A pilot project that aims to teach Abu Dhabi school children more about the UAE’s history was launched by Sheikh Saif bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, on Wednesday.
The curriculum will be based on the chapters of a recently published book, The Emirates: Our History, which provides a comprehensive historical record of the UAE.
Co-authored by archaeologist Professor Peter Magee, historian Peter Hellyer, and Mohammed Al Mubarak, chairman of Abu Dhabi's Department of Culture and Tourism, the book's 17 chapters provide written and photographic insights into the geology, geography, politics and history of the emirates, from the origins of the country's land up until the recent past.
The book provides a record of the first evidence of human migration to this land, some 125,000 years ago, and the development of civilisations during the Neolithic period between 8,000 and 3200 BCE, reported state news agency Wam.
Covered in the book are the discoveries on Marawah Island, dating back more than 7,000 years, and the Bronze Age Umm Al-Nar culture and its extensive trade links, dating to around 2,600-2,000 BCE.
The history of this land is a story that needs to be told worldwide. Its deserts, mountains & seas bear witness to the skill and adaptability of its natives who have survived in spite of harsh conditions. But thanks to the determination of its people, today it is very prosperous. pic.twitter.com/n91Ggu6Ha8
— محمد بن زايد (@MohamedBinZayed) April 17, 2019
It also explains the shift in settlement structures around 1,000 BCE, during the local Iron Age, that saw larger, more permanent settlements emerging, as well the invention of the falaj (or irrigation systems) and the domestication of the camel - both of fundamental importance to Emirati society.
The Emirates: Our History traces the history of the Bani Yas and Qawasim tribes, as well as the presence of colonial forces in the Gulf region during the 16th and 17th centuries. It also explains the gradual formation of a national identity prior to the mid-20th Century and outlines the rule of Sheikh Zayed, and his role in forming the Union in 1971.
Sheikh Saif bin Zayed also launched a five-part documentary series on UAE history, which will be made available to the public, across all television channels, in September. Narrated by actor Jeremy Irons, the documentary series tracks the UAE’s history from 125,000 years ago up until the formation of the Union. Produced by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, Image Nation Abu Dhabi, and Atlantic Productions, the documentary explores the most significant moments in the UAE's development journey.
