Editing United Arab Emirates (section)

=== Portuguese era ===
{{See also|Battle of the Strait of Hormuz (1553)|Piracy in the Persian Gulf}}
[[File:Forte de doba.jpg|thumb|left|A painting of the [[Portuguese Empire]] {{ill|Doba Fortress|pt|Forte de Doba|vertical-align=sup}} in [[Dibba Al-Hisn]] in 1620]]

The harsh desert environment led to the emergence of the "versatile tribesman", nomadic groups who subsisted due to a variety of economic activities, including animal husbandry, agriculture, and hunting. The seasonal movements of these groups led not only to frequent clashes between groups but also to the establishment of seasonal and semi-seasonal settlements and centres. These formed tribal groupings whose names are still carried by modern Emiratis, including the [[Bani Yas]] and [[Al Nahyan family|Al Bu Falah]] of [[Abu Dhabi]], Al Ain, [[Liwa Oasis|Liwa]], and the west coast; the [[Dhawahir]], Awamir, [[Al Ali (tribe)|Al Ali]], and [[Manasir (tribe)|Manasir]] of the interior; the [[Sharqiyin]] of the east coast; and the [[Al-Qasimi|Qawasim]] to the north.<ref>{{Cite book|title = The Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf, Oman and Central Arabia|last = Lorimer|first = John|publisher= Government of India|year = 1908|location = Bombay|pages = 1432–1436}}</ref>

With the expansion of European [[colonial empire]]s, Portuguese, English, and [[Dutch Empire|Dutch]] forces appeared in the Persian Gulf region. By the 18th century, the Bani Yas confederation was the dominant force in most of the area now known as Abu Dhabi,{{sfnp|Heard-Bey|1996|p=43}}<ref>{{ cite journal | first=Kashf | last=Al Gumma | title=Annals of Oman from Early times to the year 1728 AD | journal= Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal | date= 1874}}</ref><ref>{{ cite book | last=Ibn Ruzaiq | translator= GP Badger | title= History of the Imams and Sayids of Oman | place= London | date= 1871}}</ref> while the Northern [[Al-Qasimi|Al Qawasim]] (Al Qasimi) dominated maritime commerce. The Portuguese maintained an influence over the coastal settlements, building [[Fortification|forts]] in the wake of the bloody 16th-century conquests of coastal communities by [[Afonso de Albuquerque|Albuquerque]] and the Portuguese commanders who followed him – particularly on the east coast at [[Muscat]], [[Sohar]], and [[Khor Fakkan]].{{sfnp|Heard-Bey|1996|p=282}}

The southern coast of the Persian Gulf was known to the British as the "[[History of the United Arab Emirates|Pirate Coast]]",<ref>{{ cite book | last=Baker | first= Randall | date= 1979 | title= King Husain and the Kingdom of Hejaz | publisher= The Oleander Press | place=Great Britain}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=The British Threat to the Ottoman Presence in the Persian Gulf during the Era of Abdülhamid II and the Responses toward it| last= Biral | first= Bilal Emre|publisher= Middle East Technical University|place=Ankara|date=2009|citeseerx = 10.1.1.633.1663}}</ref> as boats of the Al Qawasim federation harassed British-flagged shipping from the 17th century into the 19th.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.waynemadsenreport.com/articles/20081102_3 |date=3 November 2008 |title=The UAE is the old Pirate Coast. Not much has changed. |work=Wayne Madsen Report |access-date=23 June 2009 |archive-date=8 December 2011 |archive-url=http://web.archive.bibalex.org/web/20111208145256/http://www.waynemadsenreport.com/articles/20081102_3 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The charge of piracy is disputed by modern Emirati historians, including the current ruler of Sharjah, [[Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi|Sheikh Sultan Al Qasimi]], in his 1986 book ''The Myth of Arab Piracy in the Gulf''.<ref>{{Cite book |title=The Myth of Arab Piracy in the Gulf |last=Al Qasimi |first=Sultan |publisher=Croom Helm |year=1986 |isbn=978-0-7099-2106-6 |location=UK}}</ref>
[[File:Persian Gulf 1507-1750.gif|alt=|thumb|Purple – [[Portuguese Empire|Portuguese]] in the Persian Gulf in the 16th and 17th century. Main cities, ports, and routes.]]
[[File:Ras Al Khaimah under attack, 1809 01.jpg|thumb|A painting depicting the burning of the coastal town and port of [[Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah]] during the [[Persian Gulf campaign of 1809]]]]

British expeditions to protect their Indian trade routes led to campaigns against Ras Al Khaimah and other harbours along the coast, including the [[Persian Gulf campaign of 1809]] and the more successful [[Persian Gulf campaign of 1819|campaign of 1819]]. The following year, Britain and a number of local rulers signed a [[General Maritime Treaty of 1820|maritime truce]], giving rise to the term [[Trucial States]], which came to define the status of the coastal emirates. A further treaty was signed in 1843 and in 1853, the [[Perpetual Maritime Truce]] was agreed. To this was added the 'Exclusive Agreements', signed in 1892, which made the [[Trucial States]] a British protectorate.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.na.ae/en/education/historicalperiods/britishprince.aspx|title=British Era|website=National Archives of the United Arab Emirates|archive-date=18 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180718144851/http://www.na.ae/en/education/historicalperiods/britishprince.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Under the 1892 treaty, the trucial sheikhs agreed not to dispose of any territory except to the British and not to enter into relationships with any foreign government other than the British without their consent. In return, the British promised to protect the Trucial Coast from all aggression by sea and to help in case of land attack. British maritime policing meant that pearling fleets could operate in relative security. However, the British prohibition of the [[History of slavery|slave trade]] meant an important source of income was lost to some sheikhs and merchants.<ref>[http://countrystudies.us/persian-gulf-states/84.htm United Arab Emirates – The Economy] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101214091633/http://countrystudies.us/persian-gulf-states/84.htm |date=14 December 2010 }}. [[Library of Congress Country Studies]]. Retrieved 14 July 2013.</ref>

In 1869, the Qubaisat tribe settled at [[Khor Al Adaid]] and tried to enlist the support of the Ottomans. Khor Al Adaid was claimed by Abu Dhabi at that time, a claim supported by the British. In 1906, the British Political Resident, [[Percy Cox]], confirmed in writing to the ruler of Abu Dhabi, [[Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan]] ('Zayed the Great'), that Khor Al Adaid belonged to his sheikhdom.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Morton|first1=Michael Quentin|title=Keepers of the Golden Shore: A History of the United Arab Emirates|year=2016|publisher=Reaktion Books|location=London|isbn=978-1-78023-580-6|pages=49–50|url=http://www.reaktionbooks.co.uk/display.asp?ISB=9781780235806|access-date=19 February 2017|archive-date=20 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170220094206/http://www.reaktionbooks.co.uk/display.asp?ISB=9781780235806|url-status=dead}}</ref>