A load bearing wall is a structural wall that carries the weight of the floor slab, roof, or upper floors above it down to the foundations. In Dubai villas, load bearing walls are typically the external perimeter walls, central spine walls between living areas, and walls directly below upper floor slabs. Non load bearing walls (partitions) carry no structural load and can be removed more easily. The key distinction is that you cannot determine whether a wall is load bearing from visual inspection alone — a licensed structural engineer must review the original drawings and conduct an on-site assessment.