Country history · Asia

History of the United Arab Emirates

14 recorded states lay in what is now the United Arab Emirates, from Magan (2300 BCE) to the United Arab Emirates. 2 of them have a full profile, and 8 outside powers ruled here.

ProfileState (capital or seat)1 without a known seat not shownOpen in the atlas →

Profiles

Empires that ruled here

Timeline

24th century BCE

  1. Magan2300 BCE – 550 BCE · other

11th century

  1. Kingdom of Ormus1060 CE – 1622 CE · kingdom

17th century

  1. Ya'aruba dynasty1624 CE – 1744 CE · theocracy

18th century

  1. Sheikhdom of Ras al-Khaimah1708 CE – 1972 CE · emirate
  2. Emirate of Diriyah1727 CE – 1818 CE · emirate
  3. Sheikhdom of Sharjah1727 CE – 1971 CE · profile
  4. Sheikhdom of Abu Dhabi1761 CE – 1971 CE · emirate
  5. Sheikhdom of Umm al-Quwain1775 CE – 1971 CE · emirate

19th century

  1. Sheikhdom of Ajman1816 CE – 1971 CE · emirate
  2. Trucial States1820 CE – 1971 CE · protectorate
  3. Sheikhdom of Dubai1833 CE – 1971 CE · emirate

20th century

  1. Sheikhdom of Fujairah1902 CE – 1971 CE · emirate
  2. Sheikhdom of Kalba1936 CE – 1951 CE · emirate
  3. United Arab Emirates1971 CE – present · profile

In the encyclopedia

Shared histories

States that also lay in other present-day countries:

States of Arabia and the Gulf → All country histories →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). History of the United Arab Emirates. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/countries/united-arab-emirates
MLA
“History of the United Arab Emirates.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/countries/united-arab-emirates. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “History of the United Arab Emirates.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/countries/united-arab-emirates.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘History of the United Arab Emirates’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/countries/united-arab-emirates (Accessed: ).