Page 40 - The Origins of the United Arab Emirates_Neat

I () The Origins of the United Arab Emirates

Umm al-Qaiwain is situated around twenty-seven miles south-west
of Ras al-Khaimah town. It extends northwards to Jazirat al-Hamra
and southwards part of the way to Hamriyyah. About sixteen
miles south-east of the town of Umm al-Qaiwain is the oasis of
Falaj-al-‘Ali, where inch date gardens have always existed. The
ruling family and most of the people arc of the Al-‘Ali. The shaykh-
dom is small: its population during the first half of this century
never exceeded 5000 people, and its importance in the political
life of the coast during the same period was slight. There were
violent struggles over the succession in the 1920s.