Skip to content
History–Tours
19712 December 1971 · Union House, Dubai

Formation of the United Arab Emirates

The UAE flag flying over the grounds of Union House, with the Etihad Museum behind
Photo: Lxs. CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

As Britain ended its treaty protection of the Trucial States, the rulers of six emirates met at a guesthouse on the Jumeirah shore of Dubai and signed the constitution of a federal state on 2 December 1971; Ras al-Khaimah joined in February 1972. Led by Sheikh Zayed of Abu Dhabi and Sheikh Rashid of Dubai, the union joined small pearling and trading sheikhdoms into one state.

Sites

  1. Site 1: Union House and Etihad Museum, JumeirahThe guesthouse and flagpole where the union was signed, beside a museum on the founding.Map ↗
  2. Site 2: Qasr Al Hosn, Abu DhabiAbu Dhabi's oldest building, the ruling family's fort, now a museum.Map ↗

Guides who take you there

History-only · order never for sale
We haven't found an independent history guide for this yet. Guide here? Tell us about your tours.

More from the Cold War

Read more: reference. Summary written by History-Tours.com.