In this period, the Bedouin communities lived on fishing and plant collecting. This era was characterised by the emergence of pottery, evidence of which was found in Sharjah, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Abu Dhabi.
Some pottery remains almost greenish-yellow, with black, geometric decoration were uncovered in Al Jazeerah Al Hamra in Ras Al Khaimah, in Hamriyah in Sharjah and in Al Madar site in Umm Al Quwain. The pottery remains resembled those found in Mesopotamia in the same period.
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This era is characterised by wetter weather conditions. People lived on different parts of the land; along the coast and in the interiors. They depended on hunting, fishing, agriculture and animal grazing. Neolithic life in the area collapsed just after 4000BC when the climate deteriorated.
Read moreThis age is divided into three periods: the Jebel Hafeet period, the Umm Al Nar period and the Wadi Suq period.
The archaeological findings show the emergence of the first use of the falaj irrigation systems that enabled the extraction of groundwater for continuous cultivation in the dry climate.
People in this era used ceramics, bronze, gold and iron artefacts, jewellery pieces of beads, gold, stones, as well as decorative stones, daggers, arrowheads, swords, axe heads, fish-hooks, knives and pottery. It is believed that there were metal factories.
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Several large subterranean tombs were found. They all belonged to small farming villages on the terraces of the wadis. These tombs were built for a large group of people, who buried their dead together. The chambers of the tombs were lined with stones; they had an entrance and showed a broad variety of shapes.
Read moreIslam arrived in the UAE after the opening of Mecca. Envoys from Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) arrived in the UAE in AD630 and introduced Islam. Thus, a new era began in the region during the emergence of Islam.
Amr bin al'As visited Oman and Sohar and brought the Prophet's message to the kings of Oman, while Abu Al-Ala'a Al-Hadrami visited Bahrain for the same purpose. The Gulf region willingly accepted the invitation to Islam.
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The Islamic civilisation flourished in the Gulf region during the Umayyad Caliphate AD661 to 750 and Abbasid Caliphate AD750 to 1258. Sea trade prospered between the Gulf region and other areas in south east Asia and along the west African coast and ships' craftsmanship spread in the region.
Read moreThe Portuguese were amongst the first Europeans to arrive on the Arabian Peninsula. After Vasco de Gamma's successful circumnavigation of the Cape of Good Hope, the Portuguese arrived in the Arabian Gulf in 1498.
By 1515, the Portuguese fought their way into the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Oman and established themselves there by force of arms. By 1560, they reached the height of their maritime power and established a semi-monopoly of the pepper and spice trade. They took over the role of intermediary for trade between the ports of the Indian Ocean from the members of the indigenous mercantile strata.
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Then arose the Ya'arabi forces that ousted the Portuguese from Julfar and Dibba in 1633, retook Sohar in 1643 and recaptured Muscat in 1650.
Read moreThe loss of Hormuz by the Portuguese in 1622 marked the entry of the Dutch and the English to the Middle Eastern markets.
The Dutch concluded an agreement for the trade in silk with Shah Abbas I through which they earned an enormous profit. By the 17th century, the Dutch had become the dominant naval power in the Indian Ocean and Arabian Gulf.
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By the 1750s, the Dutch power weakened because of the three-way warfare between them, the English and the French and they lost their holdings in most of the Indian Ocean. Later, the Dutch strengthened their position on the island of Kharg by erecting a fortress and a factory and took over the various economic activities of the indigenous Arab population including pearl fishery.
Read moreBy 1720s, trade by the British in the gulf had grown. The British were primarily concerned with asserting their naval power to safeguard trade links to India and keeping any European competitors out. By 1820, the British defeated the Qawasims.
After the defeat of the Qawasims, the British signed a series of agreements from 1820 to 1853 with the sheikhs of the individual emirates. As per these agreements, the sheikhs had to ensure peace at sea and refrain from building large ships and erecting fortifications along the coast. However, regular warfare at sea between Arab tribes was prevalent.
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In 1892, they entered into Exclusive Agreements with the Trucial States by virtue of which the Trucial States could neither dispose any of their territories except to the United Kingdom nor enter into relationships with any foreign government without the consent of the United Kingdom. In return, the British would defend the emirates from foreign aggression. In early 1968, the British declared their intention to withdraw from the Gulf by the end of 1971.
Read moreSoon after assuming power on 6 August 1966, as the Ruler of Abu Dhabi, H. H. Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan underscored the importance of a united country and remarked, “In harmony, in some sort of federation, we could follow the example of other developing countries.”
Sheikh Zayed, along with Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the then Ruler of Dubai met on 18 February 1968, at Al Samha in today’s Abu Dhabi near the south-western boundary of Dubai. From 25 to 27 February 1968, the Rulers of these nine states convened a constitutional conference in Dubai and formed an agreement of 11 points, which was the basis for efforts to establish the ‘Federation of the Arab Emirates’.
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On 18 July 1971, the Rulers of six of the seven emirates that made up the Trucial States, (except Ras Al Khaimah), decided to form a union. This meeting made the following historical declaration: “The Supreme Council felicitates the people of the United Arab Emirates, as well as the Arab people, and our friends around the world, and declares the United Arab Emirates as an independent sovereign state being a part of the Arab World.”
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