logo
episode-header-image
Nov 2022
9m 1s

Formation of the United Arab Emirates

Bbc World Service
About this episode

A new country, the United Arab Emirates, was formed in 1971. It’s a federation of seven states that has grown from a quiet backwater to one of the Middle East’s most important economic centres.

Laura Jones speaks to businessman Mohammed Al-Fahim about his country’s dramatic transformation.

(Photo: Mohammed Al-Fahim as a child. Credit: Mohammed Al-Fahim)

Up next
Apr 2025
The Cu Chi tunnels of the Vietnam War
During the Vietnam War, North Vietnamese VietCong guerrillas built a vast network of tunnels in the south of the country as part of the insurgency against the South Vietnamese government and their American allies. The tunnel network was a key base and shelter for the North Vietna ... Show More
9m 43s
Nov 21
How the Bosnian war ended
<p>The Dayton Peace Accords were signed on the 21 November 1995, ending the three-and-a-half-year war in Bosnia. </p><p>The war was part of the break-up of Yugoslavia; it is estimated that 100,000 people were killed. </p><p>In 2010, Lucy Williamson spoke to Milan Milutinović who ... Show More
10m 12s
Nov 20
The Spanish king reclaims his throne
<p>In 1975, the death of General Francisco Franco was announced in Spain, bringing to an end 36 years of dictatorship.</p><p>Franco had already chosen his successor: Prince Juan Carlos, grandson of the last monarch, Alphonso XIII. This was the man who - Franco thought - would con ... Show More
10m 38s
Recommended Episodes
Nov 2022
Arabian Peninsula
<p>Max Pearson presents a collection of this week's Witness History and Sporting Witness episodes, which focus on the Arabian Peninsula to mark the start of the football World Cup in Qatar. </p><p>Our guest is Dr Wafa Alsayed, Lecturer in Political Science and History at the Gulf ... Show More
54m 17s
Jun 2012
Al-Kindi
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the life and work of the Arab philosopher al-Kindi. Born in the early ninth century, al-Kindi was heavily influenced by Greek philosophy and supervised the translation of many works by Aristotle and others into Arabic. The author of more than 2 ... Show More
41m 53s
Feb 2022
Kazakhstan's new capital
<p>How Kazakhstan's strongman president, Nursultan Nazarbayev, created a new capital, which would eventually be named after him; transformation in the UEA - the first Emirati female teacher in the 1960s; the murder of American journalist, Daniel Pearl; from 70 years ago, the pass ... Show More
50m 8s
Aug 2023
Mbaye Lo and Carl W. Ernst, "I Cannot Write My Life: Islam, Arabic, and Slavery in Omar Ibn Said's America" (UNC Press, 2023)
Carl Ernst’s and Mbaye Lo’s new book I Cannot Write My Life: Islam, Arabic, and Slavery in Omar Ibn Said's America (UNC Press, 2023) is a fascinating and rivetting book that offers the most authoritative account to date of the life and Arabic writings of Omar Ibn Said, a scholar ... Show More
48m 38s
Nov 2023
400. Message from the United Arab Emirates | His Excellency Saeed Al Nazari
Dr. Jordan B Peterson sits down with the Secretary General of Great Arab Minds, His Excellency Saeed Al Nazari. They discuss the origins of the United Arab Emirates, how the Abraham Accords and a Tri-Faith system have taken effect and opened dialogue, the projects spearheaded by ... Show More
1h 42m
Oct 2023
376. Baghdad: The Forging of Islam (Part 1)
A story of great myth and of huge historical significance, the foundation of Baghdad is a fundamental episode in the development of Islam. The Umayyad Caliphate, the first great Islamic empire, stretched from the Atlantic Ocean to the borders of China; no dynasty had ever preside ... Show More
51m 3s
Feb 2022
The Lovin Dubai Show: TOP STORY: The UAE Brings In Federal Corporate Tax From June 2023
‏-TOP STORY: The UAE Brings In Federal Corporate Tax From June 2023-Israel Is Offering Its Full Security Assistance To The UAE Amid Malicious Houthi Attacks-The World’s Youngest Certified Yoga Instructor Is A 9-Year-Old Living In Dubai-Dubai Is All Set To Launch The World’s First ... Show More
31m 9s
Mar 2015
Al-Ghazali
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the life and work of Al-Ghazali, a major philosopher and theologian of the late 11th century. Born in Persia, he was one of the most prominent intellectuals of his age, working in such centres of learning as Baghdad, Damascus and Jerusalem. He ... Show More
44m 12s
Listen to millions of songs and podcasts on Anghami