United Arab Emirates Through History: Who Ruled Its Lands
The land of today's United Arab Emirates appears on 39 historical border maps from 500 BC to today. Over that time it was held, in whole or in part, by 13 different states, among them United Arab Emirates, Trucial Oman, Abbasid Caliphate, Arabia, British Protectorate.
United Arab EmiratesExplore the history of United Arab Emirates in the interactive map
Who ruled the land of United Arab Emirates, map by map
Share of sample points inside today's borders held by each state on each map. Areas with no organised state on the map are left out.
| Map | Main states on this land |
|---|---|
| 1 BC | Muscat 2% |
| AD 800 | Abbasid Caliphate 100% |
| AD 900 | Abbasid Caliphate 100% |
| 1000 | Buwayhid Emirates 2% |
| 1100 | Seljuk Empire 2% |
| 1200 | Khwarazmian Empire 2% |
| 1300 | Ilkhanate 2% |
| 1400 | Timurid Empire 2% |
| 1492 | Muscat 42% |
| 1500 | Muscat 42% |
| 1783 | Nejd 6% |
| 1800 | Nejd 6% |
| 1815 | Nejd 6% |
| 1880 | Arabia 60% · Trucial Oman 40% |
| 1900 | Arabia 60% · Trucial Oman 40% |
| 1914 | British Protectorate 100% |
| 1920 | Trucial Oman 100% |
| 1930 | Trucial Oman 100% |
| 1938 | Trucial Oman 100% |
| 1945 | United Arab Emirates 100% |
| 1960 | United Arab Emirates 100% |
| 1994 | United Arab Emirates 100% |
| 2010 | United Arab Emirates 100% |
Questions
Which empires and states ruled the territory of United Arab Emirates?
On the border maps from 500 BC to today, the largest shares of the territory of modern United Arab Emirates belonged to United Arab Emirates, Trucial Oman, Abbasid Caliphate, Arabia, British Protectorate, Muscat, along with 7 other states.
What was United Arab Emirates part of in 1000?
On the border map for 1000, most of the territory of today's United Arab Emirates lay within Buwayhid Emirates.
What was United Arab Emirates part of in 1500?
On the border map for 1500, most of the territory of today's United Arab Emirates lay within Muscat.
What was United Arab Emirates part of in 1900?
On the border map for 1900, most of the territory of today's United Arab Emirates lay within Arabia.
Further reading
- History of United Arab Emirates in Encyclopaedia Britannica
- History of United Arab Emirates on Wikipedia
Last updated 9 November 2026. Sources: border data from historical-basemaps, land and rivers from Natural Earth; texts written for Chronica Maps from standard reference works. How we make the maps.