History of the United Arab Emirates

The history of the United Arab Emirates includes the historical roots of this federation of seven emirates in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in southwest Asia and extends to modern times.

An 18th century watchtower in Hatta

Early history

Archaeological finds on the island of Umm an-Nar near Abu Dhabi indicate a settlement as early as the 4th millennium BC. Close. At al-Ain there were also evidence of a 2500 BC. A culture dated to the 4th century that mined and traded copper in the Hajar Mountains . Long-distance trade gained through the domestication of the camel at the end of the 2nd millennium BC. A great boom.

The land route from Syria to what is now southern Iraq was joined by the sea route via the Persian Gulf to India , including via the important port of Omana (probably today's Umm al-Qaiwain ). Pearl diving has been an important line of business since earlier times. Large trade fairs were a. held in Dibba, attended by merchants from the region and even China .

Beginning of the Islamic era

In 630 messengers from the Prophet Mohammed arrived from Mecca and converted the indigenous tribes to Islam. After the death of Muhammad in 632, the alliance was terminated and the new religion was accordingly broken away. The decisive battle of the subsequent Ridda Wars took place in Dibba and resulted in the defeat of the renegade non-Muslims and the final triumph of Islam on the Arabian Peninsula .

In 637 Julfar (now Ra's al-Khaimah ) was one of the starting points for the invasion of Persia and in the following centuries developed into a rich port and center of the pearl trade, whose dhows traveled the entire Indian Ocean .

In the 7th century the coast was under the influence of the Kharijites . From the 9th to the 11th centuries the area belonged to the Shiite Qarmatian state .

Portuguese control

At the beginning of the 16th century, the area came under the direct influence of the Ottoman Empire , which was soon driven out by the Portuguese, who built bases on the Gulf to secure the trade route to India. In his search for the “ spice route ” to Asia , which eventually led him to India, Vasco da Gama had to rely on the help of Ahmad ibn Majid, a navigator and cartographer from Julfar.

The Portuguese controlled the Persian Gulf until they were driven out by Omani tribes around 1650 .

From the "pirate" to the "treaty coast"

Flag of the Trucial States

In 1747 the Bedouins of the Qawasim settled on the southern Gulf coast and used the power vacuum in the Gulf to not only pursue pearl fishing, but also piracy against merchant shipping, which led to the name "Pirate Coast". The centers were the ports of Sharjah and Ras al-Khaimah. By 1780 the power of the Qawasim had grown so much that they were able to muster a fleet of 60 ships with 20,000 sailors, so that they also ruled large parts of the Persian Gulf coast and threatened the trade of Oman. Oman counterattacks were unsuccessful. Since piracy also threatened trade in India , Great Britain undertook several punitive expeditions between 1806 and 1819, which culminated in a peace treaty with all the Emirates in 1820 . Thereafter, there were repeated attacks on merchant ships until a declaration of "perpetual sea peace" was made in 1853. The Emirates gradually became British protectorates and referred to as "Pacified Oman", "Treaty Man" or "Treaty Coast" ( Trucial States ).

The treaty of 1892 between Great Britain and a number of Gulf emirates cemented the close relationship and stipulated that the sheikhs were not allowed to sell any territory or enter into relations with other states without British consent. In return, Great Britain vowed to protect the "treaty coast" against attacks from sea and land.

Nevertheless, there were several political changes and new borders: In 1869 the power of the Qawasim split into the two emirates of Sharjah and Ra's al-Khaimah, in 1902 Fujairah and Kalba also fell away from Sharjah. Kalba, which was repeatedly attacked by Fujairah in particular in the mid-1920s and early 1930s, officially became an independent emirate of the contracting states in 1936. Meanwhile, Dubai waged war against Sharjah in 1940 and against Abu Dhabi from 1945–1948. There were also border conflicts between Fujairah and Ra's al-Khaimah. Kalba and Dibba were annexed to Sharjah again in 1951. Externally, there were conflicts between the contracting states with Saudi Arabia (Oasis al-Buraimi) from 1952 to 1955 and with Inner Oman from 1957 to 1959. Only between 1963 and 1969 were the borders between the emirates more or less binding by the British protecting power.

The rise and fall of the pearl industry

The Al-Fahidi fortress in Dubai around 1959

At the end of the 18th century, the Al Nahyan family of the Banu Yas tribe moved from the Liwa inland oasis to Abu Dhabi (founded in 1761), which had developed into an important center of pearl fishing . A few decades later, another branch of the Banu Yas migrated north and founded Dubai in 1833 , which, along with pearl fishing, became an important trading center. Pearls were one of the most important industries well into the 20th century. The global economic crisis in 1929 and the spread of cheaper cultured pearls from Japan led to the decline of the pearl industry in the Gulf.

Oil boom

In the early 1930s, the first oil companies were granted concessions to drill in the "Trucial States" area. Large quantities of oil were found in the early 1960s, and in 1962 the first shipload was exported from Abu Dhabi.

