Dubai , emirate arabs

Dubai ( Arabic دبي , Dubay , from the probable meaning » crawl » or » lizard » or » small Locust » ) is the capital city of one of the seven emirates making up the United Arab Emirates . It is located south of the Persian Gulf in the Arabian Peninsula . Dubai has the largest population and is the second largest emirate by area after Abu Dhabi . Dubai and Abu Dhabi , according to national legislation , are also the only two emirates to have veto power with respect to critical issues of national importance .

The first written mention of Dubai dates back to 1095, while the oldest settlement known as town dates from 1799. Dubai was formally established in the early nineteenth century by the tribe of Banu Yas , and remained under the control of the tribe until in 1892 the United Kingdom did not assume the protection of Dubai . Its geographical location made ​​it an important center for trade , and its port began to develop since the beginning of the twentieth century.

The first written records date back to 1799. The oldest building in town is the al-Fahidi Fort, built in 1787, which now houses the Dubai Museum. Previously, during the eighteenth century, it had settled in the area around the Al Bu Falasa family, belonging to the tribe of Bani Yas. The city remained dependent on Abu Dhabi until 1833.

On January 8, 1820, the tenth of Dubai Sheikh was among the signatories of a peace treaty sponsored by the British (the General Maritime Treaty).

In 1833, the Al Maktum family, belonging to the tribe of Bani Yas, left Abu Dhabi and took control of Dubai, «without resistance.» Since that time, the new emirate maintained difficult relations with the neighboring emirate of Abu Dhabi. An attempt Qawasim pirates from taking the city was foiled. In 1835, Dubai and the other emirates was signed between a maritime truce with the United Kingdom. Two decades later, again with the British it was signed a «Perpetual Truce.»

With an agreement of 1892, Dubai became a British protectorate to, saving well against the Ottoman ambitions. Dubai, as four of the neighboring emirates (Abu Dhabi, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah and Umm al-Quwain) had in fact a strategic position on routes to India and it was very interested in the British Empire.

In March 1892, following the agreements, the emirates were then called «Trucial States» (Trucial States). Unlike their neighbors, the emirs of Dubai encouraged trade and trafficking. The city and its port attracted a large number of businessmen, especially Indians, who settled in the emirate. Until the thirties of the twentieth century, the city was known for its pearl exports.

After the devaluation of the rupee in 1966, Dubai joined Qatar, newly independent, to give over to a new currency, the riyal. Important was the discovery of oil, 120 kilometers from the coast.

On December 2, 1971, after the British withdrawal from the Persian Gulf, Dubai formed the United Arab Emirates together with Abu Dhabi and five other emirates. In 1973, Dubai and the other emirates adopted a common currency, the dirham.

The city maintained its importance as a trading center during the seventies and eighties, becoming a point of attraction for foreign companies