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The Emirate of Umm Al Quwain (UAQ; ar, أم القيوين; ) is one of the seven constituent emirates of the
United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia ( The Middle East). It is located at t ...
, located in the north of the country. It is the second smallest and least populous emirate in the UAE A Guide on Setting up a Business in Umm Al Quwain
/ref> and borders the
Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a mediterranean sea in Western Asia. The body ...
. Umm Al Quwain lies between Ras Al Khaimah and Ajman on the west coast, with a location along the vital trade route between the Middle East and India. It has a coastline stretching to 24 km. The Emirate of Umm Al Quwain was formed in 1775, when Sheikh Majid Al Mualla established it as an independent sheikhdom. The emirate is now ruled by Saud bin Rashid Al Mualla. The current crown prince is Rashid bin Saud bin Rashid Al Mua'lla, and the deputy ruler is Abdullah bin Rashid Al Mualla III. It had 72,000 inhabitants in 2007 and has an area of . The emirate consists in the main of the coastal city of Umm al-Quwain and the inland oasis town of Falaj Al Mualla, some from the coast. The Population of the Emirate is 49,159 according to the census of December 2005. The city of Umm Al Quwain is the capital of the Emirate. Unlike some of its neighbours, Umm Al Quwain has not made any significant find of oil or gas in its territory and depends on revenue from hotels, parks and tourism, fisheries and general trading activities as well as the Umm Al Quwain Free Zone (UAQFTZ) based at Port Ahmed Bin Rashid. A number of government initiatives and strategies have been put in place to incentivise growth in trade and industrial activity in the emirate, including a 2018 move to reduce government fees to business and waive fines and violations levied against businesses which had not renewed their trade licenses.


Etymology

Multiple theories have been established on the etymology of the name Umm Al Quwain. The most accepted meaning is that the name means "mother of the two powers" - from the phrase "Umm Al Quwatain" ( ar, ام القوتين, Umm Al Quwatain, lit=The mother of two powers). The two powers here are usually indicated as the two forms of geographical powers. Locals describe it as the richness of activities both on land and water, others refer to it as the two powers of economy and agriculture. Another theory is that the word "Quwain" is inspired by an Arabic word "Qawn" meaning ‘iron‘. Therefore, some believe that it may refer to iron in the place.


History and prehistory

The Emirate of Umm Al Quwain holds significant archaeological interest, with major finds at both
Tell Abraq Tell Abraq (Til Abrook) was an ancient Near Eastern city. Located on the border between Sharjah and Umm Al Quwain in the United Arab Emirates, the city was originally on the coastline of the Persian Gulf but changing sea levels have placed the ...
and
Ed-Dur Ed Dur, also known as Al Dour and Ad Dour ( ar, ٱلدُّوْر, Ad-Dūr, lit=The Houses) is an Ancient Near Eastern City, today located in Umm Al Quwain, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). One of the largest archaeological sites in the emira ...
pointing to significant Ancient Near Eastern Cities.
Arrowheads An arrowhead or point is the usually sharpened and hardened tip of an arrow, which contributes a majority of the projectile mass and is responsible for impacting and penetrating a target, as well as to fulfill some special purposes such as sign ...
and other polished
flint Flint, occasionally flintstone, is a sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as the variety of chert that occurs in chalk or marly limestone. Flint was widely used historically to make stone tools and start fir ...
tools have been unearthed in various sites across the UAE while pieces of Ubaid Age pottery have been unearthed along the shores of the emirate. All evidence obtained so far indicate that contact with
Mesopotamia Mesopotamia ''Mesopotamíā''; ar, بِلَاد ٱلرَّافِدَيْن or ; syc, ܐܪܡ ܢܗܪ̈ܝܢ, or , ) is a historical region of Western Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the ...
existed as early as the 5th millennium BC, as an indigenous
ceramic A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcela ...
industry, did not emerge until the 3rd century BC. Finds at both Tell Abraq and Ed-Dur show habitation in the area throughout the Bronze Age, from the
Hafit period The Hafit period defines early Bronze Age human settlement in the United Arab Emirates and Oman in the period from 3200 to 2600 BC. It is named after the distinctive beehive burials first found on Jebel Hafit, a rocky mountain near Al Ain, bor ...
, through the Umm Al Nar period and the later Wadi Suq and Iron I, II and III ages. Finds also link Ed-Dur with the inland settlement of Mleiha, especially distinctive burials of animals with their heads turned back on their bodies. Significant trading links with both the western
Sumer Sumer () is the earliest known civilization in the historical region of southern Mesopotamia (south-central Iraq), emerging during the Chalcolithic and early Bronze Ages between the sixth and fifth millennium BC. It is one of the cradles of ...
ian culture and the eastern
Indus Valley The Indus ( ) is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans- Himalayan river of South and Central Asia. The river rises in mountain springs northeast of Mount Kailash in Western Tibet, flows northwest through the disputed region of Kash ...
culture are displayed at these sites, with the semi-nomadic Magan people smelting bronze mined in the
Hajar Mountains The Hajar Mountains ( ar, جِبَال ٱلْحَجَر, Jibāl al-Ḥajar, ''The Rocky Mountains'' or ''The Stone Mountains'') in northeastern Oman and also the eastern United Arab Emirates are the highest mountain range in the eastern Arab ...
and then shipping the smelted ore. Macedonian coinage unearthed at Ed-Dur dates back to
Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip II to t ...
, while hundreds of coins have been found bearing the name of Abi'el. In March 2019, 15 tombs, bronze statues, settlement remains, jewellery and pottery, dating back to the 1st century CE, were unearthed here. It is thought Ed-Dur is the site of ''Omana'', mentioned by both Pliny and
Strabo Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called "Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-sighted that he could see ...
as an important town in the Lower Persian Gulf. 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.Chapter 8 Umm al quwain
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 current location in the mid-18th century due to declining water resources. After that, in 1775, Umm al-Quwain was declared an independent Sheikhdom.


