Those involved have been arrested for public debauchery – a law punishable with up to six months in prison and a fine of 5,000 dirham (at least £980).

The video and pictures surfaced on social media on Saturday night, showing more than a dozen women lined up on a high-rise glass balcony in the city’s flashy Marina neighbourhood.

A man can be seen snapping the women’s pictures as a person films the scene from a balcony next door.

State-linked newspaper The National reported that the move appeared to be a ‘publicity stunt’ but did not elaborate further on this suggestion.

Dubai police said those arrested over the ‘indecent’ video had been referred to the public prosecutor.

A police statement read: ‘Such unacceptable behaviours do not reflect the values and ethics of Emirati society.’

Breaches of the United Arab Emirates’s public decency law include nudity and ‘other lewd behaviour’.

Sharing pornographic material is also punishable with prison time and hefty fines under the country’s laws, which are based on Islamic law, or Shariah.

The UAE’s majority state-owned telecom companies block access to major pornographic websites.

The footage came as a shock to police in the UAE, where acts like kissing in public or drinking alcohol without a licence have put people behind bars.

Others have been jailed for their comments and videos shared online due to the country’s strict laws governing expression.