Union House witness to historic move
In a circular room, Rulers of the six emirates agreed to form the UAE, with Ras Al Khaimah joining later in 1972
Dubai: Pictures line the walls of the circular central room where 38 years ago six men got together and formed a nation.
It was in this very room that the rulers of six emirates agreed to unite, sign the constitution, and call themselves the United Arab Emirates.
Under the shadow of the largest UAE flag sits the aptly named Union House.
This is where the UAE flag was first unveiled and raised for the first time to a 21-gun salute; though the 120-metre golden flagpole wasn't constructed until 2001.
In 1968 Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan and Shaikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum decided to form an independent union between Abu Dhabi and Dubai and invited the other five states as well as Qatar and Bahrain to join them.
Separate
Though Bahrain and Qatar chose to proceed to a separate independence, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain and Fujairah agreed to join the union.
On the afternoon of Thursday, December 2, 1971, Shaikh Zayed, Shaikh Rashid, Shaikh Khalid Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, the then Ruler of Sharjah, Shaikh Rashid Bin Humaid Al Nuaimi, the then Ruler of Ajman, Shaikh Mohammad Bin Hamad Al Sharqi, the then Ruler of Fujairah, and Shaikh Rashid Bin Ahmad Al Mua'alla, the then Crown Prince of Umm Al Quwain, met in this humble circular building to sign the declaration forming the union of the Arab emirates and elected Shaikh Zayed president of the newly formed nation.
Ras Al Khaimah joined in February 1972. It's only fitting that every year the National Day parade makes its way to this historic site. Save for the few pictures of that great day the house is all but empty, though plans are under way to renovate it to the way it was in 1971. The once open circular balcony has now been enclosed in glass on which full size black and white pictures of the historic day are displayed, as if the moment had been frozen in time.
