UAE Stories and Cultural Learning
A guidebook to the Emirati Culture by Roudha Al Marri and Illaria Caielli
In this series of article we want to share some amazing tips of how to understand the Emirati Culture a bit more.
THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Once upon a time, the arid desert of the Arabic peninsula was a lush green habitable landscape with greater rainfalls, irrigated by fresh water lakes and rivers. Today, tens of thousands of years later, the UAE inland area is mostly a desert with a few oases, and barren Hajar Mountains that run through the country. After the establishment of the oil economy in the early 1960s, within few decades, the mud-walled communities turned into astonishing commercial capitals well-integrated into the global economy.
The United Arab Emirates lies along the south-eastern tip of the Arabian Gulf. It shares land border with Oman, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. THe UAE is made up of seven Emirates: Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al-Quwain, Ras Al-Khaimah, and Fujairah; these Emirates were united as a federal state on 2 December 1971. Each Emirate was named after its capital city, with Abu Dhabi as the capital city of the whole nation.
The earliest evidence of human settlements in the Emirates can be traced back to Neolithic period. The traditional Emirati culture revolved around proud nomadic Bedouin tribes; fishing, pearling and trading were the way of life.
Though the centuries, the UAE strategic location between Europe and the Far East was cherished by Europeans, and attracted merchants from India and China.
Life in the Emirates today bears little resemblance to that 50 years ago. Before the establishment of the oil economy, Abu Dhabi was a small village, made of few mud huts, palm fronds (barasti) and coral homes. In the early 1930s the first oil company teams conducted geological surveys in the UAE. Almost thirty years later, in 1962, the first cargo of crude oil was shipped from Abu Dhabi. Before 1971, the seven Emirates were collectively know as the Trucial States. Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the father of the nation, realized the potential of the oil discovery and, thus, he rapidly moved towards achieving his dream of a united federal country. With the new oil revenues, he developed programs to improve the quality of life of his people, promoting education and infrastructure, which enabled a massive modernization.
In 2004, Sheikh Zayed was succeeded by his eldest son, H.H. Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan as the UAE’s President and Ruler of Abu Dhabi. Currently, his brother, H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, is the Crown Prince, the Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces and the Chairman of the Executive Council of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Ruler of Dubai, was chosen as Vice President of the Federation following the death of his brother Sheikh Maktoum in 2006.
Understanding the UAE is impossible without understanding Sheik Zayed’s deep religious faith, vison, determination and hard work; the principles and philosophy that he brought to government remain at the core of the state and its policies today.
