Umm al-Quwain

Umm al-Quwain (Arabic: أمّ القيوين‎) is the least populous of the seven sovereign emirates in the United Arab Emirates, located in the north of the country. The emirate is ruled by Saud bin Rashid Al Mu'alla. The emirate had 62,000 inhabitants in 2003 and has an area of 750 km² (290 sq mi).

History

Umm al-Quwain holds significant archaeological interest, with major finds at both Tell Abraq and Al Dour.Arrowheads and other polished flint tools have been unearthed in various sites across the UAE while pieces of Ubaid pottery have been unearthed along the shores of the emirate. All evidence obtained so far indicate that contact with Mesopotamia existed as early as the 5th millennium BC as an indigenous ceramic industry did not emerge until the 3rd century BC.

During the Bronze Age (3000–1300 BC), semi-nomadic tribes inhabited the region; they shifted in groups from place to place foraging for timber from the indigenous acacia for smelting copper. The metal was sent to all the prominent ports on the Persian Gulf, Umm Al Nar being one of them. Ties with Mesopotamia were jealously maintained and consequently the trade in copper ushered in prosperity in the region.