History of Ras Al Khaimah

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The late Sheikh Saqr bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, former Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, commented, “Our traditions must be maintained at all costs. Lose them and we lose ourselves.”

His words reflect the importance of knowing the history of the land which we call our own. This history is important, as it helps us better understand the society in which we live; it helps citizens get a better understanding of themselves and those who came before them; and it also helps people gain appreciation of the land on which they live.

Though the UAE is a relatively new country – having only formed in 1971 – the history of the land that the UAE occupies dates back to the Neolithic Age, which is evidenced by inscriptions, drawings and archaeological finds uncovered in the seven emirates during the period from the early 1950s to the present day. Archaeologists have found evidence of human settlement in the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah from 7,000 years ago, making it one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the world. Its location at the entrance of the Arabian Gulf has always been strategic to the socio-economic and cultural growth of the emirate. It has also meant that Ras Al Khaimah has also been fending off invading forces; the remnants of numerous historic forts and towers testify to its turbulent eventful history.

Ancient History

File:Ubaid Vase.jpg

Pottery from the Ubaid Period were decorated with a dark brownish paint. © Mark Beech

The Neolithic Age

Twenty-three kilometres south-west of the modern city of Ras Al Khaimah, near the abandoned fishing town of Jazirat al-Hamra, lies a small, partly destroyed shell mound. Essentially a heap of prehistoric domestic waste known as a shell midden, it consists mostly of fish bones and mollusc shells, as well as fragmentary remains of dugong and livestock bones. It is of little interest to tourists and passers-by, and yet is of immense value to the understanding ofRas Al Khaimah’s ancient past. When the site was first identified by German archaeologists in the late 1980s, fragments of Mesopotamian pottery dating from the Ubaid Period were found among the heap of fish bones and mollusc shells. Their presence meant the mound was of Neolithic origin and could be dated to the fifth or sixth millennia BC, indicating that the ceramic shards were among the oldest pieces of pottery ever found in the lower Gulf. They also provided evidence that Ras Al Khaimah could trace its history back at least 7,000 years.

Very little is known about the people who inhabited the emirate 7,000 years ago, although a much clearer picture has been painstakingly pieced together over the course of the past thirty years. Along the coast, they occupied seasonal settlements, living largely as fishermen and hunters. The fragments of Ubaid pottery discovered at Jazirat al-Hamra also reveal the existence of maritime trade, although the full extent of that trade remains unknown. Inland, the people were primarily nomadic, or semi-nomadic, pastoralists who herded cattle, sheep and goats. The discovery of arrowheads, scrapers, knives and borers at sites across the UAE, as well as flakes (a type of stone tool) and blades made from different kinds of flint at the shell midden near Jazirat al-Hamra, reveal the existence of sophisticated tools. As hard as it is to imagine now, the climate would have been far friendlier 7,000 years ago. There were freshwater lakes and grasslands for livestock, as well as extensive seagrass meadows that were suitable for dugong and other marine life. No other remnants of the Neolithic Age have yet been discovered, leaving only a few tantalising traces of human existence. An existence that would not come into sharper focus until the arrival of the Bronze Age.

The Bronze Age

It was during the Bronze Age that the first inklings of a more sophisticated culture began to emerge. Traditionally divided into four separate periods, the Bronze Age stretched from the Hafit Period of the late fourth and early third millennia BC, to the Umm an-Nar (2600–2000 BC), the Wadi Suq (2000–1600 BC) and the Late Bronze Age (1600–1250 BC) cultures that came to dominate what is now the UAE and northern Oman.

The first three periods are named after the locations where evidence of their existence was first discovered. In the case of the Hafit Period, that was Jebel Hafit in Al Ain; for Umm an-Nar, it was an island off the coast of Abu Dhabi with the same name, while for Wadi Suq, it was an eponymous valley located between Al Ain and the Oman coast. Due to the lack of historical evidence, the study of these periods has been entirely dependent on archaeology.

In contrast to the Neolithic inhabitants of Ras Al Khaimah, the Hafit Period is characterised by the evolution of oases settlements. Archaeological evidence for this period has been found at many locations, including two outstanding places – Khatt and Qarn al-Harf. The former – a village renowned for its hot springs – is the oldest permanently inhabited area of Ras Al Khaimah, with evidence of human activity dating back to the Neolithic Period. The latter represents a solitary hill in front of the Hajar mountains between Wadi Bih and Wadi Naqab. First discovered by the British archaeologist Beatrice de Cardi in 1977, the burial cairns at Khatt are situated on the lower ridges east of the springs.

