Abudhabi

Largest of the seven component parts of the United Arab, Abu Dhabi has a history that stretches back many thousands of years.

The first trace of Abu Dhabi dates back to the 16th century AD, when a book published by a traveling court jeweler from Venice mentioned a list of islands in the southern Arabian Gulf. To one of them he gave the name ‘Sirbeniast’ or Bani Yas, evidence that the Bani Yas confederation of tribes, led for the last 250 years by the family of President his highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, and must already have achieved a degree of prominence in the region.

The Bani Yas themselves first appeared in history first appeared in history in the early 17th century, when they are reported to have been involved in around 1633 in a major battle between the coast and Liwa with an advancing army from Oman. Historical records trace the origins of what was to become the emirate back at least as far as the late 17th or early 18th century to the reign of somewhat misty figure named Nahyan. He was succeeded by a son, Isa, and by the middle of the century, his son, Dhiyab bin Isa, and become the Sheikh of the Bani Yas, with his main base in the liwa oasis, deep in the desert.

To Sheikh Dhiyab goes the credit of estab

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Between Dalma and Abu Dhabi lay some of the greatest pearl oyster beds in the whole of the southern Gulf, and, with an Abu Dhabi base, Sheikh Dhiyab and his successors were able to benefit from the revenues of the pearling industry. The Al Husn Fort became a center of activity as town planners were recruited, architects briefed, contractors hired and equipment bought. Upon his accession as ruler of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Zayed moved rapidly to improve communication between the capital and the rest of the emirate. Recognizing its significance, he ordered that a settlement be established on the island, which named Abu Dhabi or Possession of the Gazelle. At Maqta, meaning ‘crossing point’, people, camels, and vehicles could ford the stream only at a low tide.

It is just 30 years since Sheikh Zayed’s accession as Ruler of Abu Dhabi and the achievements of those three decades have probably been never equaled by any people anywhere around the globe. Second, the issue of public/private is lost in this city because it is so entangled together and huge in scale that u feel like u are in a forest surrounded by tall trees. Following the trail, they found it had come to a narrow inlet of the sea, which it had then crossed, to an island just offshore. The central feature of the growing town remained the Al Husn Fort but other new landmarks were beginning to appear.

At the present time what makes Abu Dhabi function well is that it is being ruled by a person who puts the people’s needs on top of his and who believes that retaining traditions is most important.

The island of Abu Dhabi is separated from the mainland by a shallow channel, a defensive advantage in the more unsettled times of the past but also an obstruction to trade and transport. It is hard to predict what would come of Abu Dhabi in 50 years but what is sure to happen is that it will prosper more and more and will house the greatest businesses in the world. Public buildings seem to disappear in the midst of all that. But at the turn of the decade Abu Dhabi still remained essentially a low rise city, the tallest buildings being two ‘three penny bits’. Such was the foundation of the emirate, although today it is revenues from oil, rather than from pearls, that make Abu Dhabi’s offshore waters of such enormous significance to the economy.

Approximate Word count = 1284
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

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