History
Historically known as Tawam or al Buraimi Oasis, Al Ain became a distinct location following independence in 1971. Al Ain has been inhabited for over 4,000 years, with archaeological sites showing human settlement at Al Hili and Jabel Hafeet. These early cultures built "beehive" tombs for their dead and engaged in hunting and gathering in the area. The oasis provided water for early farms until th modern age. A companion of the prophet Muhammad, Kaab Bin Ahbar was sent to the region to introduce Islam. He settled and died in the oasis. The forts currently in Al Ain were built in the late 19th or early 20th century to solidify Abu Dhabi's control over the oasis.
Wilfred Thesiger visited Al Ain in the late 1940s during his travels across the Empty Quarter. He met Sheikh Zayed and stayed with him at Al Muwaiji Fort. These network of fortresses served as the trading and slaving posts for the area.
In 1952, Saudi Arabia sent raiders to capture Al Ain's fortresses and incorporate the oasis into the Saudi kingdom. Forces from the Trucial Oman Scouts as well as the army of Oman arrived to recapture the oasis. With British intervention, the Saudi forces withdrew, leaving the oasis back in the hands of Abu Dhabi and Oman.
Prior to independence, Al Ain was part of the Arabian slave trade network that extended from east Africa into the Persian Gulf. In the 1960s, Sheikh Zayed abolished formal slavery. Today, some families in both Al Ain and Buraimi are descended from these slaves.
In 1971, Queen Elizabeth II visited the Hilton Hotel, still in use, during her tour of the Persian Gulf. Following independence in 1971, Al Ain experienced rapid growth and investment as part of the emirate of Abu Dhabi, quickly becoming larger and more successful than Oman's Buraimi. In 1972, Oman and Abu Dhabi agreed on the final borders to divide Buraimi and Al Ain. Until Sheikh Zayed's death in 2004, Al Ain's municipal code forbade construction of buildings over four stories, with the exceptions of the Hilton, Intercontinental, and Rotana hotels.
Until 2006, Buraimi and Al Ain shared an open border. This border was closed in November, 2006, and passport controls were imposed.
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“Every generation rewrites the past. In easy times history is more or less of an ornamental art, but in times of danger we are driven to the written record by a pressing need to find answers to the riddles of today.... In times of change and danger when there is a quicksand of fear under men’s reasoning, a sense of continuity with generations gone before can stretch like a lifeline across the scary present and get us past that idiot delusion of the exceptional Now that blocks good thinking.”
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