The Umm an-Nar Period has bequeathed Ras Al Khaimah some of its most spectacular archaeological discoveries. Nowhere is this more apparent than at Shimal, where two circular tombs represent the largest funerary Umm an-Nar structures ever found in south-east Arabia. A dense archaeological landscape located about eight kilometres north-east of the modern city of Ras Al Khaimah, Shimal is a treasure trove of prehistoric tombs. It is the emirate’s largest pre-Islamic site, not just in relation to the Umm an-Nar culture, but to all subsequent eras prior to the arrival of Islam.

The transition from the Umm an-Nar to the Wadi Suq Period is a contested one. Although it is generally agreed that climate change began to transform the lives of those who inhabited the Arabian peninsula from around 2200 BC, the extent of that transformation is debated. What is certain is that the abrupt onset of drought conditions led to extreme aridity and a dramatic change in the landscape. The majority of Wadi Suq sites can be found along the northern coast, where maritime resources, palm gardens and fresh water encouraged continued human habitation. The beginning of the second millennium BC is not only marked by a sudden change in settlement pattern, but in the construction of tombs and the style of pottery produced. The location of Wadi Suq tombs indicate that the majority of people lived in dispersed palm garden settlements. A number of Wadi Suq settlements continued to be occupied during the Late Bronze Age, including Tell Abraq and Kalba, while much of our understanding of the Late Bronze Age period in Ras Al Khaimah is informed by a settlement in the Shimal area. First excavated in 1986, it was built on the slopes of the Ru’s al-Jabal and developed around a prominent triangular rock. Fortified by a large defensive wall constructed along the edge of the wadi terrace to the south, the settlement has revealed the existence of arish-style housing located on terraced levels above the wadi bed.

The Iron Age

The Iron Age (1300–600 BC) is defined by technological innovation, the development of mud brick villages, the appearance of impressive fortifications, and the arrival of foreign powers and influence. It is also defined by the domestication of the camel, which not only made the movement of goods and people across the desert possible, however, it impacted foreign trade thanks to the creation of long-distance caravan routes that linked south-east Arabia with south Arabia and the Levant. This innovation in animal husbandry was to have far-reaching consequences for the region, as would another hugely important Iron Age innovation.

Around 1000 BC, a revolutionary new irrigation system known as a ‘falaj’ was invented in south-east Arabia, making it one of the oldest systems of its kind in the world. Composed of a series of underground water channels, it brought water from aquifers along the mountains to low-lying agricultural terrain. Its impact was profound, enabling the distribution of water to a large number of farmers and the cultivation of wider areas of previously arid land. The invention of the falaj system necessitated the development of administrative centres, which led to the formation of increasingly complex communities.

The Late Pre-Islamic Period

Towards the end of the Iron Age, Achaemenid Empire also started declining by 330 BC, which meant Maka was no longer a Persian province and south-east Arabia was free from foreign political interference – for a time, at least. Although the Achaemenid Empire had been defeated by the armies of Alexander the Great, the Greeks did not establish their dominance over this region. The Parthian Empire, which emerged in 247 BC, would become a major political and cultural power, but the exact extent of its influence in Ras Al Khaimah during the centuries leading up to the arrival of Islam is unclear.

The final era prior to the arrival of Islam is the Sasanian Period (AD 300–632). According to the Karnamag-e Ardashir-e Pabagan (The Book of Deeds of Ardashir son of Pabag), which recounts the story of Ardashir, the founder of the Sassanid dynasty, the Sasanian Empire fought the men of Mazun (of which Ras Al Khaimah was a part) from the outset. Although Persian rule was probably limited to a military presence along the coast, it is now clear that a sizeable portion of Ras Al Khaimah was occupied by the Sasanian Empire during the latter part of their rule. Nowhere is this more apparent than at Kush, an archaeological tell lying within the Shimal plain. Excavations carried out by the Department of Antiquities and Museums have revealed a large, probably public building complex and a variety of artefacts.

