United Arab Emirates

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a country on the Arabian Peninsula located
on the southeastern coast of the Persian Gulf and the northwestern coast of the
Gulf of Oman. The UAE consists of seven 'emirates' and was founded on 2
December 1971 as a federation. Six of the seven sheikhdoms (Abu Dhabi,
Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain and Fujairah) combined on that date.
The seventh, Ras Al Khaimah, joined the federation on 10 February 1972
The seven sheikhdoms were formerly known as the Trucial States, in reference
to the treaty relations established with the British in the 19th Century. Artifacts
uncovered in the UAE show a long history of human habitation and regional
trade including with Mesopotamia. The area was settled by a number of tribes
along both the coast and interior and was Islamised in the seventh century.
A number of incursions and bloody battles took place along the coast when the
Portuguese, under Albuquerque, invaded the area. Conflicts between the
maritime communities of the Trucial Coast and the British led to the sacking of
Ras Al Khaimah by British forces in 1809 and again in 1819, which resulted in
the first of a number of British treaties with the Trucial Rulers in 1820. These
treaties, including the Treaty of Perpetual Maritime Peace, signed in 1853, led
to peace and prosperity along the coast which lasted until the 1930s, when the
pearl trade collapsed, leading to significant hardship among the coastal
communities.

A British decision, taken in early 1968, to withdraw from its involvement in the
Trucial States, led to the decision to found a Federation. This was agreed
between two of the most influential Trucial Rulers, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al
Nahyan of Abu Dhabi and Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum of Dubai. The
two invited other Trucial Rulers to join the Federation. At one stage it seemed
likely Bahrain and Qatar would also join the Union, but both eventually decided
on independence.
Today, the UAE is a modern, oil exporting country with a highly diversified
economy, with Dubai in particular developing into a global hub for tourism,
retail, and finance, home to the world's tallest building, largest man-made
seaport and busiest international airport.

Arrival of Islam
The arrival of envoys from Muhammad in 630 heralded the conversion of the
region to Islam. After Muhammad's death, one of the major battles of the Ridda
Wars was fought at Dibba, in present-day Fujairah. The defeat of the nonMuslims in this battle resulted in the triumph of Islam in the Arabian Peninsula.
In 637, Julfar (today Ras al-Khaimah) was used as a staging post for the
conquest of Iran. Over many centuries, Julfar became a wealthy port and
pearling center from which dhows traveled throughout the Indian Ocean.

Trucial Sheikhs
Portions of what is now the UAE came under the direct influence of the
Ottoman Empire during the 16th century. Thereafter, the region was known to
the British as the "Pirate Coast", as raiders based there harassed the shipping
industry despite both European and Omani navies patrolling the area from the
17th to 19th centuries. British expeditions to protect the Indian trade from
raiders at Ras al-Khaimah led to campaigns against that headquarters and other
harbours along the coast in 1819. The next year, a peace treaty was signed to
which all the sheikhs of the coast adhered. Raids continued intermittently until
1835, when the sheikhs agreed not to engage in hostilities at sea. In 1853, they
signed a treaty with the United Kingdom, under which the sheikhs (the Trucial
Sheikhdoms) agreed to a "perpetual maritime truce". It was enforced by the
United Kingdom, and disputes among sheikhs were referred to the British for
settlement.

The beginning of the oil era

In the 1930s, the first oil company teams carried out preliminary surveys. An
onshore concession was granted to Petroleum Development (Trucial Coast) in

1939, and an offshore concession to D'Arcy Exploration Ltd in 1952. Oil was
discovered under an old pearling bed in the Persian Gulf, Umm Shaif,in 1958,
and in the desert at Murban in 1960. The first cargo of crude was exported from
Jabel Dhanna in Abu Dhabi in 1962. As oil revenues increased, the ruler of Abu
Dhabi, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, undertook a massive construction
program, building schools, housing, hospitals and roads. When Dubai's oil
exports commenced in 1969, Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the ruler of
Dubai, was also able to use oil revenues to improve his people's quality of life.

Border disputes
In 1955, the United Kingdom sided with Abu Dhabi in the latter's dispute with
Oman over the Buraimi Oasis, another territory to the south. A 1974 agreement
between Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia would have settled the Abu Dhabi Saudi
border dispute; however, the agreement has yet to be ratified by the UAE
government and is not recognized by the Saudi government. The border with
Oman also remains officially unsettled, but the two governments agreed to
delineate the border in May 1999.

Sheikh Zayed and the Union

In the early 1960s, oil was discovered in Abu Dhabi, an event that led to quick
unification calls made by UAE sheikdoms. Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan
became ruler of Abu Dhabi in 1966, and the British started losing their oil
investments and contracts to U.S. oil companies.
The British had earlier started a development office that helped in some small
developments in the emirates. The sheikhs of the emirates then decided to form
a council to coordinate matters between them and took over the development
office. They formed the Trucial States Council, and appointed Adi Bitar, Sheikh
Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum's legal advisor, as Secretary General and Legal
Advisor to the Council. This council was terminated once the United Arab
Emirates was formed.

