Heritage

Fun dates in UAE history

The National

December 01, 2013

  • English
  • Arabic

1972

December 2 The first celebration of National Day. Flags are raised on houses, the Federal Forces participate in a large military parade for the first time, and VIPs attend a concert in which the Egyptian diva Najat Al Saghira sings the new national anthem composed by Mohammad Abdel Wahab.

1973

February 8 Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak opens the Abu Dhabi Women's Association.

May 6 The Girl Scouts are established in the UAE.

May 23 Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan attends the Hilton Hotel opening.

July 30 On behalf of the US president, Richard Nixon, Sheikh Zayed is presented with a piece of moon rock.

September 26 Traffic lights are introduced in Abu Dhabi.

1974

January 31 The first direct telephone line between Abu Dhabi and Dubai is launched, with a connection between Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum speaking from his office in Dubai to Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Nahyan at his office in Abu Dhabi.

December 2 The National Day military parade is broadcast in colour on television.

1975

March 5 Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum inaugurates the InterContinental Hotel in Dubai.

March 8 Sheikh Rashid opens the Dubai Museum.

1976

February 18 The Ministry of Information and Culture announces its plan to form an arts group.

1977

October 12 Sheikh Zayed inspects progress of the first children's park in Al Khalidiya.

1978

April 5 Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan approves the design for an equestrian centre in Abu Dhabi.

July 19 Sheikh Rashid opens Pepsi Cola's factory in Dubai.

1979

February 24 Britain's Queen Elizabeth II begins a state visit. In Dubai, she opens the World Trade Centre, then the tallest building in the Middle East at 149 metres, and inaugurates Jebel Ali Port.

July 22 Sheikh Rashid opens the Emirates Macaroni Factory.

October 10 Al Nasr Leisureland opens in Dubai.

November 16 Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Nahyan opens Zayed Sports City, where the qualifying games for the Asian Cup are held.

1980

The Hyatt Regency in Dubai is opened by Sheikh Rashid.

1981

December 4 The Al Nasr Sports Club hosts a Dubai Grand Prix.

1982

January 2 Abu Dhabi International Airport opens at its current location, taking over from Al Bateen airport as the main passenger hub.

1983

April 12 Sheikh Zayed attends the opening of Abu Dhabi Women's Association's headquarters in Al Bateen.

July 26 Sheikh Ahmed bin Hamad attends the first meeting of the Emirates Poets Groups.

1984

March 1 Sharjah's first arts festival, titled Expo, is opened by Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi.

1985

October 25 Emirates Airline begins operations out of Dubai. Its first destinations are in Pakistan and India.

1986

January 7 A major vegetable market opens in Madinat Zayed in Abu Dhabi.

February 10 The Abu Dhabi Executive council approves the creation of a national museum in Al Ain.

1987

November 19 Sheikh Saqr bin Mohammed Al Qasimi opens the Ras Al Khaimah National Museum in the Old Fort.

1988

February 27 A deal with signed to operate the first ice rink in Abu Dhabi's Zayed Sports City.

1989

January 29 Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum opens the first Dubai International Air show.

March 14 Sheikh Zayed receives Britain's Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales, who visit Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Dubai on their tour of the Gulf.

1990

Jun 9-19 The UAE national team plays in the Fifa World Cup in Italy, losing to Colombia, West Germany and Yugoslavia.

July 26 Designs for a 72-hole golf course are completed by Abu Dhabi Municipality.

1992

May 7 Sheikh Zayed orders that schools include educational trips in their curriculum, familiarising students with important sites in the country.

October 1 The new course at Emirates Golf Club in Dubai is opened by Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid.

1993

January 5 The Sharjah Archaeological Museum is opened by Dr Sheikh Sultan.

1994

January 25 Sheikh Zayed announces the Dh10 million Zayed Grand Prize for camel racing.

1995

April 11 The South African president Nelson Mandela meets Sheikh Zayed on his first official visit for the UAE.

1996

February 11 Abu Dhabi holds its first Arab Heritage Festival, with seven countries participating.