Dawn of Islam

Sassanid Empire 226 - 651 (AD)

The Advent of Islam

Our knowledge of south-east Arabia in the years leading up to the arrival of Islam is scant, but for the first time our understanding of historical events shifts from a complete reliance on archaeology to the availability of written sources. Arab chroniclers during the Islamic Golden Age, sometimes writing from a great historical distance, provide us with a tantalising image of south-east Arabia on the eve of Islam. An image that is populated with kings and princes, empires and warfare, merchants and trade. At the heart of which often lay the ancient trading town of Julfar.

According to the ninth century historian Ahmad Ibn Yahya al-Baladhuri, author of the Kitab Futuh al-Buldan (‘Book of the Conquests of Lands’), in the years prior to Islam much of Oman and the eastern coast of the UAE was dominated by a branch of the Azd tribe known as the Banu Al Julanda. The geographer and historian Ahmad al-Ya’qubi, whose Tarikh al-Yaqubi is an account of the pre-Islamic peoples of the Arabian peninsula, mentions other branches of the Azd, including the Al-Huddan, who are believed to have resided along the northern coast of the UAE, including Ras Al Khaimah.

Islamic Dynasties in the Arab World

Despite their conversion to Islam and the defeat of the Sasanian Empire, the submission of tribal leaders to both the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphates was never assured. If anything, the relationship between the tribes of south-east Arabia and the centralised authority of Damascus or Baghdad was defined by independence, hostility and open conflict. Within that environment, the port of Julfar became a pivotal rallying point for a series of bloody confrontations during the early years of Islam. Our knowledge of what took place during the initial years of the Umayyad Caliphate is largely dependent on a handful of sources, including those of Sirhan Ibn Sa’id and Hamid ibn Muhammad ibn Ruzayq, the author of A History of the Imams and Seyyids of Oman. Other Abbasid-era historians, including Khalifah Ibn Khayyat, mention the campaigns against the sons of Abd bin Al Julanda – Suleiman and Said – only in passing and, as such, a clear picture of what took place has to be painstakingly pieced together.

Archaeological evidence for this period is scarce, although the early centuries of Islamic rule are relatively well presented at Kush and on the island of Hulaylah. The former has been identified as the commercial centre of the original port of Julfar, with excavations revealing a substantial tower that dates from the early Islamic period.

As is to be expected given its strategic location close the Strait of Hormuz, its safe harbour and access to the fertile palm gardens of Shimal, Julfar is the only settlement on the southern shores of the Arabian Gulf that is consistently mentioned by early Arab historians. Even the medieval geographer Al-Maqdisi knew very little of the wider region, despite it being central to successive military campaigns, including those orchestrated by the Abbasid caliphs during the ninth century.

It is not until the later Islamic period that a wealth of archaeological evidence begins to broaden our understanding of life in Ras Al Khaimah. Combined with an upsurge in historical sources and the emergence of buildings such as the Queen of Sheba’s Palace, a far more prosperous and urbanised world begins to materialise. Nowhere exemplifies this better than Julfar, which was to become the most famed and prosperous trading town in the lower Gulf.

The Beginnings of Julfar

No other name evokes the spirit of Arabian adventure like Julfar. Romanticised and exoticised for more than a thousand years, it was the birthplace of the legendary navigator Ahmed ibn Majid, a focal point for maritime power, and the only port providing access from the Arabian Gulf to south-east Arabia. Its strategic location close to the Strait of Hormuz, its relationship with maritime trade, and the importance placed in it by successive empires meant that Julfar grew in both size and importance.

The town itself would have included only a few buildings and nothing more, with the majority of the population living within the palm gardens, either in mud brick, stone or arish houses. Those gardens were the source of life for Julfar, providing a harvest of dates and other fruit such as oranges and lemons, as well as vegetables and fodder for livestock. Although the size of the population can only be guessed at, it would have been substantial, with early Julfar linked to the coast by a lagoon and a network of navigable channels, despite now lying a few kilometres inland. It was this lagoon, protected by an offshore sandbar, that provided a safe harbour and enabled the port to flourish.