20th century

The Emirate of Umm Al Quwain was the site of a
fort A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere ...
built in 1768 by the founder of the modern
Al Mualla The Al Mualla ( ar, المعلا) family is the ruling royal family of Umm Al Quwain, one of the seven emirates that together comprise the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The family was traditionally at the head of the Al Ali tribe. The Al Ali (si ...
dynasty, Sheikh Rashid bin Majid of the Al Ali tribe. The fort was the site of a coup in 1929. Sheikh Hamad Bin Ibrahim Al Mualla was assassinated by one of his blind uncle’s servants. The townsfolk, not liking the new leadership, rose and set fire to the fort, killing the usurpers, putting Ahmad bin Rashid Al Mualla in power. The fort has since been restored and now houses the Umm Al Quwain National Museum. On 8 January 1820,
Sheikh Sheikh (pronounced or ; ar, شيخ ' , mostly pronounced , plural ' )—also transliterated sheekh, sheyikh, shaykh, shayk, shekh, shaik and Shaikh, shak—is an honorific title in the Arabic language. It commonly designates a chief of ...
Abdullah bin Rashid signed the General Maritime Treaty with the United Kingdom, thus accepting a British protectorate in order to keep the
Ottoman Turks The Ottoman Turks ( tr, Osmanlı Türkleri), were the Turkic founding and sociopolitically the most dominant ethnic group of the Ottoman Empire ( 1299/1302–1922). Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks remains scarce ...
out. Like
Ajman Ajman ( ar, عجمان, '; Gulf Arabic: عيمان ʿymān) is the capital of the emirate of Ajman in the United Arab Emirates. It is the fifth-largest city in UAE after Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Al Ain. Located along the Persian Gulf, it is ...
,
Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...
,
Ras Al Khaimah Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) ( ar, رَأْس ٱلْخَيْمَة, historically Julfar) is the largest city and capital of the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates. It is the sixth-largest city in UAE after Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Al Ai ...
and
Sharjah Sharjah (; ar, ٱلشَّارقَة ', Gulf Arabic: ''aš-Šārja'') is the third-most populous city in the United Arab Emirates, after Dubai and Abu Dhabi, forming part of the Dubai-Sharjah-Ajman metropolitan area. Sharjah is the capital of ...
, its position on the route to
India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...
made it important enough to be recognized as a
salute state A salute state was a princely state under the British Raj that had been granted a gun salute by the British Crown (as paramount ruler); i.e., the protocolary privilege for its ruler to be greeted—originally by Royal Navy ships, later also ...
with a three gun salute. By 1908, J. G. Lorimer's famous survey of the
Trucial Coast The Trucial States ( '), also known as the Trucial Coast ( '), the Trucial Sheikhdoms ( '), Trucial Arabia or Trucial Oman, was the name the British government gave to a group of tribal confederations in southeastern Arabia whose leaders had ...
, the ''
Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf, Oman and Central Arabia The ''Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf, Oman and Central Arabia'' (nicknamed ''Lorimer'') is a two-volume encyclopedia compiled by John Gordon Lorimer. The ''Gazetteer'' was published in secret by the British government in India in 1908 and 1915 an ...
'', had Umm Al Quwain listed as a town of some 5,000 inhabitants and identified as the major boat-building centre on the coast, producing some 20 boats a year compared to 10 in Dubai and 5 in Sharjah. On 2 December 1971, Sheikh Ahmad bin Rashid joined its neighbors
Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi (, ; ar, أَبُو ظَبْيٍ ' ) is the capital and second-most populous city (after Dubai) of the United Arab Emirates. It is also the capital of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the centre of the Abu Dhabi Metropolitan Area. ...
,
Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...
,
Sharjah Sharjah (; ar, ٱلشَّارقَة ', Gulf Arabic: ''aš-Šārja'') is the third-most populous city in the United Arab Emirates, after Dubai and Abu Dhabi, forming part of the Dubai-Sharjah-Ajman metropolitan area. Sharjah is the capital of ...
, Ajman and
Fujairah Fujairah City ( ar, الفجيرة) is the capital of the emirate of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates. It is the seventh-largest city in UAE, located on the Gulf of Oman (part of the Indian Ocean). It is the only Emirati capital city on the ...
in forming the United Arab Emirates, with Ras Al-Khaimah joining later in early 1972.


