The history of the creation of the state of the United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates is a relatively young federal state. The Federation was established on December 2, 1971. The structure includes 6 emirates – Abu Dhabi , Dubai, Sharjah, Umm Al Quwain, Ajman and Fujairah. The Emirate of Ras al Khaimah became part of a year later, in 1972. Thus, the history of the United Arab Emirates covers the last 50 years. This story is fast and impetuous, unparalleled in terms of speed and pace of development. In a very short period of time, the country has turned from a desert into a developed state, where the most daring dreams and ideas come true. But more on that later.
Historical finds
Now I would like to go back many centuries and see what the territory of the modern United Arab Emirates was like in the past, who inhabited these lands, and what interesting history can bring us.
Let me start with an amazing discovery made by a group of German scientists from the University of Tübingen in the northeast of the United Arab Emirates. This discovery has expanded our understanding of the prehistoric period in the UAE. In the hilly range of Jebel Faya, an hour’s drive from the Emirate of Sharjah, stone tools were found. The age of these tools is estimated at 120-130 thousand years. The owners of the found tools are modern people – Homo Sapiens, who penetrated the Arabian Peninsula through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Scientists attributed these finds to the prehistoric period “Homo sapiens of the Middle Paleolithic.” Also, not far from the Emirate of Sharjah, archaeologists have found artifacts dating back to the Neolithic, Iron and Bronze Ages.
The discoveries made on the territory of the United Arab Emirates turned the ideas of modern scientists about the way of human migration from the African continent upside down. Previously, most scientists believed that the first migration to Asia occurred 40-60 thousand years ago. Now this time period has doubled, reaching the figure of 120 thousand years ago.
From the depths of centuries
Now let’s fast forward to ancient times. The United Arab Emirates is washed by the waters of the Persian Gulf, the coast of which was inhabited as early as the 5th millennium BC. e. Presumably, these were pastoral tribes from northern Arabia and the Syrian desert.
In the third millennium BC. The United Arab Emirates became part of the Magan civilization, which at the moment is practically not studied by modern historians. Presumably, this civilization was originally from Iran or Pakistan. The state of Magan actively traded copper with Mesopotamia.
Later, in the I-II centuries BC. on the territory of the modern United Arab Emirates lived ancient Semitic tribes, from which the ancient Arab people subsequently developed.
The territory of the United Arab Emirates is a sandy desert, where it is difficult to find water, where there is practically no vegetation. Only in rare green oases can one find water and grow date palms , where only camels are among the animals. It was camels that became the basis for the survival of the inhabitants of these lands. Camels made it possible for the Bedouins to lead a nomadic life, helping them to travel long distances in search of water and food. Clothing was made from camel hair. Camel meat and milk were the main food of the Arabs.
The ancient history of the United Arab Emirates before the adoption of Islam is called by the locals “the time of jahiliyyah”, which means “time of ignorance” in Arabic. Islam came to these lands in the Middle Ages. In the 7th century AD small sheikhdoms, located along the southern coast of the Persian Gulf and the northwestern coast of the Gulf of Oman, became part of the Arab Caliphate, which spread Islam among the locals. During this period, the cities of Dubai, Sharjah, El Fujairah arose.
As the Caliphate weakened, the sheikhs received more and more autonomy. In the 8th century, many territories left the Arab Caliphate, becoming at different times either completely independent or partially dependent states. It was at this moment that the emirates, small states, were formed.
So the local sheikhs (emirates) lived until the 16th century, when they began to fall under the control of European powers. Initially, the territory of the UAE was captured by the Portuguese, and then by the British. European powers controlled maritime trade and port cities.
Bedouins, caravans, desert
While the world was developing, the local people mostly lived in the desert and traded with the help of camel caravans. The Bedouins survived as best they could and no one, in a rapidly developing world, did not care about them. They suffered from a very high temperature, they were tormented by thirst, they ate very simple, meager, monotonous food. The Bedouins had practically no educational institutions, there was no health care system, life expectancy was very short. During these times, Dubai was a small village, where the height of the houses did not exceed two floors.
The pearl trade helped the Arabs to survive. It was the pearl trade that occupied the lion’s share in the economy of the emirates, accounting for approximately 95% of all revenues to the treasury. Dubai has been called the “pearl coast”. But only divers for pearls know how hard it was to get it. The danger of being eaten by predatory fish in the Persian Gulf, sea salt that corroded the eyes, pressure drops, all this affected the health of the diver, leading to deafness and blindness. The life of a pearl diver was short, and the profession passed from generation to generation.
The two world wars, the crisis of 1929 and the introduction of synthetic Japanese pearls took a toll on the pearl industry in the United Arab Emirates.
Oil changed everything
In the 50s of the twentieth century, oil was found on the territory of the United Arab Emirates. It was the second key moment in the history of the country. No one even imagined that there was at least a drop of oil on the territory of the United Arab Emirates. But there was oil. And it was enough to exist comfortably.
By this time, the League of Arab States was actively fighting for the right of all Arab peoples for independence. International pressure forced the British to withdraw. But the British left these territories only by 1971. It was at this moment that the history of the UAE as an independent state began. In 1971, 6 emirates announced the creation of an independent state – the United Arab Emirates.
The rapid growth of the UAE economy, the sharp rise in prices for “black gold” in 1973 gave impetus to the country’s unprecedented rapid development. The UAE has become one of the countries with the highest standard of living.
With a barrel price of $75, oil revenues were about $150 million a day. The government of the United Arab Emirates, headed by Sheikh Zayed, used this money very wisely. First of all, a course was taken to improve the lives of local residents. In the Emirates, they began to build houses, hospitals, schools, and began to import food. Enormous funds were spent on the construction of desalination plants. Now the United Arab Emirates ranks second after Saudi Arabia in terms of desalinated water produced.
Harmonious oasis of the future
The United Arab Emirates can be safely called a country of millionaires. It is simply impossible for a local resident to become poor, only in the case of a conscious rejection of all the benefits that the state provides him. Free water and electricity in homes, $100,000 wedding gifts for newlyweds, a piece of land, and a $20,000 birth subsidy for each child are just some of the examples of how the government of the United Arab Emirates cares about its citizens.
The country has shown itself financially and militarily on the world stage. The latter made it possible to prevent military encroachments from neighboring countries. Iran once took advantage of the formation of a single state of the UAE and took three oil-rich islands for itself and never returned them to the Emirates.
In order to avoid dependence on the “oil needle”, the government of the United Arab Emirates made a wise decision to differentiate the economy and invest money in different projects around the world.
Huge investments are directed to the construction and tourism sectors, to the development of agriculture and trade. Many international companies have opened subsidiaries and representative offices in the United Arab Emirates.
At the moment, oil revenues account for 18% of the GDP of the United Arab Emirates, tourism brings about the same amount to the country. The main source of income for the UAE is trade and financial transactions.
Differentiating the country’s economy, the United Arab Emirates wanted to create something durable and stable, and, it must be admitted, they succeeded in this.
High revenues from oil exports and a far-sighted disposal of money have ensured the prosperity and development of the UAE in all areas of the economy. Now the United Arab Emirates is one of the richest countries in the world. And although the majority of the population of the United Arab Emirates at the moment are immigrants, local residents control all sources of income in the country.
Now it’s hard for all of us to imagine that just recently, instead of roads with multi-level interchanges, luxury hotels , beautiful parks and unique sights , there was an endless desert and lonely Bedouin villages.
Tourism Specialist in the UAE. Higher professional education. Paperwork and booking tours in the UAE. Professional management of clients at all stages of the journey – from the application to the return.
