AN EMIRATES EXTRAVAGANZA EXPLORING ABU DHABI - DUBAI - SHARJAH

Often simply called the Emirates, the United Arab Emirates is a federation of seven emirates along the eastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, consisting of Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah, Sharjah and Umm Al Quwain.

Dubai with its glimmering skyscrapers, the world’s tallest building, the supercars and luxury hotels, has always been on the list for our Epic Travel Adventures that have brought us to many parts of the planet. It was about time, but as visiting only Dubai wouldn’t give us a good idea what the UAE actually is about, so we made plans to visit three of the original

emirates: Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. We would also spend some time in the desert. In style. Obviously. Follow us on our journey, and learn about UAE. Maybe our trip will inspire you to go on an Emirates adventure of your own!

A BRIEF LOOK INTO HISTORY

We won’t go back to the earliest settlements in the Bronze Age, but will start during the Middle Ages, when the Kingdom of Hormuz controlled much of the area. In the early 16th century the Portuguese arrived and controlled much of the coast for around 150 years, building a customs house where they taxed

the Gulf’s flourishing trade with India and the Far East.

The Ottoman Empire was the next to control the country. The British regarded the region as the “Pirate Coast” because raiders would often harass ships passing through. Later, a treaty was signed, the “Trucial Sheikdoms”, forming the unity of the sheiks and an agreement to settle disputes among sheiks.

On July 17, 1971, six trucial states agreed on the Federal Constitution for the independence as the United Arab Emirates, with the seventh sheikhdom

joining on December 2 to form what we now know as the United Arab Emirates. Each emirate is governed by a ruler and together, they jointly form the Federal Supreme Council. Home to over 200 nationalities, in 2018, the UAE’s population was 10.2 million, of which 1.4 million are Emirati citizens and 8.8 million are expatriates, making UAE home to one of the world’s highest percentage of immigrants.

BLACK GOLD

After the collapse of the world pearl market in the early 20th century, the coast had sunk into poverty. However, the

sheikhs of Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah had already discussed oil exploration, with Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Shakhbut granting the first oil concessions in 1939. The first cargo of crude left Abu Dhabi in 1962 and Dubai, which had been busy cementing its reputation as the region’s busiest trading centre, exported its first oil in 1969.

BEST TIME TO TRAVEL

The climate is hot and humid along the coast, while the interior is also hot, but dry. Summertime highs: 46°C on the coast and 49°C or more in the desert. Late November was perfect, averaging 28°C but cooling down a bit at night.

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