1.
Al Ain
–
Al-Ain, also known as the Garden City due to its greenery, is the largest inland city in the United Arab Emirates, the fourth-largest overall, and the second-largest in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. With a population of 650,000, it is located approximately 160 kilometres east of the capital Abu Dhabi, Al-Ain is the birthplace of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founder of the United Arab Emirates, and has the highest proportion of Emirati nationals. Al-Ain is located in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, inland on the border with Oman, the freeways connecting Al-Ain, Abu Dhabi, and Dubai form a geographic triangle in the country, each city being roughly 130 kilometres from the other two. Historically a part of Ṫawam or Al Buraimi Oasis, Al-Ain has been inhabited for over 4,000 years, with archaeological sites showing human settlement at Al-Hili and Jabel Ḥafeeṫ. These early cultures built beehive tombs for their dead and engaged in hunting and gathering in the area, the oasis provided water for early farms until the modern age. A companion of the Islamic prophet, Muhammad, Kaab Bin Ahbar, was sent to the region to introduce Islam to the people. He settled and died in the oasis, the forts currently in Al-Ain were built in the late 19th or early 20th century to solidify Abu Dhabis control over the oasis. Wilfred Thesiger visited Al-Ain in the late 1940s during his travels across the Empty Quarter and he met Sheikh Zayed and stayed with him at Al-Muwaiji Fort. This network of fortresses protected the Oases and settlements from bandit attacks, in 1952 Saudi Arabia sent raiders to capture Al-Ains fortresses and incorporate the oasis into the Saudi kingdom. Forces from the Trucial Oman Scouts, as well as the army of Muscat-Oman, with British intervention, the Saudi forces surrendered, leaving the oasis back in the hands of Abu Dhabi and Muscat-Oman. In 1971 Queen Elizabeth II visited the Hilton Hotel in the area, still in use, following independence in 1971, Al-Ain experienced rapid growth and investment as part of the emirate of Abu Dhabi, quickly becoming larger and more successful than Omans Al-Buraimi. In 1972 Oman and Abu Dhabi agreed on the borders to divide Al-Buraimi. Until Sheikh Zayeds death in 2004, Al-Ains municipal code forbade construction of buildings over four storeys, with the exceptions of the Hilton, Danat Al Ain Resort, in the 1990s, a serious uprising occurred among the labourers of the industrial district of Al-Ain, Aṣ-Ṣanaiya. This uprising was suppressed by the UAE army and local police forces, all the labourers involved were interned and deported. Until 2006, Al-Buraimi and Al-Ain shared an open border and this border was closed in November 2006, and passport controls were imposed. Al-Ain is located in the region of Abu Dhabi Emirate just south of Dubai. The Eastern region covers an area of approximately 13,100 km², Oman lies to the east, Dubai and Sharjah to the north, Abu Dhabi to the west and the Empty Quarter desert and Saudi Arabia to the south. The topography of Al-Ain is unique and varies as one travel to the east, Jebel Hafeet is considered one of the monuments of Al-Ain, lying just to the southeast and rising to 1,300 m in elevation
2.