Petrochemicals

The American oil company
Occidental Occidental may refer to: * Western world (of or pertaining to) Places *Occidental, California, a town in Sonoma County, California, US * Occidental Park (Seattle) Other uses * Interlingue, a constructed language formerly known as Occidental * O ...
acquired a concession to search for oil in Umm Al Quwain territorial waters on 19 November 1969. Occidental proposed drilling an exploratory well nine miles from the island of
Abu Musa Abu Musa ( fa, ابوموسی , , ar, أبو موسى) is a island in the eastern Persian Gulf near the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz. Due to the depth of sea, oil tankers and big ships have to pass between Abu Musa and Greater and Lesser ...
in the
Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a mediterranean sea in Western Asia. The body ...
in what it considered to be Umm Al Quwain waters. However, this conflicted with a 12-mile territorial limit claimed by
Sharjah Sharjah (; ar, ٱلشَّارقَة ', Gulf Arabic: ''aš-Šārja'') is the third-most populous city in the United Arab Emirates, after Dubai and Abu Dhabi, forming part of the Dubai-Sharjah-Ajman metropolitan area. Sharjah is the capital of ...
. On 15 May 1970, the
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...
authorities referred the dispute to arbitration, but ruled that Occidental could continue to drill. On 20 May,
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Tu ...
informed the British that it laid claim to
Abu Musa Abu Musa ( fa, ابوموسی , , ar, أبو موسى) is a island in the eastern Persian Gulf near the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz. Due to the depth of sea, oil tankers and big ships have to pass between Abu Musa and Greater and Lesser ...
and the two Tunbs' islands, and would intercede if Occidental continued to drill. The British proposed a three-month suspension of drilling pending the outcome of arbitration, a decision enforced by a British
minesweeper A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping. History The earliest known usage of ...
, which intercepted Occidental's drilling platform and moved it out of the area.Maritime Boundary Delimitations in the Persian Gulf
/ref> The agreement between Sharjah and Iran over the island of Abu Musa, made on 29 November 1971 and the subsequent invasion of the islands on 30 November 1971 rendered the issue moot. Occidental would never find oil under its Umm Al Quwain concession. The issue was subsequently settled by an informal agreement, which granted Umm al-Quwain 15% share of the oil revenues from the area.


