Dubai History

Dubai: The history of human settlement in the area now defined by the United Arab Emirates is
rich and complex, and points to extensive trading links between the civilisations of the Indus
Valley and Mesopotamia, but also as far afield as the Levant.[20] Archaeological finds in the
emirate of Dubai, particularly at Al-Ashoosh, Al Sufouh and the notably rich trove from Saruq
Al Hadid[21] show settlement through the Ubaid and Hafit periods, the Umm Al Nar and Wadi
Suq periods and the three Iron Ages in the UAE. The area was known to
the Sumerians as Magan, and was a source for metallic goods, notably copper and bronze.[22]
The area was covered with sand about 5,000 years ago as the coast retreated inland, becoming
part of the city's present coastline.[23] Pre-Islamic ceramics have been found from the 3rd and
4th centuries.[24] Prior to the introduction of Islam to the area, the people in this region
worshiped Bajir (or Bajar).[24] After the spread of Islam in the region, the Umayyad Caliph of
the eastern Islamic world invaded south-east Arabia and drove out the Sassanians. Excavations
by the Dubai Museum in the region of Al-Jumayra (Jumeirah) found several artefacts from the
Umayyad period.[25]
An early mention of Dubai is in 1095 in the Book of Geography by the Andalusian-

Arab geographer Abu Abdullah al-Bakri.[citation needed] The Venetian pearl merchant Gasparo
Balbi visited the area in 1580 and mentioned Dubai (Dibei) for its pearling industry.[25]
Establishment of modern Dubai[edit]
Al Fahidi fort in the 1950s
Dubai is thought to have been established as a fishing village in the early 18th century[26] and
was, by 1822, a town of some 700–800 members of the Bani Yas tribe and subject to the rule
of Sheikh Tahnun bin Shakhbut of Abu Dhabi.[27]
In 1833, following tribal feuding, members of the Al Bu Falasah tribe seceded from Abu Dhabi
and established themselves in Dubai. The exodus from Abu Dhabi was led by Obeid bin
Saeed and Maktoum bin Butti, who became joint leaders of Dubai until Ubaid died in 1836,
leaving Maktum to establish the Maktoum dynasty.[26]
Dubai signed the General Maritime Treaty of 1820 along with other Trucial States, following
the British punitive expedition against Ras Al Khaimah of 1819, which also led to the
bombardment of the coastal communities of the Persian Gulf. This led to the 1853 Perpetual
Maritime Truce. Dubai also – like its neighbours on the Trucial Coast – entered into an
exclusivity agreement in which the United Kingdom took responsibility for the emirate's
security in 1892.
Al Fahidi Fort, built-in 1787, houses the Dubai Museum
In 1841, a smallpox epidemic broke out in the Bur Dubai locality, forcing residents to relocate

east to Deira.[28] In 1896, fire broke out in Dubai, a disastrous occurrence in a town where many
family homes were still constructed from barasti – palm fronds. The conflagration consumed half
the houses of Bur Dubai, while the district of Deira was said to have been totally destroyed. The
following year, more fires broke out. A female slave was caught in the act of starting one such
blaze and was subsequently put to death.[29]
A watchtower in Bur Dubai, c. 19th century
In 1901, Maktoum bin Hasher Al Maktoum established Dubai as a free port with no taxation on

imports or exports and also gave merchants parcels of land and guarantees of protection and
tolerance. These policies saw a movement of merchants not only directly from Lingeh,[30] but
also those who had settled in Ras Al Khaimah and Sharjah (which had historical links with
Lingeh through the Al Qawasim tribe) to Dubai. An indicator of the growing importance of the
port of Dubai can be gained from the movements of the steamer of the Bombay and Persia Steam
Navigation Company, which from 1899 to 1901 paid five visits annually to Dubai. In 1902 the
company's vessels made 21 visits to Dubai and from 1904 on,[31] the steamers called fortnightly
– in 1906, trading seventy thousand tonnes of cargo.[32] The frequency of these vessels only
helped to accelerate Dubai's role as an emerging port and trading hub of preference. Lorimer
notes the transfer from Lingeh 'bids fair to become complete and permanent',[30] and also that
the town had by 1906 supplanted Lingeh as the chief entrepôt of the Trucial States.[33]
The 'great storm' of 1908 struck the pearling boats of Dubai and the coastal emirates towards the
end of the pearling season that year, resulting in the loss of a dozen boats and over 100 men. The
disaster was a major setback for Dubai, with many families losing their breadwinner and
merchants facing financial ruin. These losses came at a time when the tribes of the interior were
also experiencing poverty. In a letter to the Sultan of Muscat in 1911, Butti laments, 'Misery and
poverty are raging among them, with the result that they are struggling, looting and killing
among themselves.'[34]
In 1910, in the Hyacinth incident the town was bombarded by HMS Hyacinth, with the loss of 37
killed.

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Dubai History

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Dubai: The history of human settlement in the area now defined by the United Arab Emirates is

An early mention of Dubai is in 1095 in the Book of Geography by the Andalusian-

Establishment of modern Dubai[edit]

Al Fahidi fort in the 1950s

Al Fahidi Fort, built-in 1787, houses the Dubai Museum

In 1841, a smallpox epidemic broke out in the Bur Dubai locality, forcing residents to relocate

A watchtower in Bur Dubai, c. 19th century

In 1901, Maktoum bin Hasher Al Maktoum established Dubai as a free port with no taxation on

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