Travel in Abu Dhabi - United Arab Emirates - History

Arabic Abu Zaby town is the capital of Abu Dhabi emirate, one of the United Arab Emirates and the national capital of that federation. The town occupies most of a small triangular island of the same name, just off the Persian Gulf coast and connected to the mainland by a short bridge. Abu Dhabi was formerly an undeveloped town of only local importance, but the emirate's oil revenues have enabled it to develop into a modern city with a fully developed infrastructure.

No settlement existed at Abu Dhabi town before 1761, when the nomadic tribesmen of the Al bu Falah clan of the Bani Yas, rulers of Abu Dhabi then as now, settled there mostly because of the discovery of water on Abu Dhabi Island. They moved their headquarters to this coastal islet from the inland Liwa oases in 1795. The sheikhdom became a British protectorate in 1892.

The first post office was established in Abu Dhabi and Das Island on March 30^th, 1963. During this period the same British surcharged stamps, which were used in Dubai, and Muscat used in Abu Dhabi. In fact, the Trucial States issue of 1961 have come to be used in Abu Dhabi but due to the ruler objection to the design of the lower value (seven palm trees of differing size), the British surcharged stamps were used only. The first Abu Dhabi definitive was issued on March 30^th, 1964.

On August 6^th, 1966, Shaikh Zaid bin Sultan al Nahayyan became the ruler of Abu Dhabi.

Through most of the 19^th and early 20^th centuries, the town, though capital of one of the chief sheikhdoms of the Trucial Coast, yielded pride of place in trade and economic importance to Dubai town and ash-Shariqah town, capitals of neighbouring Trucial sheikhdoms. The pearling industry that once thrived in Abu Dhabi declined after oil was discovered there in the early 1960's. The abundant oil revenues have been used for development and modernization. The city of Abu Dhabi became the provisional capital of the United Arab Emirates when it was formed in 1971; a new capital on the border between Abu Dhabi and Dubai has been proposed.

Barely 20 years ago, Abu Dhabi was a tiny settlement surrounded by desert. Today, Abu Dhabi is a truly cosmopolitan city where people from almost every country in the world live and work in harmony with the local citizens. A pragmatic Government making judicious use of oil wealth has indeed put Abu Dhabi on the international map.