UAE in black-and-white: Key moments in the nation's journey

1761: The Qasr Al Hosn built. The palace is a historical landmark and the oldest stone building in the city of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The palace still stands today, and has been turned into a museum telling the story of Abu Dhabi. Photo shows an aerial view of Qasr Al Hosn and surrounding houses in Abu Dhabi, taken in 1970.

1799: Fahidi Fort was built. It is the oldest surviving structure in Dubai. Photo taken in 1950.

1892: The Trucial States, which were a collection of independent Sheikdoms, formed a close bond with the British Government by signing a treaty. It was obligatory for the Trucial Sheikhs not to enter into agreement with any country other than the British Government. In return, the British assumed the responsibility of defending the emirates from foreign aggression. An aerial shot of Dubai taken in 1950.

1903: Lord George Curzon, Viceroy of India, visited the region and held meeting with Trucial Sheikhs on the board of cruiser Argonaut off Sharjah. This photo was taken in 1904 by German photographer Hermann Burchardt, who was travelling along what was then known as the Trucial Coast, documenting his journey and mailing a report of his travels to the German Consulate in Baghdad.

1928: Sheikh Shakhbout Bin Sultan Al Nahyan becomes Ruler of Abu Dhabi. Photographed c.1948, in Qasr Al Hosn, Abu Dhabi: (From right) Ahmad Bin Mohammad Al Salf Al Nuaimi, Sheikh Hazza Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Wilfred Thesiger (Mubarak Bin London), Sheikh Shakhbout Bin Sultan Al Nahyan and Sheikh Khalid Bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

October 5, 1932: Sharjah Airport is opened for operation. The Hanno, the first flight lands in Sharjah from Gwadar on October 5, 1932.

1945 – 1951: Oil exploration agreements are finalised in Ras Al Khaimah, Umm Al Quwain and Ajman. Photo shows the production unit at Das Island in Abu Dhabi in the 1960s.

1956: Dubai Police force is established.

1958: Oil first discovered in the UAE at the Murban Bab Oil Field, following an extensive 30-year search.

1958: Shaikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum becomes Ruler of Dubai.

1959: Work on Dubai International Airport starts on a vast expanse of a wasteland about four kilometres from what was then the edge of the city of Dubai.

1959: Dnata is established by the Dubai Government with just five staff to provide ground handling services at the new Dubai International Airport.

1960: Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Sheikh Mohammad Bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Sheikh Saeed Bin Shakhbut Al Nahyan and Colonel Carter from the Trucial Oman Scouts in Al Ain. Photo taken in 1960.

September 30, 1960: Shaikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum opens the airport and implements innovative open-skies policy. Work began on Dubai International Airport in 1959 on a vast expanse of a wasteland about four kilometres from what was then the edge of the city of Dubai.

1961: Dubai’s first central water supply system to accommodate 86,777 households is installed. This dusty thoroughfare dotted with palm trees is one of the main streets in Dubai in 1961.

1961: Shaikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Ruler of Dubai, sets up the first municipal council in the emirate. This is a general view of Dubai in the 1960s, one of the then-Trucial states, shows in the foreground the sleek dhows which run gold and Swiss watches to India. AP Photo

1962: Oil is exported for the first time from Abu Dhabi.

August 6, 1966: Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan becomes Ruler of Abu Dhabi.

1968: Abu Dhabi Airport opens under the name of Al Bateen Airport. By 1970, it became Abu Dhabi's first international airport and the first main airport in the UAE capital.

January 1968: British Government announces its intention to withdraw from the Gulf by the end of 1971. Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan is escorted to his seat for Trooping the Colour in London. Photo taken in 1969.

February 25, 1968: Rulers of nine states attend the Trucial States Council meeting in Dubai.

1969: Dubai exports oil for the first time.

1970: Shaikh Zayed signs the Oman Trucial Force Agreement in Abu Dhabi.

July 18, 1971: The Rulers of the six Trucial States, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm al Quwain and Fujairah sign the document to form the United Arab Emirates at a meeting held in Dubai.

November 30, 1971: British leave the Trucial States. Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) was incorporated the same month.

December 2, 1971: The Rulers of Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain proclaim the creation of the United Arab Emirates in an official ceremony in Dubai and later hoisted the UAE flag at the Union House.

February 11, 1972: Ras Al Khaimah signs the charter to join the federation. Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Shaikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Dr. Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Shaikh Rashid Bin Ahmad Al Mu'alla, Shaikh Saqr Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Shaikh Mohammad Bin Hamad Al Sharqi, Shaikh Humaid Bin Rashid Al Nuaimi in a group photograph after Ras Al Khaimah joined the Union of the United Arab Emirates, Presidential Palace, Abu Dhabi.

UAE LEADERS: (From left) His Highness Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah; His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah; His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai; His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces; His Highness Sheikh Humaid Bin Rashid Al Nuaimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Ajman; His Highness Sheikh Hamad Bin Mohammed Al Sharqi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Fujairah; and His Highness Sheikh Saud Bin Rashid Al Mualla, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Umm Al Quwain.