Of all the historical figures associated with the wonder that was medieval Julfar, it is Ibn Majid who stands head and shoulders above them all. Now considered a national hero and a cultural icon, most of what we know about him stems from his corpus of literary works or from later references. He was a hugely experienced navigator, cartographer and poet and one of the great pioneers of navigational science, transforming Arab navigation in the Indian Ocean into a highly organised discipline.

As a monument to Julfar’s strength and wealth, Wadi Sur was unrivalled. It was one of the largest fortifications in south-east Arabia and yet by the end of the sixteenth century it was all but obsolete. The Portuguese replaced the Kingdom of Hormuz as the dominant power in the Arabian Gulf in the early sixteenth century, taking the island of Hormuz itself in 1507 and establishing a chain of fortified settlements across the Indian Ocean.

European Interest in Ras Al Khaimah

Codice Casanatense Arabian Sailors

The Portuguese Era

At the turn of the sixteenth century, Ras Al Khaimah was as important to south-east Arabia’s mercantile affairs as it had been for centuries. It continued to be a major hub for maritime trade, remained strategically and logistically important, and had increased in both influence and wealth.

For the first few years of the new century, Ras Al Khaimah remained under the influence of the Kingdom of Hormuz, which suffered from a period of internal turmoil from 1498 to 1505. Yet, despite intense rivalry for the throne, few would have imagined that within the space of a few years the balance of regional power would shift dramatically, opening up a whole new chapter of Ras Al Khaimah’s history. When the Portuguese under the command of Afonso de Albuquerque attacked Hormuz in 1507, it heralded the beginning of European dominance in the Arabian Gulf. The Portuguese were the first European proponents of seaborne violence and protectionism to enter the Arabs’ sphere of maritime influence, and their arrival would upend centuries of free-flowing trade.

For more than 100 years, the Portuguese would enforce their monopoly on commerce, inverting the balance of power and hastening the decline of Arab interests. The Portuguese turned both the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Gulf into militarised zones, breaking centuries of peaceful trade between the Arab world and the Indian subcontinent.

The Portuguese valued Ras Al Khaimah for exactly the same reasons as all the previous empires and kingdoms. It was strategically located, provided access to fertile palm gardens, and was a major hub for trade in everything from pepper to pearls. Yet, evidence of direct Portuguese involvement in Ras Al Khaimah is limited, despite an atlas by the cartographer Lazaro Luis recording a series of Portuguese fortresses along the coast of the Oman Peninsula, including one at Julfar, in 1563.

It was not until the capture of Hormuz by English and Persian forces in 1622 and the loss of other important towns that the Portuguese became directly involved in Ras Al Khaimah. It was a period of revolt, with these powers trying to retain control over the area, and it was during this period that the first ever recorded mention of the Qawasim originates.

The Portuguese presence in Ras Al Khaimah lasted little more than eleven years, which ended with the emergence of Nasir bin Murshid, the first Imam of the Ya’arabi dynasty of Oman. He successfully united the warring tribes of Oman, leading to an attack on Ras Al Khaimah and Rams in 1633 and the successful capture of both towns. The loss of Hormuz may have marked the end of Portuguese supremacy in the Gulf, but it was the concerted attacks of the Ya’arabi and their harrying of Portuguese interests all the way to the coast of East Africa that led to the collapse of Portuguese power and influence.

The Dutch Era

When a combined Dutch and English fleet engaged with the Portuguese in the Strait of Hormuz in 1625, the balance of power in the Arabian Gulf shifted once again. Although the battle was inconclusive, the Portuguese era of naval dominance was effectively over. From that moment on, the Dutch East India Company and the English East India Company – both joint stock companies – would compete for influence in the Arabian Gulf, leading to conflict between the two nations and the eventual emergence of the Dutch as masters of the sea.

The Dutch had not come to the Arabian Gulf to gain territory, they had come to trade. They relied on force – or the threat of it – to procure lucrative trade agreements with various rulers. They issued naval trade licenses, taxed passing vessels, and controlled commercial assets coming in and out of the Arabian Gulf, all of which would have put them in contact with the rulers of Ras Al Khaimah.

Although it is impossible to say with any certainty who those rulers were, the power and influence of the Qawasim gradually increased. The emirate’s earliest known leader, Sheikh Rahma bin Matar Al Qasimi, was described by the Dutch as the ‘Emir of Julfar’ and as one of the richest and most influential of Arab merchants in the first half of the eighteenth century.