Unlike his predecessor, Sheikh Zayid bin Sultan Al Nahyan of Abu Dhabi used the increasing income from oil production for an extensive development program from 1966 , from which the poorer neighboring emirates also benefited. After Dubai began to export oil in 1969, Sheikh Raschid bin Said Al Maktum , the de facto ruler of Dubai since 1939, was also able to use the new wealth to improve the quality of life of his people.

Demarcation

In the border disputes between Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia over the Al Ain / Buraimi oasis and the southern border of the Emirates, Great Britain helped to resolve the dispute from 1955 onwards. In 1974 an agreement was reached between the two states that settled these disputes. However, this has not yet been ratified by the UAE government and the Saudi government does not yet recognize this agreement. For the most part, there is therefore a de facto border between states. The exact course of the border has not played a major role so far, as the border area consists of a sandy desert. The border with Oman has not yet been officially determined, but the two governments agreed in May 1999 to mark the border.

Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan

Sheikh Zayed and the Union of Emirates

From 1952 on, closer cooperation between the emirates developed, intensified after the start of oil production. During the 1960s, British oil companies increasingly lost influence in favor of US companies.

The existing British development bureau was replaced by the Trucial States Council, a coordinating council set up by the rulers of the Emirates, of which Adi Bitar, the legal advisor to Sheikh Rasheed bin Sa'id Al Maktum, was appointed as general secretary and legal advisor.

Great Britain announced the "East of Suez" policy in 1967, according to which it would withdraw from its military bases and other obligations east of the Suez Canal by the end of 1971 . This would also end the protection treaties with the areas of the Persian Gulf - apart from the Trucial States, Bahrain and Qatar - on December 31, 1971 .

The rulers of Abu Dhabi and Dubai decided to merge their emirates into a union, have a constitution drawn up (by Adi Bitar), and then invite the rulers of the other five emirates to join the union.

Great Britain granted independence to the Trucial States on December 2, 1971. On the same day, the rulers of Abu Dhabi , Ajman , Fujairah , Sharjah , Dubai and Umm al-Qaiwain met and founded the United Arab Emirates, with Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan as president, who a week later, on December 9, joined the United Nations . On February 11, 1972, Ra's al-Khaimah joined the UAE as the seventh and last emirate of the former Trucial States.

Recent history

In 1981 the Gulf Cooperation Council was established with Saudi Arabia , Qatar , Bahrain , Kuwait and Oman . After the annexation of Kuwait by Iraq in August 1990, the UAE supported UN measures to liberate the country. The UAE air bases were used by the Western allies as a starting point for military strikes against Iraq during the second Gulf War . Defense alliances were formed with the United States and France in 1994 and 1995, respectively.

The UAE supports the US and other coalition forces in operations in Afghanistan , where the UAE has also deployed its own troops , in Iraq and in the fight against terrorism , mainly from the Al Dhafra Air Base.

Death of the Sheikhs Zayid and Maktum

On November 2, 2004, the first President of the UAE, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, died . His eldest son, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan , succeeded him to the throne as ruler of Abu Dhabi; he was also elected President of the UAE by the Supreme Council of Rulers under the Constitution. Sheikh Muhammad bin Zayed Al Nahyan , a brother of Sheikh Khalifa, accordingly became Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.

In January 2006, Sheikh Maktum bin Rashid Al Maktum , the ruler of Dubai and Prime Minister of the UAE, died and his brother, Crown Prince Sheikh Muhammad bin Rashid Al Maktum , succeeded him.

Web links

Commons : History of the United Arab Emirates  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ http://www.adias-uae.com/
2. ↑ Archived copy ( Memento of July 3, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
3. ↑ Archived copy ( Memento of July 3, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
4. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20100210185036/http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O46-OttomanEmpire.html
5. ↑ Archive link ( Memento from May 1, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
6. ↑ http://www.destination360.com/middle-east/united-arab-emirates/history
7. ↑ http://ukinuae.fco.gov.uk/en
8. ↑ http://looklex.com/eo/trucial_states.htm
9. ↑ Archive link ( Memento from February 6, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
10. ↑ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/country_profiles/737620.stm
11. ↑ http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/5444.htm
12. ↑ Oil at heart of renewed UAE-Saudi border dispute ( Memento from October 26, 2005 in the Internet Archive )
13. ↑ http://countrystudies.us/persian-gulf-states/85.htm
14. ↑ Archive link ( Memento from April 29, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
15. ↑ http://guide.theemiratesnetwork.com/basics/history_of_the_emirates.php
16. ↑ http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0108074.html
17. ↑ History of the United Arab Emirates (The Emirates Network [TEN])
18. ↑ Anna Zacharias and Rym Ghazal: And then there were seven (article in The National of November 9, 2011)
19. ↑ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3975737.stm