Abu Dhabi
–
Abu Dhabi is the capital and the second most populous city of the United Arab Emirates, and also capital of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, the largest of the UAEs seven emirates. Abu Dhabi lies on a T-shaped island jutting into the Persian Gulf from the western coast. The city proper had a population of 1.5 million in 2014, Abu Dhabi houses federal government offices, is the seat of the United Arab Emirates Government, home to the Abu Dhabi Emiri Family and the President of the UAE, who is from this family. Abu Dhabis rapid development and urbanisation, coupled with the high average income of its population, has transformed the city into a large. Today the city is the center of political and industrial activities. Abu Dhabi accounts for about two-thirds of the roughly $400-billion United Arab Emirates economy, Abu Dhabi is the fourth most expensive city for expatriate employees in the region, and in 2014 was the 68th most expensive big city in the world. Abu Dhabi is full of evidence that points to civilizations, such as the Umm an-Nar Culture. Settlements were also found farther outside the city of Abu Dhabi. There is evidence of civilizations around the mountain of Hafeet and this location is very strategic because it is the UAE’s second tallest mountain, so it would have great visibility. It also contains a lot of moisture in its springs and lakes, origin of the name Abu Dhabi The origin of the name Abu Dhabi is uncertain. Meaning Father of the Gazelle, when translated from Arabic. According to Bilal al-Budoor, assistant under-secretary for Cultural Affairs at the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Community Development, The area had a lot of dhibaa, an old story tells about a man who used to chase deer and was named the father of the animal. Abu Dhabis original name was Milh salt, possibly referring to the salty water of the Persian Gulf, some Bedouins called the city Umm Dhabi, while British records refer to the place as Abu Dhabi. According to some accounts, the name Abu Dhabi was first used more than 300 years ago. The first word of Abu Dhabi is pronounced Bu by inhabitants on the western coast. In the eastern part of the city, the pronunciation is Abu, origins of the Al Nahyan family The Bani Yas bedouin were originally centered on the Liwa Oasis. This tribe was the most significant in the area, having over 20 subsections, in 1793, the Al Bu Falah subsection migrated to the island of Abu Dhabi on the coast of the Persian Gulf due to the discovery of fresh water there. One family within this section was the Al Nahyan family and this family makes up the rulers of Abu Dhabi today
3.
Emirate of Abu Dhabi
–
The Emirate of Abu Dhabi, is one of seven emirates that constitute the United Arab Emirates. It is the largest emirate by area, accounting for approximately 87 percent of the land area of the federation. Abu Dhabi also has the largest population of the seven emirates, in June 2011, it was estimated to be 2,120,700 people, of which,439,100 people were Emirati citizens, which has risen to 2.3 million in 2012. Abu Dhabi is the city of the emirate, after which it is named. Abu Dhabi’s Gross Domestic Product estimates, in 2014, amounted to AED960 billion at current prices, mining and quarrying accounts for the largest contribution to GDP. Construction related industries are the next largest contributor, GDP grew to AED911.6 billion in 2012, or over 100,000 USD per capita. In the early 1970s, two important developments helped the emirate achieve leaps on the path of development, the first was the establishment of the United Arab Emirates in December 1971 with Abu Dhabi as its political and administrative capital. Dhabi is the Arabic name of a species of native gazelle that was once common in the Arabian region. Abu Dhabi means father of the Dhabi and it is thought that this name came about because of the abundance of Gazelles in the area and a folk tale involving Shakhbut bin Dhiyab al Nahyan. Parts of Abu Dhabi were settled as far back as the 3rd millennium BC, modern Abu Dhabi traces its origins to the rise of an important tribal confederation, the Bani Yas, in the late 18th century, which also assumed control of Dubai. In the 19th century the Dubai and Abu Dhabi branches parted ways, most dwellings in Abu Dhabi city were, at this time, constructed of palm fronds, with the wealthier families occupying mud huts. In 1939, Sheikh Shakhbut Bin-Sultan Al Nahyan granted petroleum concessions, at first, oil money had a marginal impact. His brother, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, saw that oil wealth had the potential to transform Abu Dhabi, the ruling Al Nahyan family decided that Sheikh Zayed should replace his brother as ruler and carry out his vision of developing the country. On August 6,1966, with the assistance of the British, with the announcement by the UK in 1968 that it would withdraw from the Persian Gulf area by 1971, Sheikh Zayed became the main driving force behind the formation of the United Arab Emirates. After the Emirates gained independence in 1971, oil continued to flow to the area and traditional mud-brick huts were rapidly replaced with banks, boutiques. At present, Abu Dhabi boasts what is estimated to be the worlds highest absolute and per-capita level of sovereign wealth funds, the United Arab Emirates is located in the oil-rich and strategic Persian Gulf region. It adjoins the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Sultanate of Oman and it borders the emirate of Dubai and emirate of Sharjah to its north. The total area of the Emirate is 67,340 square kilometres, occupying about 87% of the area of the UAE
4.
Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan
–
Khalifa bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan is the President of the United Arab Emirates, the Emir of Abu Dhabi and the Supreme Commander of the Union Defence Force. He succeeded his father, Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, as Emir of Abu Dhabi on November 2,2004, as Crown Prince, he had already been acting as president since the late 1990s while his father was in ill health. Khalifa is also chairman of Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, which manages over $600 billion in assets, the Al Nahyan family is believed to have a fortune of $150 billion collectively. Khalifa was born to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and Sheikha Hassa bint Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi and he is the eldest son of Sheikh Zayed and is a graduate of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. When his father, Sheikh Zayed, became Emir of Abu Dhabi he was appointed as Rulers Representative in the Eastern Region of Abu Dhabi, Zayed was the Rulers Representative in the Eastern Region before he became the Emir of Abu Dhabi. A few months later the position was handed to Tahnoun bin Mohammed Al Nahyan, on February 1,1969, Sheikh Khalifa was nominated as the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, and on the next day he was appointed as the Head of the Abu Dhabi Department of Defense. In that post, he oversaw the building up of the Abu Dhabi Defense Force, which after 1971 became the core of the UAE Armed Forces. Following the establishment of the UAE in 1971, Sheikh Khalifa assumed several positions in Abu Dhabi, Prime Minister, head of the Abu Dhabi Cabinet, Minister of Defense, in May 1976, he became deputy commander of the UAE armed forces, under the President. He also became the head of the Supreme Petroleum Council in the late 1980s, and continues in this position today and he was also the chairman of the Environmental Research and Wildlife Development Agency. He succeeded to the posts of Emir of Abu Dhabi and President of the United Arab Emirates on November 3,2004, replacing his father Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and he had been acting president since his father became ill prior to his passing. On December 1,2005, the President announced that half of the members of the Federal National Council, however, half of the councils members would still need to be appointed by the leaders of the emirates. The elections were set to place in December 2006. On January 4,2010, the worlds tallest man-made structure, originally known as Burj Dubai, was renamed the Burj Khalifa, in 2010, Khalifa was described in a WikiLeaks cable signed by the U. S. ambassador as a distant and uncharismatic personage. In March 2011, Khalifa sent the United Arab Emirates Air Force to support the intervention in Libya against Muammar Gaddafi, alongside forces from NATO, Qatar, Sweden. Later that year Khalifa was ranked as the worlds fourth-wealthiest monarch, in 2013, he commissioned Azzam, the longest motor yacht ever built at 590 ft long, with costs between $400–600 million. In Fall 2011, the Emirates initiated a program to promote allegiance to Khalifa, the program continues, and encourages not only Emirati nationals, but residents from any nationality to register their appreciation, recognition, and loyalty to the Emirs. In January 2014, Khalifa suffered a stroke and was reported to have been in a stable condition after undergoing an operation. Seychellois government records show that since 1995 Khalifa has spent $2 million buying up more than 66 acres of land on the Seychelles main island of Mahé, in 2008, the UAE came to the indebted Seychelles governments aid, with a $30 million injection
5.
Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan
–
The exact date of his birth is unknown, but officially on some documents, Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan was born on 6 May 1918 in Abu Dhabi. He was the youngest son of Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan and his birth date is also reported to be 1916. His father was the ruler of Abu Dhabi from 1922 until his assassination in 1926, Zayed was the youngest of his four brothers. His mother was Sheikha Salama bint Butti Al Hamed and she extracted a promise from her sons not to use violence against each other, a promise which they kept. Zayed was named after his grandfather, Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, at the time of Zayeds birth, the sheikhdom of Abu Dhabi was one of seven Trucial States along the lower coast of the Persian Gulf He also showed interest in Falconry. He moved to Al Ain in 1927, as Zayed was growing up, there were no modern schools anywhere along the coast. His eldest brother, Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan Al Nahyan, became ruler of Abu Dhabi in 1928 after their uncle, Zayed was appointed the governor of the Eastern Region of Abu Dhabi in 1946 and was based in the Muwaiji fort in Al Ain. At this time, the area was poor and prone to outbreaks of disease, when survey parties from Petroleum Development began exploring for oil in the area, Zayed assisted them. In 1952, a small Saudi Arabian force led by Turki bin Abdullah al-Otaishan occupied the village of Hamasa in the Buraimi Oasis. Zayed was prominent in his opposition to Saudi territorial claims and reportedly rejected a bribe of about £30 million to allow Aramco to explore for oil in the disputed territory. As part of dispute, Zayed and his brother Hazza attended the Buraimi arbitration tribunal in Geneva in September 1955. When the tribunal was abandoned amid allegations of Saudi bribery, the British initiated the reoccupation of the Buraimi Oasis through a military force. The discovery of oil in 1958, and the start of oil exports in 1962, on 6 August 1966, Shakhbut was deposed in a bloodless palace coup. In the late 1960s, Zayed hired Dr. Katsuhiko Takahashi, in 1971, after occasionally difficult negotiations with the other six rulers of the Trucial States, the United Arab Emirates was formed. Zayed was appointed to the presidency of the UAE in 1971 and was reappointed on four occasions,1976,1981,1986. Zayed was determined to unite the Emirates into federation and his calls for cooperation extended across the Persian Gulf to Iran. He advocated dialogue as the means to settle the row with Tehran over three strategic Persian Gulf islands which Iran seized from the UAE Emirate of Sharjah in 1971, the islands remain in Iranian hands, despite over three decades of UAE diplomatic initiatives. He was considered a liberal ruler, and permitted private media
6.
Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan
–
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan was the grandfather of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan, founder of the United Arab Emirates. He was born in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, in what was then called Trucial Oman and he lived much of his early life with the Bedouin of Abu Dhabi. He was made Ruler of Abu Dhabi after the deposition of his cousin, Sheikh Said bin Tahnun and he ruled for 54 years, until his death in 1909. Early in his rule, Zayed guided Abu Dhabi through a series of conflicts with the Emirate of Sharjah, in 1868, he killed the Ruler of Sharjah, Sheikh Khalid bin Sultan, in single combat. The death of Khalid brought an end to the conflicts, the result of these fights left Abu Dhabi the most powerful Sheikhdom in the Persian Gulf region. Zayed also led Abu Dhabi in a war with Qatar in the 1880s that secured the western border of Abu Dhabi. He united with Omani forces to drive the Saudi troops from the Buraimi area in 1870 and this left the forts defending the Buraimi Oasis in permanent control of Abu Dhabi and forced the Saudis to abandon their designs on Oman. Abu Dhabis influence and control over this area steadily grew afterwards and he was a strong leader and all tribes along his Emirates treated him with respect. The borders of the Emirate were extended three times, to reach near Qatar in the west and to touch the Rub Al Khali in the south. He was also a pearl diving fleet owner and a merchant that helped other people around Emirates financially, in 1892, Zayed signed a treaty with the United Kingdom which effectively ceded control of Abu Dhabis international commercial relations to the British. Through strategic marriages he had many sons, the eldest of whom was named Khalifa, and had maternal heritage from the Manasir people. Qasr Al Hosn, The History of the Rulers of Abu Dhabi, 1793–1966, Abu Dhabi, Centre for Documentation and Research
7.
