History

Dubai’s early existence is closely linked to the arrival and development of Islam in the greater Middle East region, although it traces its trading routes back as far as the Kingdom of Sumer in 3000BC. Islam developed in modern-day Saudi Arabia at the beginning of the seventh century AD with the revelations of the Quran being received by the Prophet Muhammad. Military conquests of the Middle East and North Africa enabled the Arab empire to spread the teachings of Islam from Mecca and Medina to the local Bedouin tribes. Following the Arab Empire came the Turks, the Mongols and the Ottomans, each leaving their mark on local culture. After the fall of the Muslim empires, both the British and Portuguese became interested in the area due to its strategic position between India and Europe, and for the opportunity to control the activities of pirates based in the region, which earned it the title the ‘Pirate Coast’. In 1820, the British defeated the pirates and a general treaty was agreed by the local rulers, denouncing piracy. The following years witnessed a series of maritime truces, with Dubai and the other emirates accepting British protection in 1892. In Europe, the area became known as the Trucial Coast (or Trucial States), a name it retained until the departure of the British in 1971. In the late 1800s Dubai’s ruler, Sheikh Maktoum bin Hasher Al Maktoum, granted tax concessions to foreign traders, encouraging many to switch their base of operations from Iran and Sharjah to Dubai. The city’s importance as a trading hub was further enhanced by Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, father of the current ruler of Dubai, who ordered the creek to be dredged, thus providing access for larger vessels. Dubai came to specialise in the import and re-export of goods, mainly gold to India, and trade became the foundation of this emirate’s wealthy progression. In 1968, Britain announced its withdrawal from the region. The ruling sheikhs of Bahrain, Qatar and the Trucial Coast realised that by uniting forces as a single state, they would have a stronger voice in the wider Middle East region. Negotiations collapsed when Bahrain and Qatar chose independence, however, the Trucial Coast remained committed to forming an alliance, and in 1971 the federation of the United Arab Emirates was born. The new state comprised the emirates of Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Fujairah, Sharjah, Umm Al Quwain and, in 1972, Ras Al Khaimah (each emirate is named after its main town). Under the agreement, the individual emirates each retained a certain degree of autonomy, with Abu Dhabi and Dubai providing the most input into the federation. The leaders of the new federation elected the ruler of Abu Dhabi, His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, to be their president, a position he held until he passed away on 2 November, 2004. His eldest son, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, was then elected to take over the presidency. Despite the unification of the seven emirates, boundary disputes have caused a few problems. At the end of Sheikh Zayed’s first term as president, in 1976, he threatened to resign if the other rulers didn’t settle the demarcation of their borders. The threat proved an effective way of ensuring cooperation, although the degree of independence of the various emirates has never been fully determined. The formation of the UAE came after the discovery of huge oil reserves in Abu Dhabi in 1958 (Abu Dhabi has an incredible 10% of the world’s known oil reserves). This discovery dramatically transformed the emirate. In 1966, Dubai, which was already a relatively wealthy trading centre, also discovered oil. Dubai’s ruler at the time, the late Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, ensured that the emirate’s oil revenues were used to develop an economic and social infrastructure, which is the basis of today’s modern society. His work was continued through the reign of his son, and successor, Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum and by the present ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.