The heyday of
pearling is laced
with romanticism.
unfortunately for
those who dove
in the depths to
collect pearls,
however, it was
a life of hardship
and the rewards
were no match
for the dangers
involved. Most
divers were slaves
from east africa
and the profits of
the industry went
straight to their
master, the
boat owner.P
EARLING
1892
The sheikhdoms
sign a treaty with
britain: they’d have
no dealings with other
foreign powers in
return for protection
from british armed
forces.1930
The Great Depression
of 1929–34, paired with
the development of a
new method of creating
pearls artificially,
prompts Sheikh rashid
to conclude that the
pearling industry is
finished.1940
There is a brief conflict
between Dubai and
Sharjah following a
dispute in the Maktoum
family. hostilities
cease after the british
cut off the supply lines
and both sides run out
of gunpowder.1946
Sheikh Zayed bin
Sultan al-nahyan
makes his political
debut at the age of 38
when he is appointed
ruler’s representative
in his hometown of
al-ain.EuropEanS arrivE
In the 16th century, Portugal became the first European power to
realise that this part of the Gulf might be lucrative. However, their
policy of not tolerating rivals was a disaster for Muslim traders, with
local trade drying up and tribes fleeing far from the coast. In the 17th
and 18th centuries the French and Dutch arrived, and they were simi-
larly eager to control the trading routes to the east. They were followed
swiftly by the British in 1766 who were equally intent on ruling the seas.
Throughout this tumultuous time, Dubai remained a small fishing
and pearling hamlet, perched on a disputed border between two local
powers – the seafaring Qawassim of present-day Ras al-Khaimah and
Sharjah, to the north, and the Bani Yas tribal confederation of what is
now Abu Dhabi to the south. The region was also affected by rivalries
between bigger regional powers – the Wahhabi tribes (of what is now
Saudi Arabia), the Ottoman Empire, the Persians and the British.
thE trucial coaSt
In 1833, under the leadership of Maktoum bin Butti (r 1833–52), a tribe
from Abu Dhabi overthrew the town. This established the Al-Maktoum
dynasty of Dubai, which still rules the emirate today. For Maktoum
bin Butti, good relations with the British authorities in the Gulf were
essential to safeguard his small upstart sheikhdom against attack from
the larger and more powerful surrounding sheikhdoms.
In 1841 the Bur Dubai settlement extended to Deira on the north-
ern side of the Creek, though throughout the 19th century it largely
remained a tiny enclave of fishermen, pearl divers, Bedouin, and In-
dian and Persian merchants. Interestingly, the Indians and Persians
(now Iranians) are still largely the custodians of the area, providing the
Creek with much of its character today.
Things began to change significantly around the end of the 19th cen-
tury. In 1892 the British, keen to impose their authority on the region
and protect their Indian empire, extended their power through a series
of so-called exclusive agreements, under which the sheikhs accepted for-
mal British protection and, in exchange, relinquished all foreign affairs.
As a result of these treaties, or truces, Europeans called the area ‘the
Trucial Coast’, a name it retained until the 1971 federation that created
the UAE.
In 1894 Dubai’s visionary ruler, Sheikh Maktoum bin Hasher al-
Maktoum (r 1894–1906), made the masterstroke decision to give for-
eign traders tax-exempt status, and the free port of Dubai was born,
a move that neatly catapulted the emirate way ahead of its rivals.
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