1997

December 13-17 The UAE plays in the Confederations Cup, the first to be organised by Fifa, held in Riyadh's King Fahd Stadium. After a 2-0 loss to Uruguay, the UAE defeats South African 1-0 before losing to the Czech Republic 1-6.

June 12 Dreamland in Umm Al Quwain, the first water park in the region, is unveiled by Sheikh Abdullah bin Rashid Al Mualla.

1998

February 4 The UAE marks its first National Environment Day.

1999

September 30 The Burj Al Arab is completed in Dubai, in time for a December opening and millennium celebrations.

2000

April 15 Construction is completed on Jumeirah Emirates Towers, at 56 storeys, the tallest building in the Middle East.

2001

March 28 Marina Mall opens in Abu Dhabi.

April 15 Abu Dhabi Mall opens.

2002

May The Palm Islands project is announced in Dubai.

2003

November 5 The first Etihad Airways flight takes off, a ceremonial trip between Abu Dhabi and Al Ain. Its inaugural commercial flight will be between Abu Dhabi and Beirut.

2004

December 6-11 The First Dubai International Film Festival includes an appearance by the actor Moran Freeman.

August 17 Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum wins gold in men's double trap shooting at the Athens Olympics, the UAE's first Olympic medal.

2005

February 25 Emirates Palace opens in Abu Dhabi.

September Mall of the Emirates opens in Dubai.

2006

June 15-17 Dubai hosts the International Indian Film Academy Awards.

July 8 The Guggenheim Foundation announces it has commissioned Frank Gehry to build a branch of the modern art museum in Abu Dhabi as a showpiece for Saadiyat Island's Cultural District.

2007

October 15-17 The first film festival opens in Abu Dhabi, originally called the Middle East International Film Festival.

March 6 France and the UAE sign an agreement to open a branch of the Louvre on Saadiyat.

2008

January 21 The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque opens to the public.

September 1 Manchester City Football Club are taken over by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan's Abu Dhabi United Group for Development and Investment.

November 4  The Dubai Mall opens.

November 20 The grand opening of the Atlantis hotel on the Palm in Dubai.

2009

September 9 At 9.09.09pm, the first section of Dubai Metro's Red Line, serving 10 stations, is inaugurated by Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid.

November 1 Abu Dhabi's first Formula One race takes place on the new Yas Marina Circuit; many hotels, including the Fairmont, open for it.

2010

January 4 Dubai inaugurates the world's tallest skyscraper, the Burj Khalifa.

November 24 Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip make their second visit to the UAE.

November 26 Sheikh Zayed Bridge, designed by Zaha Hadid, is completed.

2011

January 17-18 Jeffery Deaver visits Dubai to launch his James Bond book, Carte Blanche, partly set in the city.

April 23 The launch of Yahsat's first commercial telecommunications satellite.

December 2 The UAE celebrates its 40th anniversary.

2012

June 3 and 4 Madonna plays Abu Dhabi, drawing fans from around the world.

2013

January Work restarts on the Louvre Abu Dhabi after TDIC awards a contract to the joint venture headed by Arabtec.

August 26 The Galleria luxury mall on Abu Dhabi's Al Maryah Island opens.

Sources: Chronicle of Progress: 25 Years of Development in the United Arab Emirates; newspaper archives

Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026

1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years

If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.

2. E-invoicing in the UAE

Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption. 

3. More tax audits

Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks. 

4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime

Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.

5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit

There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.

6. Further transfer pricing enforcement

Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes. 

7. Limited time periods for audits

Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion. 

8. Pillar 2 implementation 

Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.

9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services

Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations. 

10. Substance and CbC reporting focus

Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity. 

Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer

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The bio

Studied up to grade 12 in Vatanappally, a village in India’s southern Thrissur district

Was a middle distance state athletics champion in school

Enjoys driving to Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah with family

His dream is to continue working as a social worker and help people

Has seven diaries in which he has jotted down notes about his work and money he earned

Keeps the diaries in his car to remember his journey in the Emirates

Our legal consultant

Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

What is blockchain?

Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.

The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.

Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.

However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.

Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.

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Graduated from the American University of Sharjah

She is the eldest of three brothers and two sisters

Has helped solve 15 cases of electric shocks

Enjoys travelling, reading and horse riding

 

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