The primary source of information relating to the emirate from this time is Baron Tiddo Frederik van Kniphausen, the Dutch East India Company’s agent on the island of Kharg. He described the town as having 400 well-armed men and around sixty large vessels that were capable of travelling as far as Mocha in Yemen. He also provides the earliest known description of the coastal town of Jazirat al-Hamra, which he described as being inhabited by the Za’ab tribe and engaged in pearling.

By the time of Kniphausen’s visit, however, the Dutch were already in decline. By the 1750s they had lost most of their holdings in the Indian Ocean and their factories in the region were eventually closed due to increased competition from the British. The Dutch continued to operate from Kharg until 1766, when Arab resistance, led by Mir Muhanna, resulted in Dutch defeat and the liberation of the island. The Qawasim, in contrast, were very much in the ascendency.

The British Era

By the time the British began to take an interest in the affairs of Ras Al Khaimah, the Qawasim not only ruled Ras Al Khaimah, but Sharjah and parts of the Persian coastline, too, including the port town of Lingah and Laft on the island of Qeshm. It was Ras Al Khaimah, however, that formed the centre of Qawasim power, and from 1777 was ruled by Sheikh Saqr bin Rashid Al Qasimi. The Qawasim’s possessions on both sides of the Strait of Hormuz meant they commanded an enormously strategic position, enabling them to play an important role in the region’s affairs. Such strength and influence would bring them into conflict with Britain, which wished to secure access to the Arabian Gulf for its trade and viewed the activities of the Qawasim with growing concern from the late eighteenth century onwards.

As the British East India Company’s records are the only detailed contemporary account of the events that followed, the historical picture, unfortunately, is incomplete. Accusations of piracy by the Qawasim have been disputed by a number of writers and historians and the dearth of local contemporary sources only acts to compound the issue. Many contemporary British accounts also include phrases and terminology that can only be described as derogatory.

It wasn't until 1804 that the first direct accusations of piracy were made against the Qawasim. Two British ships, the Trimmer and the Shannon, were attacked by Sheikh Qadhib al Qasimi, the ruler of Lingeh, in December of that year, followed by two confrontations with a number of Qawasim vessels in 1805. The British responded by signing a peace treaty between themselves and the Qawasim (led by Sheikh Sultan bin Saqr Al Qasimi) in 1806. However, hostilities continued, and the British response was a military assault on Ras Al Khaimah in 1809. The bombardment was initially ineffective but many of the town’s defences were damaged or destroyed and an unknown number of fighters and civilians killed. However, Ras Al Khaimah was rebuilt under the guidance of the Qawasim leaders.

The situation between the powers became progressively worse in the following years, until the British finally ordered a military assault on Ras Al Khaimah in 1819. Larger and more organised than anything previously sent against the town, the expedition would lead to the Qawasim’s defeat, the capture of their fleet, and the occupation of Ras Al Khaimah. From that moment on, the British imposed a series of treaties on the rulers of what would become the Trucial States, beginning with the General Peace Treaty of 1820. The British created the post of Political Agent for the Lower Gulf to enforce the treaty, which was followed by a number of other agreements, including the Maritime Truce of 1835 and the Perpetual Maritime Truce of 1853.

In total, British involvement in the Arabian Gulf would cover a period of almost 400 years. From the first expeditions of the English East India Company, to the country’s imperial heyday in the nineteenth century and its withdrawal from the Trucial States in 1971, Britain would dominate the region like no previous empire before it.

Initially driven by the desire to develop trade, from 1820 onwards Britain would enjoy unprecedented commercial and political supremacy, dramatically impacting Ras Al Khaimah and the lives of its inhabitants.

The Qawasim

Kalba Fort

The Origins of the Qawasim

Tradition has it that a leader named Sheikh Qasim settled on the coast of Ras Al Khaimah many centuries ago. Seeking a commanding winter base for his tribe, one day he came upon a raised point of land within sight of the Hajar Mountains. Content with what he had found, he and his followers pitched their tents and would return to the same location every winter. Over time, others joined them, until a large settlement emerged and became known as Ras Al Khaimah (the ‘top of the tent’ in English). It is a myth, of course, but one that is deeply embedded in the history of the Qawasim.

