UAE’s path from rags to riches retold

[haviZsultan]

Change that to Emiratis and Qataris. Ironically the two wealthiest "Khaliji states". Kuwaitis were not poor and Oman was a wealthy regional and colonial power with numerous possessions in East Africa, South Asia (including what is today Pakistan - Gwadar for instance was sold to Pakistan by the Sultan of Oman in 1958). Bahrain was not poor either compared to the average in the Muslim world back then.





Saudi Arabia is not a "Khaliji state" geographically (outside of the coastal areas of the Eastern Province) nor linguistically (only 200.000 Saudi Arabians speak a Gulf Arabic dialect) or culturally. This is often misunderstood by outsiders. KSA is a huge and diverse country. Karachi is closer to UAE than some areas of KSA geographically for instance.

Yemen is not a Khaliji state either by any means and is one of the oldest civilizations on the planet and was historically a very rich civilization.

Most Emiratis were traders, pearl divers or farmers although the latter was never a big business. It was very sparsely populated too.

250 years ago it was a sparsely populated place, isolated and poor. For Eastern Arabian standards. I think that less than 100.000 people lived in what is now the UAE back then.

People of the UAE did trade with the world for millenniums, including South Asia but this also happened vice versa. What is today UAE was part of the Silk Road trade routes as well as the Indian Ocean trade and to a smaller extent the almost 3000 year old Incense Route where Arabia was the central part.

Silk Road - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Indian Ocean trade - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Incense Route - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Thank you for that knowledgable post Hasani.

The Omanis were allied with the British and established a strong maritime empire. Gwadar was once part of Oman and was bought by the Pakistani government. Now it is one of the most developed regions of Balochistan and naval coast that will come handy to Pakistan when it is at war with India North of UAE khasab is also an Omani enclave.

UAE on the other hand was also part of the Kingdom on Hadramaut in 1914, the year of the first world war. In reality we are much more fractured than we were ever before, even during the time of the Ottomans and Safavids. Now we have no core states as Huntington has put it in his book the clash of civilizations. Islam in 1914 was only 4 muslim countries which had defied invasion from the British-one was Saudia and another Afghanistan.

 

[al-Hasani]

Bedouins are the true Arabs. The skinny jean wearing, novelty hooka smoking arab kids are a joke for me.

There is no such a thing as a "true" Arab my friend. During the time of Prophet Muhamamd (saws) most of the Arabian Peninsula was settled. It's home to some of the oldest civilizations on the planet after all and some of the oldest continuously inhabited cities. Bedouins are a part of the heritage and history of the Arabian Peninsula (and many other areas in the Arab world as have nomadic/semi-nomadic people been in most areas of the world) but they are one of the many hundreds of components.

See this documentary or thread to get a short overview.

This thread;

Roads of Arabia Documentary (must watch)

Or this one below;

Paleolithic tombs discovered in Yemen

Arabs in the GCC being skinny? Bro, you are disrespecting our horde of overweight people.

Also Arabians are not skinny or small people. Arabians are one of the tallest people in Asia and the world. Famous for their strong built. Which was even described in antiquity and especially by the enemies of the early Muslim Caliphates.

See for yourself here;

Male Average Height By Country | Map & Chart | Men only

Female Average Height By Country | Map & Chart | Women only

Obesity levels are too high too. So people are by no means "skinny". Some are but far from all, lol. Certain GCC states have obesity levels comparable to USA, UK, Mexico etc. It's a new phenomenon and a serious problem due to heart diseases, diabetes etc.

 

[Nawaba]

There is no such a thing as a "true" Arab my friend. During the time of Prophet Muhamamd (saws) most of the Arabian Peninsula was settled. It's home to some of the oldest civilizations on the planet after all and some of the oldest continuously inhabited cities. Bedouins are a part of the heritage and history of the Arabian Peninsula (and many other areas in the Arab world as have nomadic/semi-nomadic people been in most areas of the world) but they are one of the many hundreds of components.

See this documentary or thread to get a short overview.

Or this one below;



Arabs in the GCC being skinny? Bro, you are disrespecting our horde of overweight people.

Also Arabians are not skinny or small people. Arabians are one of the tallest people in Asia and were famous for their strong built. Which was even described in antiquity and especially by the enemies of the early Muslim Caliphates.

See for yourself here;



Obesity levels are too high too. So people are by no means "skinny". Some are but far from all, lol. Certain GCC states have obesity levels comparable to USA, UK, Mexico etc. It's a new phenomenon.

I said skinny jeans wearing, not skinny people.

skinny jeans=tight pants

 

[al-Hasani]

I said skinny jeans wearing, not skinny people.

My fault.

Check the post I was referring too earlier.

Some of my photos in the old post "froze" so I have now uploaded them on tinypic.com so they should not disappear anymore.

