Living in Dubai Emirate
Umm Al Quwain, one of the 7 members of the United Arab Emirates, covers an area of 800 square kilometres and stretches from the beautiful, lush green coastal mangroves lining the shores of the Persian Gulf, inland across the rolling sand dunes to the fertile oasis surrounding Falaj Al Moalla. The inland oasis and hinterland town of Falaj Al Moalla lies some 50km from Umm Al Quwain city. The standard of living in this emirate is on par with the standard of living in Dubai.
The name Umm Al Quwain is derived from Umm Al Quwatain, which means "Mother of two powers", a reference to the powerful seafaring tradition of this emirate. The modern history of Umm Al Quwain dates back some 200 years when the Al Ali tribe moved their capital from Al Sinniyah Island to its present location in the mid 18th century, when the sweet water supply dried up. It has hotels on par with Fujairah hotels. It also has a large history and it is now a hotbed for tourism.
During the Bronze Age (3000 - 1300 BC), semi-nomadic tribes inhabited the region; they shifted in groups from place to place foraging for timber from the indigenous acacia for smelting copper. The metal was sent to all the prominent ports on the Persian Gulf, Umm Al Nar being one of them. Ties with Mesopotamia were jealously maintained and consequently the trade in copper ushered in prosperity in the region. Also during the Bronze Age, agriculture flourished, with dates being the prominent crop. Wheat, millet and other grains were also cultivated wherever there was enough water for irrigation. It is now widely believed that the climate during the period was more temperate than now. During the Umm al-Nar period (2500€"2000 BC), buildings and fortress towers came up in Umm Al Quwain. The most common buildings associated with this era are the circular burial tombs.
The modern history of Umm Al Quwain began some 200 years ago when the Al Ali tribe moved their capital from Al-Sinniyah Island to its present location in the mid-18th century due to declining water resources. In 1775, Sheikh Majid Al Mualla, founder of the ruling Al Mu'alla lineage of the Al Ali tribe, established an independent Sheikhdom in Umm al-Quwain.On 8 January 1820, Sheikh Abdullah I signed the General Maritime Treaty with the United Kingdom, thus accepting a British protectorate in order to keep the Ottoman Turks out. Like Ajman, Dubai, Ras al-Khaimah and Sharjah, its position on the route to India made it important enough to be recognized as a salute state with a three gun salute. On 2 December 1971, Sheikh Ahmad II joined its neighbours living in Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman and Fujairah in forming the United Arab Emirates, with Ras al-Khaimah joining later in early 1972.
Avid birdwatchers can enjoy the wonderful wildlife at Khor al Beidah and other popular sights lie to the south and east of the town. Al Sinniyah Island is also visible from the corniche. The shallow tidal lagoons and mudflats create the perfect feeding, nesting and resting habitat for several species of heron and plover, Greater Flamingo, gulls and terns. Between November and March, hundreds of Great Cormorants are regularly spotted flying just a few feet above the sea, as they move from one sand bar to another. Coastal flats and dune tracks around the lagoon to the south east of the promontory provide excellent mountain hiking terrain, varied enough to suit any age and ability. Al Sinniyah, the largest of the islands, is a marine sanctuary covering 90 square kilometres. This was once the original settlement site but now shelters huge colonies of cormorants, other seabirds, gazelle and al qaram trees, and dugong (sea cows) and turtles can be seen in the shallow waters surrounding the island.
The name Umm Al Quwain is derived from Umm Al Quwatain, which means "Mother of two powers", a reference to the powerful seafaring tradition of this emirate. The modern history of Umm Al Quwain dates back some 200 years when the Al Ali tribe moved their capital from Al Sinniyah Island to its present location in the mid 18th century, when the sweet water supply dried up. It has hotels on par with Fujairah hotels. It also has a large history and it is now a hotbed for tourism.
During the Bronze Age (3000 - 1300 BC), semi-nomadic tribes inhabited the region; they shifted in groups from place to place foraging for timber from the indigenous acacia for smelting copper. The metal was sent to all the prominent ports on the Persian Gulf, Umm Al Nar being one of them. Ties with Mesopotamia were jealously maintained and consequently the trade in copper ushered in prosperity in the region. Also during the Bronze Age, agriculture flourished, with dates being the prominent crop. Wheat, millet and other grains were also cultivated wherever there was enough water for irrigation. It is now widely believed that the climate during the period was more temperate than now. During the Umm al-Nar period (2500€"2000 BC), buildings and fortress towers came up in Umm Al Quwain. The most common buildings associated with this era are the circular burial tombs.
The modern history of Umm Al Quwain began some 200 years ago when the Al Ali tribe moved their capital from Al-Sinniyah Island to its present location in the mid-18th century due to declining water resources. In 1775, Sheikh Majid Al Mualla, founder of the ruling Al Mu'alla lineage of the Al Ali tribe, established an independent Sheikhdom in Umm al-Quwain.On 8 January 1820, Sheikh Abdullah I signed the General Maritime Treaty with the United Kingdom, thus accepting a British protectorate in order to keep the Ottoman Turks out. Like Ajman, Dubai, Ras al-Khaimah and Sharjah, its position on the route to India made it important enough to be recognized as a salute state with a three gun salute. On 2 December 1971, Sheikh Ahmad II joined its neighbours living in Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman and Fujairah in forming the United Arab Emirates, with Ras al-Khaimah joining later in early 1972.
Avid birdwatchers can enjoy the wonderful wildlife at Khor al Beidah and other popular sights lie to the south and east of the town. Al Sinniyah Island is also visible from the corniche. The shallow tidal lagoons and mudflats create the perfect feeding, nesting and resting habitat for several species of heron and plover, Greater Flamingo, gulls and terns. Between November and March, hundreds of Great Cormorants are regularly spotted flying just a few feet above the sea, as they move from one sand bar to another. Coastal flats and dune tracks around the lagoon to the south east of the promontory provide excellent mountain hiking terrain, varied enough to suit any age and ability. Al Sinniyah, the largest of the islands, is a marine sanctuary covering 90 square kilometres. This was once the original settlement site but now shelters huge colonies of cormorants, other seabirds, gazelle and al qaram trees, and dugong (sea cows) and turtles can be seen in the shallow waters surrounding the island.