Charles Rathbone Low, a British officer in the Indian Navy, mentions it in The Land of the Sun: Sketches of Travel, with Memoranda, Historical and Geographical, of Places of Interest in the East, and it appears in other documents too. Published by Hodder & Stoughton in 1870, Low’s account stated that: “According to Lieutenant Wellsted of the Indian Navy, the name of Jowassami was derived from Johasmi a Mohammedan saint, who first pitched his tent on the promontory where was built their chief port, called hence Ras-el-Khymah, or Cape Tent.”

In reality, the exact origins of the Qawasim are unknown. One theory holds that the ancestors of the Qawasim migrated from deep within the Arabian peninsula, possibly following a split among a tribal grouping known as the Nizar. In the early nineteenth century, the British civil servant Francis Warden, who was chief secretary to the government in Bombay, briefly discussed the origins of the Qawasim in an Historical sketch of the Joasmee [Qawasim] tribe of Arabs, from the year 1747 to the year 1819. He noted that: “The Joasmees are a race of Arabs descended from the inhabitants of Nujd [Najd in Saudi Arabia], and named Beni Nasir, as being on the left-hand side of the Caaba; and called also Beni Gafree. They have possessed the principality of Seer, in Oman, and been an independent tribe, from the earliest ages.”

An alternative theory – that the Qawasim descend from the Huwala, a group of Arab seafaring tribes who inhabited the shores of the Persian coast – has also proven popular throughout history. When the German cartographer and explorer Carsten Niebuhr wrote of Ras Al Khaimah in the late eighteenth century, he referred to the ‘Schiech of Seer’ as being ‘of the tribe of Houle’.

In truth, the Qawasim are most probably of local origin, although this is impossible to prove with absolute certainty. It is not clear when the Qawasim originally settled in Ras Al Khaimah, however the first recorded mention of them dates as far back as 1624. The tribe is mentioned again in 1650, this time in relation to a peace treaty between the Portuguese and the Omanis. The agreement, although never executed, was signed by Portuguese envoys and two Omani diplomats, one of whom was referred to as ‘Sefo ben Aly ben Sali el-Casmi’ (Sayf bin Ali bin Salih Al Qasimi).

The earliest known leader of Ras Al Khaimah, Sheikh Rahma bin Matar Al Qasimi, is described in Dutch documents as the ‘Emir of Julfar’ and as one of the richest and most influential of Arab merchants. According to separate Dutch documents, Nadir Shah, the powerful ruler of Persia from 1736 until 1747, recognised Al Qasimi as the hereditary ruler of Julfar in 1740. Ruzayq also mentions the emir of Julfar, “Ráhmah-bin-Mátar, el-Háwaly”, during the civil war that swept across Oman during the early years of the eighteenth century. Ruzayq wrote that the emir sent auxiliaries to assist Muhammad bin Nasir, an Imam from the Beni Ghafir tribe, at some point prior to 1728.

The Maritime Prowess of the Qawasim

Whatever their heritage, the Qawasim continued a seafaring tradition that stretched back millennia. From the traders of the Umm an-Nar era and ‘the ships of Magan’, to the medieval glory of Julfar and the fifteenth century navigator Ahmed bin Majid, the coastline of Ras Al Khaimah was, and always had been, a kaleidoscopic hive of maritime activity. A deep and sometimes profound heritage of trading, fishing, pearling and navigation ran through the veins of every single person who lived along its shoreline. Writing in the early seventeenth century, the folk poet Al Majidi Ibn Dhaher captured the hardship and beauty of the sea in vivid Nabati poetry. To him and many others, the sea, as well as the desert that lapped against its shores, was life itself.

Although trade was their primary concern, throughout much of the eighteenth century the Qawasim were in conflict with either the Omanis, the Persians, or the various tribes that inhabited the islands and shoreline of south-west Persia. These confrontations were centred around Bandar Abbas and the island of Qeshm, but seaborne conflict spread across the entirety of the lower Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz and would prove both costly and lucrative. His Highness Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi, Ruler of Sharjah, has carried out extensive research into the Qawasim, British accusations of piracy, and the power struggles that swept across the Arabian Gulf during the middle part of the eighteenth century. His studies give a sense of the conflict that raged throughout that period: for example, in June 1760, the Qawasim arrived at Bandar Abbas with an estimated 800 to 1,000 men and a fleet of fifty vessels. On 23 July 1760, they fought an engagement with the forces of Nasir Khan off the coast of Lingeh, leading to Khan’s defeat and eventual retreat. In 1761, a Qawasim fleet consisting of thirty gallivats (small armed boats), dhows and other vessels met a combined Omani and Banu Ma’in force, defeating them near the island of Larak.

