found his wife was drastically different from a picture he had - cross-eyed and bearded.

Before the wedding, the man had few brief encounters with the bride, who refused to lift her niqab - a veil that covers the face completely. However, the groom's mother, who arranged the marriage, told her son that the girl was good-looking.

The groom was allowed to be alone with his bride only after signing a marriage contract.

"When he wanted to kiss his wife-to-be, he discovered that she was bearded and cross-eyed," sources close to the case told Gulf News.

The man immediately called off the wedding party and filed a lawsuit against the girl's relatives, claiming they provided his mother photos of the bride's sister instead of his fiancee during the marriage arrangement.

He also demanded the family repay him $140,000 - the money he spent on presents for his future wife. The court divorced the diplomat, but did not award him any damages.

The girl filed a counter-claim, seeking alimony, but also lost the case.

DUBAI, February 10 (RIA Novosti)