History of the UAE

The region of today's UAE has been inhabited for at least 125,000 years — stone tools from Jebel Faya in Sharjah are among the oldest artifacts outside Africa and could prove that modern humans migrated out of Africa earlier than previously thought.

In the Bronze Age (3000–1300 BC), the Umm-al-Nar culture flourished in the region around Al Ain — trade relations extended to Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley. The characteristic round tombs are now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

From the 7th century AD, the region was Islamized. For the next 1,200 years, the coastal inhabitants primarily lived off pearl diving — the pearl banks of the Persian Gulf were legendary and supplied the courts from Baghdad to Paris with the most coveted pearls in the world. The life of the pearl divers was brutal: They dived up to 40 meters deep, without equipment, only with a nose clip and a rope weighted with stones. The season lasted from June to September in scorching heat. Many divers became deaf, blind, or died.

In the 1930s, the pearl industry collapsed: The invention of the cultured pearl by the Japanese Mikimoto (1893) and the Great Depression made natural pearls unprofitable. The region sank into bitter poverty.

On March 11, 1958, oil was discovered on Das Island off the coast of Abu Dhabi — a moment that would change the region forever. In 1966, Dubai followed with a smaller find in the Fateh field offshore. What happened next is unprecedented in history: Within a generation, one of the poorest regions in the world transformed into one of the richest.

Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (1918–2004), ruler of Abu Dhabi from 1966, recognized early on that oil would be finite. He invested the oil revenues in education, health, infrastructure, and — crucially — in diversifying the economy. His vision: "A country that does not invest in its people has no future." Zayed is still revered as the founding father; his image hangs in every household and institution in the UAE.

In Dubai, Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum pursued a parallel but different strategy: As Dubai's oil reserves were smaller, he focused on trade and infrastructure. He deepened the Creek, built the Jebel Ali Port (now the largest port in the Middle East), and laid the foundation for Dubai's role as a trading hub between East and West. His famous quote: "My grandfather rode a camel, my father rode a camel, I drive a Mercedes, my son drives a Land Rover, his son will drive a Land Rover — but his son will ride a camel." The warning about the end of oil drove diversification.

On December 2, 1971, six of the seven emirates — Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, and Fujairah — united to form the United Arab Emirates. Ras Al Khaimah joined on February 10, 1972. It was a historic moment: Previously, the emirates had been known as the "Trucial States" under British protectorate.

Sheikh Zayed became the first president (and remained so until his death in 2004), Sheikh Rashid of Dubai the vice president. The constitution divided power: Abu Dhabi, as the richest and largest emirate, traditionally provides the president, Dubai the prime minister. Each emirate retained a high degree of autonomy — with its own laws, police, and ruler. The union was pragmatic: Together, the small emirates were stronger against the regional powers Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq.

What makes the UAE special: The state is only 55 years old (2026). Many Emiratis have grandparents who lived as nomads in tents and dived for pearls. This speed of transformation — from a Bedouin tent society to the country with the highest per capita GDP in the region in one generation — is unique in human history.

The transformation of Dubai from a regional trading port to a global metropolis began under Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (ruler of Dubai since 2006, previously Crown Prince since 1995). His philosophy: "Be first, be different, or be the best." The results:

• 1999: Burj Al Arab opens — the first "7-star hotel"
• 2001: Construction of Palm Jumeirah begins
• 2004: Emirates becomes the largest international airline in the world
• 2008: Financial crisis hits Dubai hard — Abu Dhabi rescues its neighbor with USD 10 billion (the Burj Khalifa was subsequently renamed from "Burj Dubai")
• 2010: Burj Khalifa opens — 828 m, tallest building in the world
• 2020–2021: Expo 2020 in Dubai (postponed to 2021–2022 due to the pandemic)
• 2024: Museum of the Future fully opens

Today, Dubai generates less than 1% of its GDP from oil — the economy is based on tourism, real estate, trade, logistics, financial services, and increasingly technology. The goal: To make the UAE the world's leading nation in AI and space (yes, the UAE sent a probe to Mars in 2021 — "Hope," the first Arab interplanetary mission).