Although the Qawasim would suffer occasional reversals of fortune, their prowess as mariners and fighters, merchants and traders, was undoubted. The British author James Silk Buckingham wrote that they “were so much more skilful, industrious, and faithful in their engagements than the other tribes of the coast, that they were always preferred and constantly spoken of as the best people throughout the Gulf.” Lieutenant H. H. Whitelock noted that “they are mostly seafaring people, and at some seasons of the year, particularly during the pearl fishery, the towns are nearly deserted by the men, who leave their wives and children at home under the care of those who have passed the period for active employment in such arduous work.” His account also provided an estimate of the number of men and boats involved in pearling. For Ras Al Khaimah, Sharjah and their dependencies, that number was 350 vessels and 3,150 men, although it would have been considerably higher prior to the British attack on Ras Al Khaimah in 1819.

Beginnings of the UAE

The General Treaty with the Arab Tribes of the Arabian Gulf, 1820. © Qatar National Library

The British Protectorate and the Trucial States

Britain’s 1819 attack was a disaster for the Qawasim and its consequences would be far-reaching. From that moment on, British supremacy in the region would be a political and military priority and it would last for 151 years. From the signing of the General Peace Treaty of 1820, to Britain’s withdrawal from the Arabian Gulf on 1 December 1971, the United Kingdom’s role in the affairs of Ras Al Khaimah and of the other states would be integral to the formation of the United Arab Emirates. Ras Al Khaimah would remain under British occupation until July 1820, when the garrison of 800 soldiers left for the island of Qeshm.

A ten-year truce was eventually signed on 1 June 1843. This, in turn, led to the Perpetual Maritime Truce of 1853, which was signed on 4 May of that year. Sheikh Sultan signed as the “Chief of the Joasmees”, with the treaty committing the signatories, as well as their heirs and successors, to “conclude together a lasting and inviolable peace from this time forth in perpetuity”. From that moment on, the area previously referred to as the ‘Pirate Coast’ would become the Trucial Coast, and the tribal confederations that lived along it, the Trucial States.

Formation of the Federation

British involvement in the internal affairs of the Trucial States would gradually increase during the course of the twentieth century. Whereas the nineteenth century had been about the suppression of piracy and the protection of trade routes, the twentieth would be dominated by the discovery of oil and the rising economic importance of the Trucial States.

Social and economic development of the Trucial States had been neglected by the British and was a significant bone of contention for Sheikh Saqr, who sought to invest in Ras Al Khaimah’s agricultural potential. The creation of a modern interstate transportation network increased connectivity and brought the seven states closer together, both physically and psychologically. It was one of many initiatives that promoted common cause among the leaders during the existence of the Trucial States Council and paved the way for the emergence of the United Arab Emirates, the formation of which would come quicker than anybody anticipated.

Ras Al Khaimah and the Union

When Britain announced its intention to withdraw from the Arabian Gulf in 1971, it set in motion a series of political decisions that would lead to the foundation of an independent, sovereign state. The first steps towards unification were taken by Abu Dhabi and Dubai, when leaders Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum met at Al Sameeh on 18 February 1968 to sign the Union Accord – a remarkable document that lay the foundations for a wider federation. Within a week, the two leaders had invited the rulers of Ras Al Khaimah, Sharjah, Umm Al Quwain, Ajman and Fujairah, as well as those of Bahrain and Qatar, to join negotiations for the formation of a union. Between 25 and 27 February 1968, all nine leaders met in Dubai for discussions, leading to the signing of an eleven-point agreement that would form the basis of the ‘Federation of the Arab Emirates’.