Saudi Arabia:

Some excellent photos of the proud Bedouins of the Rub' al-Khali. One of the most ancient of peoples. Some photos are 40-35 years old photos.

Amazing portraits.

It is said that Bedouin hospitality is second to none in this world. It is famed across the world and has been romanticized in movies, poems, songs etc. Both in the Arab world and elsewhere. They are sometimes blamed for some ills but by heart they are lovely people.

They are also one of the biggest survivors of this world that live in a very harsh environment. Their lifestyle is dying out but I hope that at least some will survive in let's say 50 years of time from now on.

Bedouins are also great musicians, story tellers, poets and artists. Also famed warriors. One of the best in history. They formed the backbone of many Islamic armies throughout the ages.

@Rakan.SA @Ahmed Jo @Full Moon (welcome back bro, do knock on the door occasionally)

Take a look at this thread brothers and contribute with some quality photos if you got any.

 

[Nawaba]

My fault.

Check the post I was referring too earlier.

Mosa is anti-bedouin white wanna be Arab tho. Source:years on this forum.

 

[al-Hasani]

Since you asked for photos of Bedouins. I found some old photos. Some from the UAE as well.

@Nawaba

Bedouin Warrior, ca.1898-1914 by Jared Enos, on Flickr

037 by oboudiold, on Flickr

Cavalry-Arab by oboudiold, on Flickr

IMG_0350 by oboudiold, on Flickr

IMG_0355 by oboudiold, on Flickr

IMG_0359 by oboudiold, on Flickr

2010-10-25_103918 by oboudiold, on Flickr

AWESOME WAHHABI BEARD!

Bedouins have a tendency to look like Biblical figures. After all they are one of the most ancient peoples in the ME and were often shepherds too.

Today;

 

[Nawaba]

AWESOME WAHHABI BEARD!

Bedouins have a tendency to look like Biblical figures. After all they are one of the most ancient peoples in the ME and were often shepherds too.

Today;

Holy shit. Now you know why I said Bedouins are the true Arabs. The first picture you posted is too awesome. The rest of the men look like bazurg of Pakistan.

Bazurg means pious older men in Urdu and farsi as well, I think.

 

[al-Hasani]

Mosa is anti-bedouin white wanna be Arab tho. Source:years on this forum.

Hijazi vs Najdi rivalry.

Large sectors of societies in the Arab world look down on Bedouins for some strange reason. They consider them as the rednecks of the Arab world. I consider them as very cool people though that are unique. Real survivors and how can one dislike a people with such a world renowned hospitality? They are not perfect but which people is that? They have some very admirable values on many fronts.

 

[CMYX4BJ]

With all due respect sir then the average Saudi Arabian has a GDP (nominal) per capita that is over 20 times higher than the average Pakistani.

List of countries by GDP (nominal) per capita - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

There is close to no proud Bedouins left in KSA anymore. The poor people in KSA are mostly Afro-Arabs or migrants. Often illegals.

Of course there is poverty but it's not the same poverty that you see elsewhere in the Muslim world. I would say that no GCC citizen is poor in that sense and nor should he or she be that as every GCC citizen has every opportunity not to be as he/she lives in welfare states where most services are for free. Financial help from the state is also an option.



Just because you are blessed with oil and gas does not mean that your society is rich. Look at almost all of Africa, large parts of South America, Central Asia and many ME countries to see that being blessed with natural resources does not equal having a rich society.

Venezuela has more oil reserves than KSA and is otherwise one of the more "wealthy" South American states yet the average GDP (nominal) of Venezuelans is 4-5 times lower than that of the average Saudi Arabian national. The population in Venezuela is the same as that in KSA.

Sure it's more difficult to do what Dubai has done without oil and gas but sometimes it's a blessing that you do not have natural resources in such amounts.

You should read up on the Dutch disease.

Dutch disease - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Large parts of the GCC are hit by this annoying disease although things are moving in the right direction on most fronts. So no, it's no guarantee for success at all. It helps if you have clever leaders (economically wise) that can use this asset in the proper way. If they can't it becomes a burden and stops them from progressing on other fields because they are already well off and oil/gas can do the job for them.

True, I've heard of this before. Russia is the perfect example of dutch disease. 80% of its economy relies on oil exports and now that oil prices are at 60/barrel, their currency is in freefall and their bonds have a junk rating.

 

[Nawaba]

Hijazi vs Najdi rivalry.

Large sectors of societies in the Arab world look down on Bedouins for some strange reason. They consider them as the rednecks of the Arab world. I consider them as very cool people though that are unique. Real survivors and how can one dislike a people with such a world renowned hospitality? They are not perfect but which people is that? They have some very admirable values on many fronts.

I only respect the bedouin. Where I am from in Pakistan is also desert landscape and the nomadic people there have similar qualities of bedouins, although they look different.