Dynasty
–
A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family, usually in the context of a feudal or monarchical system but sometimes also appearing in elective republics. The dynastic family or lineage may be known as a house, historians periodize the histories of many sovereign states, such as Ancient Egypt, the Carolingian Empire and Imperial China, using a framework of successive dynasties. As such, the dynasty may be used to delimit the era during which the family reigned and to describe events, trends. The word dynasty itself is often dropped from such adjectival references, until the 19th century, it was taken for granted that a legitimate function of a monarch was to aggrandize his dynasty, that is, to increase the territory, wealth, and power of his family members. The longest-surviving dynasty in the world is the Imperial House of Japan, dynasties throughout the world have traditionally been reckoned patrilineally, such as under the Frankish Salic law. Succession through a daughter when permitted was considered to establish a new dynasty in her husbands ruling house, however, some states in Africa, determined descent matrilineally, while rulers have at other times adopted the name of their mothers dynasty when coming into her inheritance. It is also extended to unrelated people such as poets of the same school or various rosters of a single sports team. The word dynasty derives via Latin dynastia from Greek dynastéia, where it referred to power, dominion and it was the abstract noun of dynástēs, the agent noun of dynamis, power or ability, from dýnamai, to be able. A ruler in a dynasty is referred to as a dynast. For example, following his abdication, Edward VIII of the United Kingdom ceased to be a member of the House of Windsor. A dynastic marriage is one that complies with monarchical house law restrictions, the marriage of Willem-Alexander, Prince of Orange, to Máxima Zorreguieta in 2002 was dynastic, for example, and their eldest child is expected to inherit the Dutch crown eventually. But the marriage of his younger brother Prince Friso to Mabel Wisse Smit in 2003 lacked government support, thus Friso forfeited his place in the order of succession, lost his title as a Prince of the Netherlands, and left his children without dynastic rights. In historical and monarchist references to formerly reigning families, a dynast is a member who would have had succession rights, were the monarchys rules still in force. Even since abolition of the Austrian monarchy, Max and his descendants have not been considered the rightful pretenders by Austrian monarchists, nor have they claimed that position. The term dynast is sometimes used only to refer to descendants of a realms monarchs. The term can therefore describe overlapping but distinct sets of people, yet he is not a male-line member of the royal family, and is therefore not a dynast of the House of Windsor. Thus, in 1999 he requested and obtained permission from Elizabeth II to marry the Roman Catholic Princess Caroline of Monaco. Yet a clause of the English Act of Settlement 1701 remained in effect at that time and that exclusion, too, ceased to apply on 26 March 2015, with retroactive effect for those who had been dynasts prior to triggering it by marriage to a Catholic
8.
International Standard Book Number
–
The International Standard Book Number is a unique numeric commercial book identifier. An ISBN is assigned to each edition and variation of a book, for example, an e-book, a paperback and a hardcover edition of the same book would each have a different ISBN. The ISBN is 13 digits long if assigned on or after 1 January 2007, the method of assigning an ISBN is nation-based and varies from country to country, often depending on how large the publishing industry is within a country. The initial ISBN configuration of recognition was generated in 1967 based upon the 9-digit Standard Book Numbering created in 1966, the 10-digit ISBN format was developed by the International Organization for Standardization and was published in 1970 as international standard ISO2108. Occasionally, a book may appear without a printed ISBN if it is printed privately or the author does not follow the usual ISBN procedure, however, this can be rectified later. Another identifier, the International Standard Serial Number, identifies periodical publications such as magazines, the ISBN configuration of recognition was generated in 1967 in the United Kingdom by David Whitaker and in 1968 in the US by Emery Koltay. The 10-digit ISBN format was developed by the International Organization for Standardization and was published in 1970 as international standard ISO2108, the United Kingdom continued to use the 9-digit SBN code until 1974. The ISO on-line facility only refers back to 1978, an SBN may be converted to an ISBN by prefixing the digit 0. For example, the edition of Mr. J. G. Reeder Returns, published by Hodder in 1965, has SBN340013818 -340 indicating the publisher,01381 their serial number. This can be converted to ISBN 0-340-01381-8, the check digit does not need to be re-calculated, since 1 January 2007, ISBNs have contained 13 digits, a format that is compatible with Bookland European Article Number EAN-13s. An ISBN is assigned to each edition and variation of a book, for example, an ebook, a paperback, and a hardcover edition of the same book would each have a different ISBN. The ISBN is 13 digits long if assigned on or after 1 January 2007, a 13-digit ISBN can be separated into its parts, and when this is done it is customary to separate the parts with hyphens or spaces. Separating the parts of a 10-digit ISBN is also done with either hyphens or spaces, figuring out how to correctly separate a given ISBN number is complicated, because most of the parts do not use a fixed number of digits. ISBN issuance is country-specific, in that ISBNs are issued by the ISBN registration agency that is responsible for country or territory regardless of the publication language. Some ISBN registration agencies are based in national libraries or within ministries of culture, in other cases, the ISBN registration service is provided by organisations such as bibliographic data providers that are not government funded. In Canada, ISBNs are issued at no cost with the purpose of encouraging Canadian culture. In the United Kingdom, United States, and some countries, where the service is provided by non-government-funded organisations. Australia, ISBNs are issued by the library services agency Thorpe-Bowker
.svg){kind=small}