Introduction:
The United Arab Emirates was formed on 2nd December 1971. It consisted
of Seven States known as ‘Emirates’. The names of those are: Abu Dhabi,
Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah and Umm Al Quwain.
(Courtesy: Microsoft Encarta 95 )
Location:
The United Arab Emirates is located at the tip of the Arabian Peninsula.
It Border with three countries namely: Oman, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. It
is surrounded by to Gulfs: The Arabian Gulf in the West Coast and the Gulf
of Oman in the East Coast. The Capital of the United Arab Emirates is Abu
Dhabi.
Old Houses of Umm Al Quwain |
History: The
history of the United Arab Emirates traces back to even before the coming
of Islam in the gulf. That is about 1400 years back.
During that time there ware very little natural
resources in this country. People mainly inhabited the coastal areas mainly
due to the lack of water in the other areas of the country. There were
and still are a few oases in the region the largest of which is the oases
called Al Ain.
During the early era various tribes such as the
Bedouins mainly inhabited the country.
The only plants that grow naturally in the country
are date palms and cactus plants. Their main incom during that period of
time was from export of dates and pearls. Pearl diving and agriculture
was income of the people. People mainly in the East Coast used were engaged
in agriculture. The people of the United Arab Emirates exchanged pearls
and dates for spices and clothes from India.
The people during the olden days mainly used to
live in tents and caves in the mountains.
Climate: The
climatic condition as now was very hot and humid. This is the main
reason why most of the old markets, also known as ‘Souqs’ in Arabic, here
have special wind tunnels on their roofs. These wind tunnels helps in passage
of cool winds from above to enter the markets. This is a natural for of
air conditioner during those days. There are still some ‘Souqs’ visible
in many parts of the country today too.
Dubai Clock Tower Courtesy Microsoft Encarta
The United Arab Emirates today:
The UAE has seen modernism only 26 years back. But inspite of this it has
been able to cope up with the modern world very well. It is known as one
of the most amazing place of the world.
Unlike the olden days the population has grown
greatly. Most of the people here in Dubai nowadays consist mainly of expatriates.
People from different places mainly from the Indian Subcontinent are a
major part of the population. The main source of revenue today is from
Oil export. The UAE has become a lot greener than before and can be considered
as one of the wonder of the world. This is because it is an unusual sight
to see greenery in the middle of what was once a complete desert.
The United Arab Emirates is well known for its
excellent shopping faci-lities. There are wonderful shopping malls and
the biggest advantage of shopping is that the goods available are tax-free.
But most of all UAE has a shopping festival every year. This festival is
known as the shoppers’ paradise. The price of items especially electronic
items reach all time low during the month long festival. Not only this,
people come from different places specially to buy gold in UAE. The
gold market also known as the gold ‘souq’ offer’s excellent designs, craftsmanship
and price.
Also you won’t have any trouble staying here.
The country has countless hotels. There are innumeruos five star hotels
here in the UAE. Also Dubai is said to have the only seven star hotel in
Asia. It is called as the Jumeirah Beach Hotel. It is current-ly under
construction and is due to be completed very soon.
The United Arab Emirates is also well known for
its airline ‘Emirates’. ‘Emirates’ is currently the worlds number
1 airline. It provides all the facilities that one would enjoy at home.
This leads me to describe the airport fascilites. The airports at Dubai
and Abu Dhabi have the finest Duty Free shops in the world. Not only this
they also offer raffle tickets on purchase of a ticket worth only 500 Dirhams.
This small risk can make you win a car of value over hundred thousand Dirhams.
There are excellent sporting facilities here.
There are wonderful golf courses and tennis courts. Water sports are very
common here as most of the principal cities are located on the coast. UAE
is also well known for its sunny beaches.
So from this we can conclude that United Arab
Emirates is the ideal place of visit . I think it is once in lifetime experience
that one must have. |