Trucial States
United Arab Emirates, 1820–1971. Draft, not yet reviewed
The Trucial States, also known as the Trucial Coast, or the Trucial Sheikhdoms, or Trucial Oman, was a group of tribal confederations in southeastern Arabia south of the Persian Gulf whose leaders had signed protective treaties with the British Empire between 1820 and 1892. The sheikhdoms allied themselves with the United Kingdom through a series of treaties, beginning with the General Maritime Treaty of 1820 and including the Perpetual Maritime Truce of 1853. The Trucial States remained an informal British protectorate until the treaties were revoked on 1 December 1971. Six of the sheikhdoms, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain and Fujairah, formed the United Arab Emirates the day after the treaties were revoked.
Seat of power: Abu Dhabi
No rulers documented for this era yet.
Culture
- In 1952, the Trucial States Council was established to encourage co-operation among the seven rulers.
- The Indian rupee remained the de facto currency of the Trucial States as well as the other Persian Gulf states, such as Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman, until the Gulf rupee was introduced in 1959.
- The last sheikhdom to be granted recognition was that of Fujairah, which became a trucial state in 1952 after the British Government came under pressure from PCL (Petroleum Concessions Limited) to grant status so that the company could have a free hand to explore for oil along the whole east coast.
Picture
Al Fahidi Fort in Dubai, built in 1787, is the oldest existing building in the city and houses the Dubai Museum.
Sources
Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.