Al Karama, United Arab Emirates
Encyclopedia
Al Karama a proposed planned city to be built on the border of the emirates of Abu Dhabi
and Dubai
, was specified as the permanent capital of the United Arab Emirates
(UAE) by the Constitution of 1971
. The city was never built, and Abu Dhabi
became the official capital of the UAE in 1996.
announced that it would end its protectorate over the Trucial States
(the predecessor of the UAE), leading the seven rulers of the States to propose a "Federation of Arab Emirates" with nearby Bahrain
and Qatar
, to be led by a Supreme Council composed of their nine rulers. On October 21, 1969, the fourth and final meeting of the Supreme Council agreed that Abu Dhabi, the largest (in land area) and wealthiest of the nine, should temporarily host the capital of the new state, with a new capital to be built between Abu Dhabi and Dubai. However, this agreement was rendered void when Bahrain and Qatar both withdrew from the proposed federation.
On July 10, 1971, the Trucial States announced the formation of the United Arab Emirates, and the capital issue resurfaced. The five small emirates counter-proposed building a new capital on the border of Dubai and Sharjah, but this was rejected by Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Eventually, the previous compromise was agreed upon, and Article 9 of the final constitution stated:
While the Constitution came into effect on December 2, 1971, its implementation was stalled by ongoing disputes between Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and construction of the capital-to-be never got underway. Instead, Abu Dhabi started building the institutions of government on its own territory, ignoring repeated demands from Dubai and Ras al-Khaimah
to build the new capital as promised. In 1979, in light of the "facts on the ground" and lacking the resources to build it on their own, these demands were dropped.
A quarter-century after the initial constitution, the Supreme Council of the UAE passed Constitutional Amendment Nr. 1 of 1996, which specified that "Abu Dhabi City is the Capital of the Federation." and thus finally granted full legal recognition of Abu Dhabi as the permanent capital of the United Arab Emirates.
01 remains reserved for the city.
and, by 2030, would support a population of up to three million.
Abu Dhabi (emirate)
Abu Dhabi, officially the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, , is one of seven emirates that constitute the United Arab Emirates . It is the capital of UAE and is the largest emirate by area , and second-largest by population , accounting for approximately 86% of the total land area of the UAE...
and Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
, was specified as the permanent capital of the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
(UAE) by the Constitution of 1971
Constitution of the United Arab Emirates
The Constitution of the United Arab Emirates provides a legal and political framework for the operation of the United Arab Emirates as a federation of seven emirates. The Constitution came into effect on December 2, 1971 and was permanently accepted in May 1996. Authored by Adi Bitar, a former...
. The city was never built, and Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi , literally Father of Gazelle, is the capital and the second largest city of the United Arab Emirates in terms of population and the largest of the seven member emirates of the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi lies on a T-shaped island jutting into the Persian Gulf from the central western...
became the official capital of the UAE in 1996.
History
In 1968, the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
announced that it would end its protectorate over the Trucial States
Trucial States
The Trucial States were a group of sheikhdoms in the Persian Gulf.-General aspects:The sheikdoms included:*Abu Dhabi *Ajman...
(the predecessor of the UAE), leading the seven rulers of the States to propose a "Federation of Arab Emirates" with nearby Bahrain
Bahrain
' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is...
and Qatar
Qatar
Qatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...
, to be led by a Supreme Council composed of their nine rulers. On October 21, 1969, the fourth and final meeting of the Supreme Council agreed that Abu Dhabi, the largest (in land area) and wealthiest of the nine, should temporarily host the capital of the new state, with a new capital to be built between Abu Dhabi and Dubai. However, this agreement was rendered void when Bahrain and Qatar both withdrew from the proposed federation.
On July 10, 1971, the Trucial States announced the formation of the United Arab Emirates, and the capital issue resurfaced. The five small emirates counter-proposed building a new capital on the border of Dubai and Sharjah, but this was rejected by Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Eventually, the previous compromise was agreed upon, and Article 9 of the final constitution stated:
While the Constitution came into effect on December 2, 1971, its implementation was stalled by ongoing disputes between Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and construction of the capital-to-be never got underway. Instead, Abu Dhabi started building the institutions of government on its own territory, ignoring repeated demands from Dubai and Ras al-Khaimah
Ras al-Khaimah
Ras al-Khaimah is one of the emirates of the United Arab Emirates , in the east of the Persian Gulf. It is in the northern part of the UAE bordering Oman's exclave. The capital city and home of most residents is also called Ras al-Khaimah. The city has a population of 263,217 as of 2008. The city...
to build the new capital as promised. In 1979, in light of the "facts on the ground" and lacking the resources to build it on their own, these demands were dropped.
A quarter-century after the initial constitution, the Supreme Council of the UAE passed Constitutional Amendment Nr. 1 of 1996, which specified that "Abu Dhabi City is the Capital of the Federation." and thus finally granted full legal recognition of Abu Dhabi as the permanent capital of the United Arab Emirates.
Legacy
Even in the Emirates, few are aware of the planned capital. However, some references to Al Karama remain in the infrastructure of the United Arab Emirates; for example, telephone area codeTelephone numbers in the United Arab Emirates
Country Code: +971International Call Prefix: 00Trunk Prefix: 0Prior to 2000, subscriber numbers were 5 or 6 digits, with area code plus subscriber number totalling 7 digits...
01 remains reserved for the city.
Future
In 2008, the Ruler of Abu Dhabi, Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, announced a plan to build a new federal capital for the United Arab Emirates. To be called the Capital District, the capital will be located 15–20 km from Abu Dhabi near Khalifa CityKhalifa City
Khalifa City is a residential suburb of the city of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. It is divided into 3 areas: Khalifa City A, Khalifa City B, and New Khalifa City. Khalifa City A is on the main highway to Dubai and lies about 30 kilometres from Abu Dhabi. It is close to Abu Dhabi...
and, by 2030, would support a population of up to three million.