Obeid bin Said bin Rashid was the first Ruler of

Dubai Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...

(today one of the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...

) under the Al Bu Falasah, jointly leading a migration of the tribe from Abu Dhabi alongside Maktoum bin Butti bin Sohail. He ruled for three years prior to his death in 1836.

Migration

Dubai is thought to have first been established as a fishing village on the

Trucial Coast The Trucial States, also known as the Trucial Coast, the Trucial Sheikhdoms, or Trucial Oman, was a group of tribal confederations to the south of the Persian Gulf (southeastern Arabia) whose leaders had signed protective treaties, or truces ...

in the early 18th century. It was then a tributary to the

Bani Yas The Bani Yas () is a tribe, tribal confederation of Najdi origin in the United Arab Emirates. The tribal coalition, consisting of tribes from Dubai to Khor Al Adaid in southeast Qatar, was called the Bani Yas Coalition (). The House of Nahyan, Al ...

tribe of

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...

. By 1820, the town was ruled on

Sheikh Tahnun bin Shakhbut Al Nahyan's behalf by a regent, when the

General Maritime Treaty of 1820 The General Maritime Treaty of 1820 was initially signed between the rulers of Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Great Britain in January 1820, with the nearby island state of Bahrain acceding to the treaty in the fol ...

was signed between the sheikhs of the South Eastern

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf, sometimes called the Arabian Gulf, is a Mediterranean seas, mediterranean sea in West Asia. The body of water is an extension of the Arabian Sea and the larger Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.Un ...

coast and the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

. The regent, Saeed bin Saif bin Zaal, signed the treaty on behalf of his nephew, Sheikh Mohammed bin Hazza bin Zaal, who was at the time in his minority. By 1822, Dubai had grown to be a town of some 700–800 residents. Mohammed bin Hazza remained head man of Dubai until the arrival of the Al Bu Falasah in 1833. At that point, aged 23, Mohammed stepped aside and allowed the Al Bu Falasah to make Dubai their home. The migration of some 800 members of the Al Bu Falasah was triggered by a coup which removed Sheikh Tahnun as Ruler of Abu Dhabi and the Bani Yas tribe. A subsection of the Bani Yas, the Al Bu Falasah disagreed with the actions of the new Ruler, Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut Al Nahyan and moved north to Dubai, which at the time consisted of a settlement of some 250 houses at

Shindagha Al Shindagha (), sometimes spelled Al Shindagah or Al Shindaga, is a neighbourhood in the traditional centre of the city of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. It has undergone major restoration works, to revive the historic area and its buildings.< ...

and the Al Fahidi Fort on the other side of the Ghubaiba inlet. The migration would have been an arduous undertaking, and took place over some time throughout and following the pearling season of that year (typically May to November). The move to establish the rule of Obeid and Maktoum was unwelcome to

Sultan bin Saqr Al Qasimi Sheikh Sultan bin Saqr Al Qasimi (1781–1866) was the Sheikh of the Qawasim and ruled the towns of Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah, Jazirah Al Hamra and Rams; all within the then Trucial States and now part of the United Arab Emirates. Briefly a ...

Sharjah Sharjah (; ', Gulf Arabic: ''aš-Šārja'') is the List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, third-most populous city in the United Arab Emirates, after Dubai and Abu Dhabi. It is the capital of the Emirate of Sharjah and forms part of the D ...

, who had arranged a dynastic marriage with the sister of former headman Mohammed bin Hazza bin Zaal. The Sultan of Muscat had also made it clear he had designs on the town. Obeid bin Said bin Rashid died of old age and was succeeded by Maktoum, the founder of the Maktoum dynasty that rules Dubai today.

References

{{portalbar, Biography, United Arab Emirates Obeid Said Rashid History of Dubai Rulers of Dubai 19th-century Arab people

Migration

See also

References