UAE | General

Ajman

Traditionally upbeat and the smallest of all of seven emirates, Ajman preserves the past and offers a slightly more relaxed pace of life.

  • By Daniel Bardsley, Staff Reporter
  • Published: 00:00 December 2, 2004
  • Gulf News

Although fishing is the most important industry in Ajman, the emirate works hard to ensure it is not left behind by the UAE’s economic revolution.

The foundation of new economic development zones has led to the creation of hundreds of companies and helped boost the population. Here, the past lives on more than in some of the glitzier emirates.

Ajman is the smallest of all of the seven emirates — it covers 259 square kilometres, which is 0.3 per cent of the UAE’s total size. It lacks the abundant oil resources of its neighbours, but many traditional industries continue to thrive.

The emirate has been ruled since 1981 by His Highness Shaikh Humaid Bin Rashid Al Nuaimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Ajman. Also playing a vital role in running the emirate is Shaikh Ammar Bin Humaid Bin Rashid Al Nuaimi, Crown Prince of Ajman.

Ajman, lying as it does on the Arabian Gulf, is still a fishing centre: traditional vessels can be seen all along its 16-km coastline. Other old industries that are still going strong in the emirate include dhow building and ship repair.

The emirate has moved into the modern world with hundreds of companies now based in the Ajman Free Zone and the Ajman Industrial Area. These two commercial centres have helped the emirate’s population swell from just 80,000 in 1992 to about 160,000.

Most of these people live in Ajman town, which has a port along the creek that runs into the town where the dhows are made. The town also has the Ruler’s Office and several markets and banks, while on Ajman Corniche several resort hotels can be found.

For those with an interest in history, there is the restored fort Dowar Al Hosn, which contains Ajman Museum.

Built in 1775, the fort was the Ruler’s official residence until 1970, after which it acted as the police station.

Ajman town provides an attractive place in which Dubai and Sharjah workers can live, with lower rents and a slightly more relaxed pace of life.

Outside the main town, the two most important regions of Ajman are Masfut, an agricultural area that lies in the south east, and Manama, which can be found to the east.

Industry and agriculture are less well developed in Ajman than in some of the other emirates, so it is partly dependent upon aid from other parts of the UAE and other Gulf states.

It is a major learning centre due to the establishment of Ajman University of Science and Technology Network (Aust Network).

This started life as a university college in 1988, and became a full-fledged university and then a university network boasting four campuses. It also has strong links with a sister university in Valencia, Spain — the Mediterranean University of Science and Technology.

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