Rulers

The successive rulers of Umm Al Quwain were: * 1768–1820: Sheikh Rashid bin Majid Al Mualla * 1820–1853: Sheikh Abdullah bin Rashid Al Mualla (b.1794) * 1853–1873: Sheikh Ali bin Abdullah Al Mualla (b.1824 – d.1873) * 1873–1904: Sheikh Ahmad bin Abdullah Al Mualla (b. 1832 – d. 1904) * 13 June 1904 – 1922: Sheikh Rashid bin Ahmad Al Mualla (b. 1876 – d. 1922) *1922 – October 1923: Sheikh Abdullah bin Rashid Al Mualla II * October 1923 – 9 February 1929: Sheikh Hamad bin Ibrahim Al Mualla * 9 February 1929 – 21 February 1981: Sheikh
Ahmad bin Rashid Al Mualla Ahmad ( ar, أحمد, ʾAḥmad) is an Arabic male given name common in most parts of the Muslim world. Other spellings of the name include Ahmed and Ahmet. Etymology The word derives from the root (ḥ-m-d), from the Arabic (), from the ...
(b. 1904 – d. 1981) * 21 February 1981 – 2 January 2009: Sheikh Rashid bin Ahmad Al Mualla II (b. 1932 – d. 2009) * 2 January 2009–present: Sheikh Saud bin Rashid Al Mualla (b. 1952)


Demographics


Business in Umm Al Quwain

Umm Al Quwain was relying heavily on sources of revenue from hotels, parks, and tourism. In 2011, tourism and trade were given the top priority in the Umm Al Quwain's Government Strategy 2011-2013 to support small- and mid-sized business space and the fisheries sector to help make the emirate attractive to foreign investment. In 2018, the government launched Umm Al Quwain Vision 2021 to implement comprehensive structural development through programs and initiatives and provide high-quality living standards for a cohesive society. The vision comprises five main pillars: a sustainable and diversified economy, social solidarity, attractive tourism, an excellent infrastructure, and innovative government. The government business initiatives and programs serve as a medium to support local businesses and industries to grow and boost partnerships with the private sector to build an economy based on knowledge, research, and development.


Free trade zone

The Free Trade Zone of Umm Al Quwain (UAQ FTZ) was established in 1987. It was previously known as Ahmed Bin Rashid Port and Free Zone. The UAQ Free Trade Zone has been awarded the winner of the Qadat Al Tagheer Award for the “Best Free Zone for Start-ups and SMEs” at the 5th UAE - India Economic Forum (UIEF) in 2019.


Climate and environment

During November to March, the average temperature is by day and at night, but it can rise to over in the peak of the summer and when humidity levels are high. The rainfall is minimal and averages a year. The coastline experiences cooling
sea breezes A sea breeze or onshore breeze is any wind that blows from a large body of water toward or onto a landmass; it develops due to differences in air pressure created by the differing heat capacities of water and dry land. As such, sea breezes ar ...
during the day. Al Sinniyah island, close to the city of Umm Al Quwain is home to the UAE's largest Socotra cormorant colony, with over 15,000 pairs making it the third largest colony in the world.
Arabian gazelle The Arabian gazelle ''(Gazella arabica)'' is a species of gazelle from the Arabian Peninsula. Taxonomy Until recently, it was only known from a single lectotype specimen mistakenly thought to have been collected on the Farasan Islands in the Red ...
s have been introduced to Sinniyah and appear to be prospering. Marine life is remarkable for its abundance and diversity. Blacktip reef sharks patrol the outer shoreline, while
green turtles The green sea turtle (''Chelonia mydas''), also known as the green turtle, black (sea) turtle or Pacific green turtle, is a species of large sea turtle of the family Cheloniidae. It is the only species in the genus ''Chelonia''. Its range ext ...
are ubiquitous in the inner leads in particular. Between Al Sinniyah and the mainland is Khor Al Beidah, an expansive area of sand and mud flats of international importance for its waterfowl. Although not formally protected, the island of Sinaiyah, along with Khor Al Beidah, is one of the largest areas of undisturbed and varied coastal environment remaining anywhere in the UAE.


