Happy (Belated) UAE National Day (Part 1)

The 38th National Day for the United Arab Emirates was on December 2 (I was away on vacation on that day so I missed the festivities). In honour of the occasion, a little background on how the UAE came to be ...

History of the UAE from the beginning until now ... executive summary:

I have been reading a book on the history of this region for the past 2 years and frankly, have yet to finish it. But I'll distill it down for your benefit to 60 seconds or less:

5500 BCE, the Neolithic period: Earliest known human habitation. Trade on land and sea: copper from the Hajar Mountains, agriculture, pearls and domestication of the camel.

630 AD(?): The arrival of the prophet Muhammad, non-Muslims are defeated and Islam triumphs in the Arabian Peninsula.

637 AD: Conquest of Iran.

Early 16th Century: Conquered and controlled by the Portugese looking for a trade route to the spices of Asia.

Late 16th Century: Conquered and controlled by the Ottomans (also known as the Turks).

17th to 19th Centuries: The region becomes known as "Pirate Coast". To combat the rampant harassment of their fleets, the British form an agreement with the Trucial Sheikhdoms for perpetual maritime peace in exchange for British naval protection.

19th and 20th Centuries: Pearls are a major export. WWI, the great depression, the Japanese invention of the cultured pearl and heavy taxation in foreign markets destroys the pearl industry. UAE falls on hard times.

1958: The discovery of bubblin' crude. Oil that is. Black gold. Texas tea. Exports begin from Abu Dhabi in 1962 and several years later from Dubai. The Emirates start building infrastructure to improve the quality of life of its people. The sheikhs of the emirates along with Bahrain and Qatar get together and decide to coordinate matters themselves, taking over control from the British (in hind sight, a pretty shrewd move!)

December 1971: The Brits pull out. Bahrain and Qatar go their own separate ways. Abu Dhabi and Dubai hook up with 4 other Emirates and the UAE is born. The 7th and last Emirate (Ras al Khaimah) signs on the dotted line several months later.

1950's to present: Unsettled land claims with Oman and Saudi Arabia. In the latter, the two counties are separated by Rub' al Khali, "the empty quarter", a virtually uninhabitable desert but contains several oases with significant ground water. There is also dispute over the 19km deliniation with Qatar and the ownership of numerous islands in the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz are the most contensious of all (most notably Abu Musa with Iran ... as 5 British sailors recently found out.)

May 1981: UAE is a founding member of the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) along with Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and the Sultanate of Oman.

September 11, 2001: Two of the 9/11 hijackers on the jet that crashes WTC South Tower are UAE citizens (I did not know that until today). There are were no other Emirati casualties.

November 2009: Dubai is broke. Err, well, maybe not exactly broke per say ... its just that the cashflow is flowing in an unfavourable direction if the rumours are true. But hey, let's not let that ruin a good National Day celebration!