Page 278 - UAE Truncal States

A City Slate - Example Dubai

among the wealthier social groupings as well. These changes were
not so radical, because they affected only the economic status but left
the original Arab tribal social order intact. The ‘‘aristocrats" of the
City State had been the members of the A1 Bu Falasah clan and of
other Bani Yus subtribes, among whom a fair number had become
relatively wealthy from trading in pearls and running pearling boats.
Many of them were far wealthier than the Ruler, who did not
participate personally in the industry but could use the tax revenue
at his discretion either privately or for public purposes. After the
decline of the pearling industry many of the pearl merchants, who
were habitually reluctant to deal in foodstuffs and textiles—a type of
trading they had always left to the Persian traders—found them­
selves overtaken in personal and family fortunes by the Persian
immigrant merchants on the one side and the Ruler himself on the
other. But Shaikh Sa'Td bin Maktum understood, as did the other
Rulers on the coast, that the guaranteed annual rents which were
paid by Petroleum Concessions Ltd. and the British Government for
exploration and landing facilities were his personal income.24 By the
end of the 1930s, he was financially much better off than the rest of
his family. This was a source of much friction between him and some
of his cousins, which, as can be seen at a later date, led to their
repeated attempts at armed rebellion and eventually to their success
in combining the many pockets of discontent and resistance against
his rule in Dubai into an organised opposition.

The roots of discontent
As has been shown above, the decline of the pearling industry hit the
merchants in Dubai particularly hard because, as times grew worse,
most of their boats went to sea loaded down with a complex chain of
debts. Returns had been phenomenal for some lucky individuals.
Therefore the number of people who borrowed money, fitted out a
boat and tried their luck grew out of all proportion, while the debts
which people were willing to risk also grew every year. When the
decline started, a rising premium was demanded for the risk: up to 36
per cent annual interest was taken in 1929. During that same year, 60
boats from Dubai failed to put to sea owing to financial difficulties.25
Among the merchants who suffered were Muhammad bin Ahmad bin
Dalmuk, the cousins of the Ruler, Mani' and Hashar the sons of
Rashid bin Maktum, and SaTd and Suhail whose father Buti had
been the previous Ruler.

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