Fujairah. United Arab Emirates. Hmmm.

The very busy Fujairah oil port.  Over 2,000,000 L of oil loaded daily.

Many of the dozens of tankers waiting to fill up.  This the end of a pipeline
from Abu Dabhai put in to by-pass the strait of Hormuz.

Who or what is this place?  We were determined to find out today what made worth a stop on a Middle East cruise.  Just another port?  A way to prolong a cruise until we would get to Dubai?

I guess that could have been true until we met Jothe.  Jothe, of Indian extraction, has lived in the UAE(short for United Arab Emirates) for 13 years.  She is one of them, yet has a perspective as an outsider as well.  And she waxes eloquently about both the Emirates citizens as well as what it is like to live here.

First of all, UAE is one of the most liberal of the Middle Eastern countries. It was founded, or joined together, in 1971.  There are seven “states” as part of this union and each has its own “king”, called a Sultan or Emir.  And, although they are seven separate “countries”, they all hang together rather loosely.  The BIG head of the union is the Sultan of Abu Dhabi, the richest of the states.  Their riches come from oil money, although their supply of oil, according to the media, is only moderate.  It is impressive to see storage tank after storage tank with more being built.  And the tugs in the harbor are kept busy with the tankers filled with oil!  Actually, Jothe said, it is more expensive to buy bottled water than “petrol.”

Typical building decked out in flag bunting to
celebrate 42nd anniversary of national unity.

To be a citizen of the UAE has many privileges. And only 15% of the population is of that privileged class called Emiratis, or citizens.  First of all, the citizens are given a house when they get married, free, by the government.  And they also get a very large sum of money when they get married….to another Emariti.  But it doesn’t stop there.  Education for citizens and their families is free, as his healthcare.  And there are no taxes.  No wonder Emiratis love their Sultans!

The 7 Emirs posted on top of a seaside hill.

While the population is small, 8 million, 60% of it is imported workers, mostly Indian and Pakistani.  Workers are imported, only with temporary work visas, because those Emirati citizens, including kids, do not want to do the menial work like building roads, caring for yards, even working as maids for richer families.  And there are lots and lots of maids, apparently. If you are not a citizen, both your kids’ schooling and healthcare are paid for by you. And if you are not a citizen and you lose your job, you have a month to find a new job or you will have to pay a fine and/or be sent home to your original country.  It sounds somewhat like the US emigration dilemma.

Friday market

Man from Abu Dabhai

Food portion of the friday market.

To become a citizen, you can marry a Emirati citizen and live here with that person for 5 years.  Despite this, people living here are happy to be here. One big reason is, with the prevalence of oil money, no one (that means NO ONE) pays taxes.  Women can drive, a big bonus for the Middle East.  And they can vote.  They can even hold office.  For expats, non-citizens, etc, there is a mandatory single payer health insurance system.  The entire country is now covered, one way or the other, for health catastrophies.

Fancy hotel opening soon on shore

Shark roundabout centerpiece.  They have a lot of these displays

Encampment setting up at the beach for the Unity Day weekend

Opportunity stand at the beach

The ship celebrated

Man and dau

Their "Grand Canyon"

Bright new communications center

Huge new mosque under construction.

Teenyest and oldest mosque in the area from the 13th century.

Barren inland mountains and desert.

Tomorrow, in the UAE, is their sort of “4^th of July”.  We see their flags draped all over everywhere --- buildings, cars, monuments, etc. It was 42 years ago that these Emirates agreed to join together for the benefit of all 7 of them. So, if one emirate should get in financial trouble, the other swoop in and help.  We also see cars and buildings decorated with pictures of the 7 Sultans that run the country.  These Sultans are loved; they are friends to each other; they provide an incredibly good life for the people living here.  And they are progressive, with new construction covering nearly the whole country.  One thing, in particular, we noticed is the number of Muslim mosques, both existing and being built.  And there appears to be a competition of sorts among the Sultans to have the biggest and best mosque, to outdo their fellow Sultans. 

But this is not a place where you will hear of an overthrow from within.  I guess it goes to prove if you take care of your people, as a leader you will have a long and profitable life!  And there are lessons to be learned, I think, from how people live happily with their families and friends in the UAW