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Tales of our origins
Most UAE nationals Weekend Review spoke to had a common reasoning behind the place names of Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah but differed in opinion on the rest of the emirates.
- By Siham Al Najami, Staff Writer
- Published: 00:00 March 8, 2007
- Image Credit: Gulf News
- It has been said that Dubai was formerly called Al Wasl because it was considered a meeting point for traders.
Most UAE nationals Weekend Review spoke to had a common reasoning behind the place names of Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah but differed in opinion on the rest of the emirates.
They said that their source of information is derived from the internet and from what their parents told them but seldom did they find references in books or articles.
Juma Al Mutawa'a, an administrative assistant, says he has a keen interest in the culture and history of the UAE. To him, it is the duty of every Emirati to know about the history of the country.
During his school and university studies, he says he was keen to know about the roots of tribesmen and the origins of the names of the emirates from his teachers and parents.
According to him: "Dubai was formerly called Al Wasl because it was considered a meeting point for traders." And in some books, Dubai is described as a trading city. It had long-standing trading relationships with its neighbouring countries, India in particular.
The Al Qawasim tribe resided in Ras Al Khaimah and they were well known for having defeated the British army, he says, also pointing to the lifestyle of the Al Qawasims, who mainly lived in tents.
Some people say that Ras Al Khaimah is named after its shape on the map. "It takes the form of a tent," Al Mutawa'a says.
Fujairah, as the name indicates, is a mountainous area with many natural springs, he says.
Abdullah Julphar, 19, says that he asked many people about the meaning of Julphar which is believed to be one of the oldest cities in northern Ras Al Khaimah. However, to his knowledge, "no one knows the meaning or origin of the name".
Due to his interest, he did some research about the meaning of each emirate, but says that most of his findings were not based on documented facts.
The name Dubai, he says, comes from the word form Daba which is a type of "fly or wasp that dominated the area even before the formation of the UAE".
He echoed Al Mutawa'a words saying that Fujairah is widely known for its water springs.
"According to my parents, Ras Al Khaimah is named after a famous woman who lived in a tent, but unfortunately I can't remember her name," he says.
Alia Khalifa, a history teacher, said that a queen from the Middle East called "Zaba'a" resided in a tent in Ras Al Khaimah which also means the cape of the tent.
Abdullah Za'al, director of the Minister of Education's office for Technical Affairs, says that during the Sixties, "Jarads", or locusts, were widespread in the area, especially during October.
Many people interviewed said that the Daba attribution for Dubai comes from the term's meaning of "locust", "ants", or "wasps".
Za'al said that during the late Sixties, he recalls eating locusts. However, people say Daba is a wasp. But they added that it was not eaten, in fact "it was poisonous".
"Formerly, Dubai was called Wasl. But I don't know why it was called so," says university student Zayed Al Abdouli.
He said that Al Waheeda in Dubai was named so because only one thin date tree was present in the Waheeda area; in Arabic the word means "the sole one".
"Most of my information is from my grandparents and Bedouins. Hardly any documents or writings are present about the naming of emirates," he says.
Manal Bin Obood, an administrative assistant, said that a large and specialised tent was placed along the coast of the UAE which had an oil lamp on the top of the tent, which guided sailors or fishermen to the coast.
Madiha Al Manthari, who works in the media, says that Abu Dhabi is widely known for having Dhabi, "an animal similar to a gazelle". Dubai, she says her parents tell her, comes from the word Daba or "wasp".
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