The Emirate of Umm Al Quwain holds significant archaeological interest, with major finds at both
Tell Abraq and
Ed-Dur pointing to significant
ancient Near Eastern cities.
Arrowheads and other polished
flint tools have been unearthed in various sites across the UAE while pieces of
Ubaid Age pottery have been unearthed along the shores of the emirate. All evidence obtained so far indicates that contact with
Mesopotamia existed as early as the 5th millennium BC, as an indigenous
ceramic industry did not emerge until the 3rd century BC. Finds at both Tell Abraq and Ed-Dur show habitation in the area throughout the Bronze Age, from the
Hafit period, through the
Umm Al Nar period and the later
Wadi Suq and
Iron I, II and III ages. Finds also link Ed-Dur with the inland settlement of
Mleiha, especially distinctive burials of animals with their heads turned back on their bodies. Significant trading links with both the western
Sumerian culture and the eastern
Indus Valley culture are displayed at these sites, Macedonian coinage unearthed at Ed-Dur dates back to
Alexander the Great, while hundreds of coins have been found bearing the name of Abi'el. In March 2019, 15 tombs, bronze statues, settlement remains, jewellery and pottery, dating back to the 1st century
CE, were unearthed here. It is thought Ed-Dur is the site of
Omana, mentioned by both
Pliny and
Strabo as an important town in the Lower Persian Gulf. During the Bronze Age, agriculture flourished, with dates being the prominent crop. Wheat, millet and other grains were also cultivated wherever there was enough water for irrigation. It is now widely believed that the climate during the period was more temperate than now. In 2022 the remains of a 6th/7th Century Eastern Christian monastery were found on Umm Al Quwain's
Siniyah Island and in 2023, extensive remains of what stands as the oldest pearl diving town in the Persian Gulf were found on the island. The modern history of Umm Al Quwain began some 200 years ago when the
Al Ali tribe moved their capital from Siniyah Island to its current location in the mid-18th century due to declining water resources. After that, in 1775, Umm Al Quwain was declared an independent Sheikhdom.
20th century The Emirate of Umm Al Quwain was the site of a
fort built in 1768 by the founder of the modern
Al Mualla dynasty, Sheikh
Rashid bin Majid of the
Al Ali tribe. By 1908,
J. G. Lorimer's famous survey of the
Trucial Coast, the
Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf, Oman and Central Arabia, had Umm Al Quwain listed as a town of some 5,000 inhabitants and identified as the major boat-building centre on the coast, producing some 20 boats a year compared to 10 in Dubai and 5 in Sharjah. On 2 December 1971, Sheikh
Ahmad bin Rashid joined its neighbors
Abu Dhabi,
Dubai,
Sharjah, Ajman and
Fujairah in forming the United Arab Emirates, with Ras Al-Khaimah joining later in early 1972. .
Petrochemicals The American oil company
Occidental acquired a concession to search for oil in Umm Al Quwain territorial waters on 19 November 1969. The agreement between Sharjah and Iran over the island of Abu Musa, made on 29 November 1971 and the subsequent invasion of the islands on 30 November 1971 rendered the issue moot. Occidental would never find oil under its Umm Al Quwain concession. • 1768–1820:
Sheikh Rashid bin Majid Al Mualla • 1820–1853:
Sheikh Abdullah bin Rashid Al Mualla (b.1794) • 1853–1873:
Sheikh Ali bin Abdullah Al Mualla (b.1824 – d.1873) • 1873–1904:
Sheikh Ahmad bin Abdullah Al Mualla (b. 1832 – d. 1904) • 13 June 1904 – 1922:
Sheikh Rashid bin Ahmad Al Mualla (b. 1876 – d. 1922) • 1922 – October 1923:
Sheikh Abdullah bin Rashid Al Mualla II • October 1923 – 9 February 1929:
Sheikh Hamad bin Ibrahim Al Mualla • 9 February 1929 – 21 February 1981: Sheikh
Ahmad bin Rashid Al Mualla (b. 1904 – d. 1981) • 21 February 1981 – 2 January 2009:
Sheikh Rashid bin Ahmad Al Mualla II (b. 1932 – d. 2009) • 2 January 2009 – present: Sheikh
Saud bin Rashid Al Mualla (b. 1952) ==Demographics==