Culture

The UAE culture mainly revolves around the religion of
Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the ...
and traditional
Arab culture Arab culture is the culture of the Arabs, from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Arabian Sea in the east, and from the Mediterranean Sea in the north to the Horn of Africa and the Indian Ocean in the southeast. The various religions the Arab ...
. The influence of Islamic and Arab culture on its architecture, music, attire, cuisine and lifestyle are very prominent as well. Five times every day, Muslims are called to prayer from the
minaret A minaret (; ar, منارة, translit=manāra, or ar, مِئْذَنة, translit=miʾḏana, links=no; tr, minare; fa, گل‌دسته, translit=goldaste) is a type of tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques. Minarets are generall ...
s of mosques which are scattered around the country. Since 2006, the weekend has been Friday-Saturday, as a compromise between Friday's holiness to Muslims and the Western weekend of Saturday-Sunday.


Tourism

Umm Al Quwain Fort Umm Al Quwain Fort, also known as the Al Ali Fort, is located in the city of Umm Al Quwain in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It was the seat of the rulers of Umm Al Quwain and the centre of government in the emirate until 1969. It was used as a ...
: A
fort A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere ...
which was once home to the emirate's ruler and guarded the entrance to the old town, overseeing the sea on one side and the creek on the other. It eventually became a police station then a museum. The museum now houses artifacts found at important nearby sites including Ed-Dur and houses a collection of weapons that were used through the emirate's history. It is located near a Masjid (Mosque) in Umm Al Quwain Bazaar. Old Harbour: An old
harbour A harbor (American English), harbour (British English; see spelling differences), or haven is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be docked. The term ''harbor'' is often used interchangeably with ''port'', which is ...
located in the old town overlooking the traditional dhow building yard where skilled craftsmen continue to assemble these traditional boats. The harbor is surrounded by old coral stone houses that display features of the original architecture and intricate sculptured plaster work. Islands of Umm Al Quwain: Islands that lie to the east of the mainland peninsula on a unique stretch of coastline consisting of sandy islands surrounded by dense
mangrove A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows in coastal saline or brackish water. The term is also used for tropical coastal vegetation consisting of such species. Mangroves are taxonomically diverse, as a result of convergent evolution in sever ...
forests, separated by a series of creeks. The largest of the seven islands is Al Sinniyah, followed by Jazirat Al Ghallah and Al Keabe, all of which are visible from the old town. Tucked in between these and the coastal plains are the smaller islands of Al Sow, Al Qaram, Al Humaidi, Al Chewria and Al Harmala. The Madaar creek that runs between the islands provides a navigable waterway for fisherman even at low tide when the average depth is less than a few feet.
Ed-Dur Ed Dur, also known as Al Dour and Ad Dour ( ar, ٱلدُّوْر, Ad-Dūr, lit=The Houses) is an Ancient Near Eastern City, today located in Umm Al Quwain, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). One of the largest archaeological sites in the emira ...
: Located to the north of Umm Al Quwain, the ancient city of Ed-Dur is considered the largest pre-Islamic site on the Persian Gulf coast. There are two public monuments at Al-Dour, a small square fort with round corner towers and a small square temple dedicated to the Semitic sun god
Shamash Utu (dUD "Sun"), also known under the Akkadian name Shamash, ''šmš'', syc, ܫܡܫܐ ''šemša'', he, שֶׁמֶשׁ ''šemeš'', ar, شمس ''šams'', Ashurian Aramaic: 𐣴𐣬𐣴 ''š'meš(ā)'' was the ancient Mesopotamian sun god. ...
. The site is not open to the public. Dreamland Aqua Park: the largest water park in the UAE is located on the coastline of Umm Al Quwain; about 40 minutes drive from Dubai, with expanse of landscaped gardens and over 30 rides, slides, and attractions. The Park is operated all year round with a daily capacity of ten thousand visitors.


See also

*
Archaeology of the United Arab Emirates The area currently known as the United Arab Emirates (UAE) (previously the Trucial States) was formerly populated by inhabitants of a number of coastal and inland settlements, with human remains pointing to a pattern of transmigration and settlem ...
*
Trucial States The Trucial States ( '), also known as the Trucial Coast ( '), the Trucial Sheikhdoms ( '), Trucial Arabia or Trucial Oman, was the name the British government gave to a group of tribal confederations in southeastern Arabia whose leaders had s ...


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Umm Al-Quwain Cities in the United Arab Emirates States and territories established in 1775 Populated places in Umm Al Quwain Populated coastal places in the United Arab Emirates Islamic monarchies