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2 The Origins of the United Arab Emirates

in the cast. These run north from Oman, through the UAE for
about fifty miles, to the Musandam peninsula. The UAE section
of the mountains is about twenty miles across, and on the cast
borders the Gulf of Oman. In consequence, this coast is far more
dramatic than the Arabian Gulf coast of the UAE. The bulk
of the UAE’s inhabitants live along its coasts, and, though there
is a lack of sweet water there, certain inland oases, such as Buraimi,
Liwa and Dhayd, have adequate supplies and therefore arc important
agricultural centres.
The harshness of the UAE’s geography is matched by the severity
of its summers, which arc long, oppressively hot and excessively
humid; temperatures during the season can reach i20°F (4g°C),
and the combination of heat and humidity produces conditions
not dissimilar from those of a steam-bath. The winter months,
by contrast, arc mild, with pleasant temperatures and a minimal
rainfall. The UAE’s geographical position makes it subject to frequent
dust-storms, which usually arc accompanied by a strong north-west
wind, the shamal. This adds greatly to the dangers of coastal naviga­
tion.
The area’s inhospitable geography and climate contributed substan­
tially to its long isolation. This became more complete after the
treaties with Britain, which curbed the seafaring activities of the
people of the Trucial Coast and so restricted their main channel
of communication with the outside world; they did not, however,
discontinue fishing and pearling, and so remained expert sailors.
Inevitably, though, the attention of the Coast’s inhabitants was
largely turned inland; and the 1892 treaty called a final halt
to any foreign contacts by them, except with Britain. The result
of all this was a gradual withdrawal from all but the most essential
form of social and economic intercourse with other peoples, and
a preoccupation with local events that was lacking in any kind
of awareness of their wider implications, either for the region or
in the context of the British Empire. The remoteness of the people
of the Coast caused them to live in a world where time was
an unimportant factor. For their part, the British were not dissatisfied
with their condition, but regarded them as savage and backward.
The most illuminating example of this occurred in December 1910.
when a party of men from HMS Hyacinth, acting on suspicion
of a traffic in arms, landed at Dubai to make a search. The
townspeople were alarmed at the entry of the armed men, and strongly
resented and resisted their presence. In the ensuing hostilities, four
men of the search party were killed and nine were wounded.
Immediate reprisals followed. A command issued jointly by the
Political Resident in Bushire and the Naval Commander-in-Chicf
of the East Indies Division ordered the ruler, Shaykh Butti bin