I thought that many of you would be interested in seeing and learning a little about the history of the UAE (United Arab Emirates). The UAE is a very young country, but it is a very strong influence in the Middle East. The country recently celebrated its 42nd birthday....That's right 42 years young! In the grand scheme of things that is just a baby compared to other nations around the world.
Before it became the United Arab Emirates, it was nine separate sheikhdoms (small countries). Each sheikhdom was ruled by a different sheikh. The main industry for the area was pearling. The coasts of the Arabian Gulf (or what you and I have known as the Persian Gulf) were rich in pearls. The people of the area found that this was a high commodity that could be traded, so this became their prime industry.
At different times throughout history, the UAE has been under the direct influence of the Ottoman Empire, then the British before gaining its independence and forming its own governing body and electing its first president. The British established influence as way to protect their route to the silk industries in different parts of Asia. There were no wars fought for the UAE (once called the Trucial Sheikhdoms) to gain independence. It was decided with mutual agreement that the sheikhdoms would not give up any territory except to the UK, and in return the UK promised to protect the coastline from pirates and other "enemies" of the time.
By the early 1960's, the UK had decided to remove all protection from the area even though the sheikhs offered to cover the costs of keeping British forces in the area. The sheikhs set out on a path to create their own united nation. Of the original nine sheikhdoms, two decided not to join the other sheikhdoms in the union (Bahrain and Qatar). Of the five remaining sheikhdoms, four created a union in 1971 and then the last one joined in 1972. In 1971 the sheikhdoms became known as the United Arab Emirates and gained their independence.
In the beginning of the 1960's the small, growing sheikhdoms experienced the oil boom! The pearling industry was no longer the top commodity. Pearling is still a part of the industry today but the oil industry has continued to grow since the 1960's. With the oil boom, the area began to grow. People from all over the world began to trickle in and populate the area. In 1960, the population was approxiamately 100,000 people in the whole region of the UAE. By December of 2012, the region of the UAE had expanded to just over 9 million! The oil boom created jobs, and with that doors began opening for expats (people from other countries) to come in and work in the various positions that needed to be filled. The oil boom also enabled the sheikhs to improve the way of life for the native Emirates (pronounced m-er-ah-tees).
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Before it became the United Arab Emirates, it was nine separate sheikhdoms (small countries). Each sheikhdom was ruled by a different sheikh. The main industry for the area was pearling. The coasts of the Arabian Gulf (or what you and I have known as the Persian Gulf) were rich in pearls. The people of the area found that this was a high commodity that could be traded, so this became their prime industry.
At different times throughout history, the UAE has been under the direct influence of the Ottoman Empire, then the British before gaining its independence and forming its own governing body and electing its first president. The British established influence as way to protect their route to the silk industries in different parts of Asia. There were no wars fought for the UAE (once called the Trucial Sheikhdoms) to gain independence. It was decided with mutual agreement that the sheikhdoms would not give up any territory except to the UK, and in return the UK promised to protect the coastline from pirates and other "enemies" of the time.
By the early 1960's, the UK had decided to remove all protection from the area even though the sheikhs offered to cover the costs of keeping British forces in the area. The sheikhs set out on a path to create their own united nation. Of the original nine sheikhdoms, two decided not to join the other sheikhdoms in the union (Bahrain and Qatar). Of the five remaining sheikhdoms, four created a union in 1971 and then the last one joined in 1972. In 1971 the sheikhdoms became known as the United Arab Emirates and gained their independence.
In the beginning of the 1960's the small, growing sheikhdoms experienced the oil boom! The pearling industry was no longer the top commodity. Pearling is still a part of the industry today but the oil industry has continued to grow since the 1960's. With the oil boom, the area began to grow. People from all over the world began to trickle in and populate the area. In 1960, the population was approxiamately 100,000 people in the whole region of the UAE. By December of 2012, the region of the UAE had expanded to just over 9 million! The oil boom created jobs, and with that doors began opening for expats (people from other countries) to come in and work in the various positions that needed to be filled. The oil boom also enabled the sheikhs to improve the way of life for the native Emirates (pronounced m-er-ah-tees).
The above pictures are of the city of Abu Dhabi in the 1960's
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These are pictures of the city of Abu Dhabi today.
They have come a long way in just a few short years!
42 years is really not that long!