Both Bahrain and Qatar would eventually withdraw from the negotiations, leaving the leaders of the seven Trucial States to discuss the formation of a ‘Union of Arab Emirates’. On 10 July 1971, those rulers met in Dubai to hammer out any outstanding issues and move towards a final agreement. Of concern to Sheikh Saqr was the nature of the Supreme Council, which he believed placed too much power (particularly the power of veto) into the hands of Abu Dhabi and Dubai. He was also angered at what he perceived to be a lack of support from the other leaders over the status of the Greater and Lesser Tumb islands. As a consequence, Sheikh Saqr declined to sign the Provisional Constitution, although he did not rule out the possibility of doing so in the future.

The other leaders agreed to a union and announced the formation of the United Arab Emirates on 18 July 1971. When the British finally left on 30 November, bringing an end to more than 150 years of involvement in the affairs of the Trucial States, the foundation of an independent United Arab Emirates was formally proclaimed on 2 December 1971. The next two months would be pivotal for Ras Al Khaimah. Despite the emirate’s long and illustrious history, its proud and independent spirit, and the once powerful nature of the Qawasim, everybody knew, including Sheikh Saqr, that the emirate was a natural part of the union. What's more, the longer it remained outside of the federation the more damage that could be done to both the emirate and to the fledgling UAE. On 9 February 1972, Sheikh Saqr called together the emirate’s political leaders and told them that, for the sake of stability and confidence, the emirate either had to assume its own independence or consider itself a part of the union. By late evening, following a long and impassioned discussion, a consensus was reached: Ras Al Khaimah would join the union and play its part at “the heart of the federation”.

The Emirate in Modern Times

A map of the Musandam Peninsula by Bertram Thomas, showing the territories of the Trucial Chiefs, 1928. © Qatar National Library.

Heritage and Culture

Ras Al Khaimah’s rich history, heritage and culture comes from its unique geographical features – mountains, coastal beaches, mangroves and the desert – along with its strategic location at the mouth of the Arabian Gulf. With history this old comes traditions and artforms that are passed on from one generation to the next. These can be seen in the emirate’s exquisite folklore, folk music and dance that express the local social, ethical and aesthetic values.

Society

Ras Al Khaimah is mainly a tribal society, with most of its local population belonging to different tribes, be it mountain tribes, sea tribes and desert tribes. Each of these main tribes has several tribes under its ‘family name’, and they can be differentiated from one another due to their dialects. The people of Ras Al Khaimah, including the various tribes and the significant historical figures, have been a part of the rich history of the Emirate.

Health and Education

Up until the formation of the UAE, Ras Al Khaimah’s education and healthcare was rudimentary. There had been limited investment in either and the British had failed to provide even the most basic educational and medical needs up until the 1950s. From the mid-1960s onwards, the emirate’s healthcare provision has grown into a world-class offering, with state-of-the-art hospitals providing the very best medical care. These include Saqr Hospital, the Sheikh Khalifa Specialty Hospital, and RAK Hospital.

A similar evolutionary journey applies to the provision of education. Prior to the arrival of the emirate’s first schools, education was the remit of a ‘mutawwa’ (teacher), who either taught at the local mosque or from their home. Sheikh Saqr was one of the first Trucial States rulers to turn education into a policy initiative and the first schools to be built in the emirate were funded by Kuwait. By 1969 Ras Al Khaimah had eleven schools – six for boys and five for girls. Although illiteracy would remain high well into the 1970s, schooling became universal and previously nomadic people settled in new villages where buses would collect their children for school each day. Today, the emirate’s educational offering is world-class and ranges from public and private schools to the American University of Ras Al Khaimah.

Economy and Tourism

Ras Al Khaimah also has a strong economy. Historically, agriculture and fisheries were the two main economic sectors in the emirate. However, the government has been focused on diversifying the economy over the past years. Now, the major economic sectors include tourism, real estate, building materials, manufacturing and hi-tech industry and service. The emirate provides a stable, attractive environment for investment. It recently established free zones and industrial areas which has attracted many foreign investments, which have also positively impacted its economy.

Tourism is one of the largest and fastest-growing economic sectors in Ras Al Khaimah. The emirate is home to numerous natural and historically significant sites – some of them UNESCO World Heritage sites – such as Shimal, Al Jazeera Al Hamra, Dhayah Fort, and so on. The Government of Ras Al Khaimah is strategically promoting them to boost tourism to the emirate. In 2019, Ras Al Khaimah received an estimated 1.12 million tourists, up from just about 500,000 in 2007.

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