DUBAI HOTELS AND REAL ESTATE

The earliest recorded mention of Dubai is in 1095 AD, in the Arabic book "Mojam Ma Ostojam men Asmae Al belaad wal Mawadhea" (معجم ما استعجم من أسماء البلاد والمواضع) by Abdullah Bin Abdu Aziz Al Bakri Al Andalasi. He refers to 'Dubai' as a vast place. Later, in 1587 AD, the Venetian pearl merchant Gaspero Balbi mentions the name of Dubai as one of the places where Venetians worked, diving for pearls.

There are records of the town of Dubai from 1799. Earlier in the 18th century the Al Abu Falasa lineage of Bani Yas clan established itself in Dubai which was a dependent of the settlement of Abu Dhabi until 1833.

On 8 January 1820, the sheikh of Dubai was a signatory to the British sponsored "General Treaty of Peace" (the General Maritime Treaty).

In 1833, the Al Maktoum dynasty of the Bani Yas tribe left the settlement of Abu Dhabi and took over the town of Dubai, "without resistance". From that point on, Dubai, a newly independent emirate was constantly at odds with the emirate of Abu Dhabi. An attempt by the Qawasim to take over Dubai was thwarted. In 1835, Dubai and the rest of the Trucial States signed a maritime truce with Britain and a "Perpetual Maritime Truce" about two decades later. Dubai came under the protection of the United Kingdom (keeping out the Ottoman Turks) by the Exclusive Agreement of 1892. Like four of its neighbors, Abu Dhabi, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah and Umm al-Qaiwain, its position on the route to India made it an important location.


Dubai City as seen from space
Simplified family tree showing the line of succession and dates in power - click to enlargeIn March 1892, the Trucial States (or Trucial Oman) were created.

The rulers of Dubai fostered trade and commerce, unlike the town's neighbors. The town of Dubai was an important port of call for foreign tradesmen (chiefly Indians), who settled in the town. Until the 1930s, the town was known for its pearl exports.

After the devaluation of the Gulf Rupee in 1966, Dubai joined the newly independent state of Qatar to set up a new monetary unit, the Qatar/Dubai riyal. On 2 December 1971 Dubai, together with Abu Dhabi and four other emirates, formed the United Arab Emirates after former protector Britain left the Persian Gulf in 1971. Ras Al Khaimah joined the UAE in 1972 as the seventh emirate. In 1973, Dubai joined the other emirates to adopt a single, uniform currency: the UAE dirham.

The following is a list of rulers of Dubai, Al Abu Falasa dynasty, going back at least to 1833.

... - 9 June 1833 Sheikh `Ubayd ibn Said
9 June 1833 - 1852 Sheikh Maktoum I ibn Bati ibn Suhayl (d. 1852)
1852 - 1859 Sheikh Said I ibn Bati (d. 1859)
1859 - 22 November 1886 Sheikh Hushur ibn Maktoum (d. 1886)
22 November 1886 - 7 April 1894 Sheikh Rashid I ibn Maktoum (d. 1894)
7 April 1894 - 16 February 1906 Sheikh Maktoum II ibn Hushur (b. 18.. - d. 1906)
16 February 1906 - November 1912 Sheikh Bati ibn Suhayl (b. 1851 - d. 1912)
November 1912 - 15 April 1929 Sheikh Saeed II bin Maktum (1st time) (b. 1878 - d. 1958)
15 April 1929 - 18 April 1929 Sheikh Mani ibn Rashid
18 April 1929 - September 1958 Sheikh Saeed II bin Maktum (2nd time)
September 1958 - 7 October 1990 Sheikh Rashid II ibn Said Al Maktoum (b. 1912 - d. 1990)
7 October 1990 - 4 January 2006 Sheikh Maktoum III bin Rashid Al Maktoum (b. 1943 - d. 2006)
4 January 2006 - Present Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (b. 1949)
The current ruler of Dubai is Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Like the preceding ruler, his older brother Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum, he is also the Vice President and the Prime Minister of the UAE

Labels: about dubai, abu dhabi, dubai, emirates, Geography of the United Arab Emirates, History, United Arab Emirates

The climate of the UAE generally is hot and dry. The hottest months are July and August, when average maximum temperatures reach above 48° C (118° F) on the coastal plain. In the Al Hajar al Gharbi Mountains, temperatures are considerably cooler, a result of increased altitude. Average minimum temperatures in January and February are between 10° C (50° F) and 14° C (57° F). During the late summer months, a humid southeastern wind known as the sharqi makes the coastal region especially unpleasant. The average annual rainfall in the coastal area is fewer than 120 mm (5 in), but in some mountainous areas annual rainfall often reaches 350 mm (14 in). Rain in the coastal region falls in short, torrential bursts during the summer months, sometimes resulting in floods in ordinarily dry wadi beds. The region is prone to occasional, violent dust storms, which can severely reduce visibility.

Labels: about dubai, abu dhabi, Area and land boundaries, emirates, Geography of the United Arab Emirates, Physiography and boundaries, United Arab Emirates

The UAE stretches for more than 650 kilometers along the southern shore of the Persian Gulf. Most of the coast consists of salt pans that extend far inland. The largest natural harbor is at Dubai, although other ports have been dredged at Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, and elsewhere. Numerous islands are found in the gulf, and the ownership of some of them has been the subject of international disputes with both Iran and Qatar. The smaller islands, as well as many coral reefs and shifting sandbars, are a menace to navigation. Strong tides and occasional windstorms further complicate ship movements near the shore.
The UAE also extends for about 90 kilometers along the Gulf of Oman, an area known as the Al Batinah coast. The Al Hajar al Gharbi (Western Al Hajar) Mountains, rising in places to 2,500 meters, separate the Al Batinah coast from the rest of the UAE. Beginning at the UAE-Oman border on the Persian Gulf coast of the Ras Musandam (Musandam Peninsula), the Al Hajar al Gharbi Mountains extend southeastward for about 150 kilometers to the southernmost UAE-Oman frontier on the Gulf of Oman. The range continues as the Al Hajar ash Sharqi (Eastern Al Hajar) Mountains for more than 500 kilometers into Oman. The steep mountain slopes run directly to the shore in many places. Nevertheless, there are small harbors at Diba al Hisn, Kalba, and Khor Fakkan on the Gulf of Oman. In the vicinity of Al Fujayrah, where the mountains do not approach the coast, there are sandy beaches.
South and west of Abu Dhabi, vast, rolling sand dunes merge into the Rub al Khali (Empty Quarter) of Saudi Arabia. The desert area of Abu Dhabi includes two important oases with adequate underground water for permanent settlements and cultivation. The extensive Al Liwa Oasis is in the south near the undefined border with Saudi Arabia, and about 100 kilometers to the northeast is the Al Buraymi Oasis, which extends on both sides of the Abu Dhabi-Oman border.

Prior to withdrawing from the area in 1971, Britain delineated the internal borders among the seven emirates in order to preempt territorial disputes that might hamper formation of the federation. In general, the rulers of the emirates accepted the British intervention, but in the case of boundary disputes between Abu Dhabi and Dubayy, and also between Dubayy and Sharjah, conflicting claims were not resolved until after the UAE became independent. The most complicated borders were in the Al Hajar al Gharbi Mountains, where five of the emirates contested jurisdiction over more than a dozen enclaves.

Labels: about dubai, abu dhabi, dubai, emirates, Geography of the United Arab Emirates, Physiography and boundaries, United Arab Emirates

Labels: about dubai, abu dhabi, dubai, emirates, United Arab Emirates