A Quick Overview Of Dubai History

I relish traveling a lot. It's one among my favorite hobbies (but expensive!). And I truly believe that having information about the history of a place you visit just adds a completely new and different dimension to your travel experiences.

So this discussion is dedicated to Dubai history. It is not a comprehensive assessment like an encyclopedia would do. However, it's a brief history lesson which can help you appreciate Dubai City more during your visit. At least I'd hope so.

The Islamic nation of United Arab Emirates (UAE) consists of seven Emirates and Dubai is one among them It is believed that Dubai existed at least 150 years prior to Union.

Dubai contains the most number of people in all of all Emirates and is second in land mass area. It is also the most liberal, modern and forward thinking Emirate since it has developed faster and farther than its counterparts.

The earliest evidence of the history of Dubai is dated 1095 CE. No records are known between then and the second oldest record as of 1587, where the author discusses Dubai as a popular place for pearl diving. As you will see, the early Dubai history is not known till today.

The royal family of Dubai (the current rulers) could be traced back to 1833 when the Al Maktoum Dynasty arrived to claim Dubai from Abu Dhabi (capital of UAE). The Dynasty was initially part of the Bin Yas clan which was settled in Abu Dhabi.

This is when Dubai became an independent Emirate and here started the ancestry of the current royal family of Dubai.

There were many challenges early in the history of Dubai. Due to its ideal Geographical location that is conducive to trading, many tried to conquer and take over the city.

This is when Dubai City agreed for protection under the British (back then Britain was a very strong defence power). Once Dubai was protected under the British, the royal family of Dubai took advantage of its location and got involved in trading with other countries. Several traders from various countries (mainly India) came to Dubai to trade goods.

History of Dubai Currency

The Gulf Rupee was the first currency used by Dubai. Dubai later joined Qatar and together formed the Riyal. The Riyal was more stable than the Gulf Rupee, that diluted in value and practically became useless.

In 1971, to further stabilize its currency and its strength, Dubai joined Abu Dhabi to form the United Arab Emirates.

Four other Emirates had already joined Abu Dhabi and one more joined in 1972. Dubai then adopted the UAE Dirham.

The Dirham has been utilized widely for a long time. Since it was used a lot in trade in Dubai, it spread widely among all merchants and traders. The Dirham was pegged to the US Dollar back in November 1997. This hasn't changed since.

Each US Dollar equates to 3.6725 Dirhams. Every Dirham comprises 100 Fills (equivalent of cents). You would most commonly see the Dirham abbreviated as "Dhs" and in some cases "DH".

While I was in Dubai in 2007, there was some speculation ( mainly rumors) that the Dirham might be revalued for the first time because it was pegged to the US Dollar. The speculation was mainly due to the devaluation of the US Dollar.

A lot of people rushed to the exchange houses trying to trade in their currency. Some made some quick money and some lost in the process.

Luckily I had some spare cash on hand and rushed to Citibank. I was able to trade in my US Dollars for more Dirhams and later found an exchange house where I traded back my Dirhams for USDs, except at a better exchange rate. I wished I had my entire bank account in Dubai at the time.

The Dubai Information Site is a website on Dubai City put together from a practical and first-hand perspective. The site covers information about History of Dubai, sightseeing, jobs, sports, flights, hotels, weather, visa information, tourism, holidays, history and more. Dubai Information Site is your guide to fresh, practical and first-hand information about Dubai City.

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