Al Fahdi Fort in Dubai in the late 1950s

Independence
By 1966, the British government had come to the conclusion that it could longer
afford to govern what is now the United Arab Emirates. Much deliberation took
place in the British parliament, with a number of MPs arguing that the Royal
Navy would not be able to defend the Trucial Sheikhdoms. Denis Healey, who,
at the time, was the UK Secretary of State for Defence, reported that the British
Armed Forces were severely overextended, and in some respects, dangerously
under-equipped to defend the Sheikhdoms. On 24 January 1968, British Prime
Minister Harold Wilson announced the decision, reaffirmed in March 1971 by
Prime Minister Edward Heath, to end the treaty relationships with the seven
Trucial Sheikhdoms which had been, together with Bahrain and Qatar, under
British protection.
Days after the announcement, the ruler of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan
Al Nahyan, fearing vulnerability, tried to persuade the British to honour the
protection treaties by offering to pay in full the costs of keeping the British
Armed Forces in the Emirates. The British Labour government rebuffed the
offer.

Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan

Federation of Emirates

The first conference on the Gulf federation in Abu Dhabi,

1968.
After Labour MP Goronwy Roberts informed Sheikh Zayed of the
news of British withdrawal, the nine Gulf sheikhdoms attempted
to form a federation of Arab emirates. The federation was first
proposed in February 1968 when the rulers of Abu Dhabi and
Dubai met in the desert location of Argoub El Sedirah and
agreed on the principle of Union. They announced their
intention to form a coalition, extending an invitation to other
Gulf States to join. Later that month, in a summit meeting
attended by the rulers of Bahrain, Qatar and the Trucial Coast,
the government of Qatar proposed the formation of a
federation of Arab Emirates to be governed by a higher council
composing of nine rulers. This proposal was accepted and a

declaration of union was approved. There were, however,

several disagreements between the rulers on matters such as
the location of the capital, the drafting of the constitution and
the distribution of ministries.

19711972
When the British-Trucial Sheikhdoms treaty expired on December 1, 1971, the
Trucial States became fully independent sheikhdoms. Four more of the Trucial
states (Ajman, Sharjah, Umm Al Qawain and Fujairah), had decided to join Abu
Dhabi and Dubai in signing the UAE's founding treaty, with a draft constitution
in place drafted in record time to meet the December 2, 1971 deadline. On that
date, at the Dubai Guesthouse (now known as Union House), the emirates
agreed to enter into a union to be called the United Arab Emirates. Ras alKhaimah joined later, following Iran's swift annexation of the Tunbs islands, in
early 1972. The move to form a union took place at a time of unprecedented
instability in the region, with a border dispute killing 22 in Kalba and a coup in
Sharjah in January 1972. The then emir of Qatar was deposed by his cousin in
February 1972.

Post-independence
1973-2003
After the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States, the UAE was identified as a
major financial centre used by Al-Qaeda in transferring money to the hijackers.
The nation immediately cooperated with the United States, freezing accounts
tied to suspected terrorists and strongly clamping down on money laundering.
The country had already signed a military defence agreement with the United
States in 1994 and one with France in 1995. The UAE supports military
operations from the United States and other coalition nations engaged in the
invasion of Afghanistan (2001) and Iraq (2003) as well as operations supporting
the Global War on Terrorism for the Horn of Africa at Al Dhafra Air Base,
located outside of Abu Dhabi. The air base also supported Allied operations
during the 1991 Persian Gulf War and Operation Northern Watch.
2004-2008
On 2 November 2004, the UAE's first president, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al
Nahyan, died. His eldest son, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, succeeded
him as ruler of Abu Dhabi. In accordance with the constitution, the UAE's

Supreme Council of Rulers elected Khalifa as president. Sheikh Mohammad bin

Zayed Al Nahyan succeeded Khalifa as Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi. In January
2006, Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the prime minister of the UAE
and the ruler of Dubai, died, and Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid
Al Maktoum assumed both roles.
In March 2006, the United States forced the state-owned Dubai Ports World to
relinquish control of terminals at six major American ports. Critics of the ports
deal feared an increased risk of terrorist attack, saying the UAE had been home
to two of the 9/11 hijackers.
In December 2006, the UAE prepared for its first election to determine half the
members of UAE's Federal National Council from 450 candidates. However,
only 7000 Emirati citizens, less than 1% of the Emirati population, were given
the right to vote in the election. The exact manner of selection was opaque.
Notably, women were included in the electorate.
2008present
In 2011, the Middle East saw a number of pro-democratic uprisings, popularly
known as the Arab Spring. The UAE saw comparatively little unrest, but did
face one high-profile case in which five pro-democracy activists were arrested
on charges of insulting the president, Sheikh Khalifa, the vice president, Sheikh
Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi (and
presumed successor to Sheikh Khalifa), Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al
Nahyan. The trial of the UAE Five attracted international publicity and protest
from a number of human rights groups,[ including Amnesty International, which
named the five men prisoners of conscience. The defendants were convicted and
given two- to three-year prison sentences on 27 November 2011. However, all
five were pardoned without comment by Sheikh Khalifa the following day.

THE END