Cholistan Desert:

 

[al-Hasani]

Holy shit. Now you know why I said Bedouins are the true Arabs. The first picture you posted is too awesome. The rest of the men look like bazurg of Pakistan.

Bazurg means pious older men in Urdu and farsi as well, I think.

Yes, I have noticed a sometimes striking resembles in the appearance of certain Bedouins and Pashtuns. Must be the often long beards, hair and clothing. Bedouins just like Pashtuns (Baloch too) have very strong honor codes and they also value hospitality a lot. I noticed those similarity ages ago.

Honor codes of the Bedouin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Bedouin systems of justice - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I once took a look at similar honor codes/justice systems of Pashtuns, Baloch and other people in the region and found many striking similarities.

I like this photo too. Father and grandson doing falconry together.


2500 by oboudiold, on Flickr

In general I respect people that live in harmony with the nature.

Anyway we are very much off-topic.

True, I've heard of this before. Russia is the perfect example of dutch disease. 80% of its economy relies on oil exports and now that oil prices are at 60/barrel, their currency is in freefall and their bonds have a junk rating.

The world should sanction the GCC for some time too and force the diversification of the economies to gain in speed although UAE does not rely on gas/oil anymore while KSA and Qatar are moving in the right directions. Kuwait which was otherwise for long the most wealthy GCC state seems to have regressed completely. Kuwait was the "thing" back in the 1960's and 1970's. Not sure what the hell happened.

I believe that Russia will come out stronger after the sanctions. If not they will be in trouble for decades to come. Not sure what Putin is thinking about. Just leave those poor Ukrainians alone.

 

[al-Hasani]

I only respect the bedouin. Where I am from in Pakistan is also desert landscape and the nomadic people there have similar qualities of bedouins, although they look different.

Cholistan Desert:

Great photos. Those must be Punjabis if I am not wrong. Great people. A lot of them in the GCC. I really like horses but camels are also very useful animals and underrated. For millenniums they were the most expensive land animal outside of the horse. Many people across the world depended on them. From China to Morocco.

Camels are from the Horn of Africa originally and I read that Somalia has more camels than any other place. Camel meat when cooked right is also underrated. I have tasted it a few times. Diary products from camels are very healthy too.

 

[Nawaba]

Yes, I have noticed a sometimes striking resembles in the appearance of certain Bedouins and Pashtuns. Must be the often long beards, hair and clothing. Bedouins just like Pashtuns (Baloch too) have very strong honor codes and they also value hospitality a lot. I noticed those similarity ages ago.



I once took a look at similar honor codes/justice systems of Pashtuns, Baloch and other people in the region and found many striking similarities.

I like this photo too. Father and grandson doing falconry together.



Anyway we are very much off-topic.



The world should sanction the GCC for some time too and force the diversification of the economies to gain in speed although UAE does not rely on gas/oil anymore while KSA and Qatar are moving in the right directions. Kuwait which was otherwise for long the most wealthy GCC state seems to have regressed completely. Kuwait was the "thing" back in the 1960's and 1970's. Not sure what the hell happened.

I believe that Russia will come out stronger after the sanctions. If not they will be in trouble for decades to come. Not sure what Putin is thinking about.

Baluch and Sindhis are probably the most Arabic type people in Pakistan, and some of them even have relations with Arabs.

Pashtuns and Punjabis, not so much.

The area I am from is not Pashtun or Baluch, but Southern Punjab, although many Pashtuns and Baluch live there.

Cholistan desert is the exact area.

I like your traditional dances.

Unfortunately, in Pakistan Punjabi men don't dance because we consider it a low status among prostitutes. We are hypocritical and enjoy women dancing though. LOL

And yes, no more off-topic.

Great photos. Those must be Punjabis if I am not wrong. Great people. A lot of them in the GCC. I really like horses but camels are also very useful animals and underrated. For millenniums they were the most expensive land animal outside of the horse. Many people across the world depended on them. From China to Morocco.

Camels are from the Horn of Africa originally and I read that Somalia has more camels than any other place. Camel meat when cooked right is also underrated. I have tasted it a few times. Diary products from camels are very healthy too.

Most of our wrestlers in Punjab eat camel meat. I have tried it myself along with the milk.

The muscle head steroid jocks in the west would cum in their pants after they realize there is that much protein in the meat.

 

[Al Bhatti]

Not UAE in general because other emirates have substantial oil and gas. They would have gotten rich anyway. Dubai doesn't have much oil and gas , so it's commendable that it was able to develop despite that.

Around 95% of UAE oil is in Abu Dhabi and 92% of UAE gas is in Abu Dhabi.

The remaining 5% is divided between Dubai and Sharjah with Dubai having the lion's share but again that is nothing compared to what Dubai needs for local consumption. What little Dubai has may last 20 or 25 years. Dubai at the moment is net oil importer.

Other 4 emirates have no oil or gas.