Other key dates in the 2000s

Significant events of the past 10 years.

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.

2000
April 15 Construction is completed on Jumeirah Emirates Towers: at 56 storeys, the tallest building in the Middle East.
2001
September 22 In the wake of the September 11 attacks, the UAE severs its relations with Afghanistan's Taliban government.
September 23 The GCC meets in Jeddah and pledges its support for an international coalition against terrorism.
2002
February 16 Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, announces the creation of Dubai International Financial Centre as part of a strategy to secure a place in global finance as a regional financial centre.
2003
March 1 The UAE is the first Arab country to call publicly for Saddam Hussein to step down.
September 20 The annual meeting of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund takes place in the newly built Dubai International Convention Centre.
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
August 17 Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum wins gold in the men's double trap shooting at the Athens Olympics, the UAE's first Olympic medal.
November 1 Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi becomes the first woman in the Government when she is appointed Minister of Economy and Planning.
2005
February 25 Emirates Palace opens in Abu Dhabi.
August 10 Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan signs Law No 19, which formally abandons the old property regime and permits the sale of freehold rights by citizens and, in certain areas, 99-year leases by foreigners.
September Mall of the Emirates opens.
2006
January 4 Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, dies during a visit to Australia. His brother, Sheikh Mohammed, succeeds him.
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.
December 16 About 6,500 Emiratis are eligible to vote for the Federal National Council in the UAE's first election.
2007
February 25 Establishment of the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology.
March 6 France and the UAE sign an agreement to open a branch of the Louvre on Saadiyat.
September 20 Dubai and Qatar become the two biggest shareholders in the London Stock Exchange.
2008
January 14 US President George W Bush visits Abu Dhabi.
January 21 The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque opens to the public.
June 2 Sheikh Nasser bin Zayed Al Nahyan dies in a helicopter crash.
September 1 The Manchester City Football Club is taken over by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan's Abu Dhabi United Group for Development and Investment.
November 4 Dubai Mall opens.
November 20 The grand opening of the Atlantis hotel on the Palm in Dubai.
2009
January 2 Sheikh Rashid bin Ahmed Al Mualla, the Ruler of Umm Al Qaiwain since 1981, dies. His son, Sheikh Saud, succeeds him.
February 22 The UAE announces a US$10 billion bail-out of Dubai after it is hit by the global financial crisis.
September 9 At 9:09:09pm the first section of Dubai Metro's Red Line, serving 10 stations, is inaugurated by Sheikh Mohammed.
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.
March 30 The body of Sheikh Ahmed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, managing director of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, is recovered after a gliding accident in Morocco.
October 27 Sheikh Saqr bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, dies at the age of 92. Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi succeeds him as Ruler.
November 24 Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip make their second visit to the UAE.
November 26 Sheikh Zayed Bridge, designed by Zaha Hadid, is completed.
2011
April 23 The launch of Yahsat's first commercial telecommunications satellite.
September 24 Almost 130,000 Emiratis are eligible to vote in the second poll to elect members of the Federal National Council.
In other news ...
2000 The UAE hosts and wins the ACC Trophy, beating Hong Kong and qualifying for the next Asia Cup. 2001 Wafi Mall and Dubai Media City open in Dubai. • Marina Mall and Abu Dhabi Mall open in Abu Dhabi. 2002 Work on the Palm resort project begins in Dubai. 2003 Abu Dhabi University opens. 2004 First season of the Dubai International Film Festival. 2005 The first Liwa Date Festival. • The UAE bans the use of under-age riders in camel racing. 2006 Dubai hosts Christie's first international modern art auction in the Middle East as well as the International Indian Film Academy Awards. • Paris-Sorbonne University opens in Abu Dhabi. 2007 The International Prize for Arabic Fiction is launched in Abu Dhabi, which also holds its first film festival. • Abu Dhabi's Al Wahda Mall opens. 2008 The first issue of The National is published. 2009 Abu Dhabi's first Womad world music festival. 2010 The first year of classes at NYU Abu Dhabi. • Sex and the City 2 is set partly in Abu Dhabi (although it was filmed in Morocco); Tom Cruise shoots scenes for the fourth Mission: Impossible in Dubai. 2011 Jeffrey Deaver visits Dubai to launch his James Bond book, Carte Blanche, partly set in the city.