History of Dubai Timeline

In the early 19th century, the Al Abu Falasa dynasty (part of the House of Al-Falasi) of the Bani Yas tribe established Dubai, which remained a dependent of Abu Dhabi until 1833.

On 8 January 1820, the Sheikh of Dubai and other sheikhs in the region signed the 'General Maritime Peace Treaty' with the British government, which aimed to suppress piracy in the region and was the first formal denunciation of the Arab slave trade in Emirati history.

Image source: General Maritime Treaty of 1820

In 1833 the Al Maktoum dynasty (also descendants of the House of Al-Falasi) of the Bani Yas tribe left Abu Dhabi and took over Dubai from the Abu Falasa clan without resistance, led by Maktoum bin Butti, founder of the present day al-Maktoum dynasty.

Image source: Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum

Sheikh Maktoum I bin Bati ibn Suhayl ruled Dubai from 9 June 1833 until his death in 1852, leading the newly established Al Maktoum dynasty.

Image source: Dubai

In an attempt to further halt the endemic piracy in the region, the British signed another truce in 1853, agreeing to stay out of administration of the region in return for the sheikhs agreeing to suppress piracy.

Image source: Trucial States

The success of the area led Sheikh Maktoum to sign an exclusive business deal with the British in 1892, making Dubai a British protectorate.

Sheikh Saeed bin Maktoum bin Hasher Al Maktoum became Ruler in November 1912 and was the first Ruler to rule for a substantial period of time, regarded by many as one of the fathers of Dubai.

Image source: Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum

In 1929, Sheikh Saeed II bin Maktum was briefly deposed and succeeded by Sheikh Mani bin Rashid, a relative; however, three days later he was restored to the throne and ruled until his death in September 1958.

The uprising of 1938 in Dubai was the culmination of a decade of grievances and minor rebellions against the autocratic rule of Shaykh Sa'id bin Maktum (ruled 1912–58). The new government lasted only a few months before Shaykh Sa'id, with Bedouin support, overthrew it in March 1939.

In 1947, a border dispute between Dubai and Abu Dhabi on their northern border erupted into war between the two states, forcing the involvement of the British government and the creation of a buffer zone resulting in a temporary ceasefire.

Arbitration by the British government in 1949 resulted in the creation of a buffer frontier running south eastwards from the coast at Ras Hasian. A formal compromise between the two states was not reached until 1979, eight years after the creation of the UAE.

Tripp, the British political agent, made declarations between 1956 and 1957 defining the boundaries between Dubai and Sharjah. Although the rulers of both had agreed in 1954 to accept the rulings, Dubai's ruler declined to accept the decision.

In 1958, upon the death of Saeed bin Maktoum Al Maktoum, Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum became Ruler of Dubai.

Image source: Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum

Border disputes between the emirates continued even after the formation of the UAE; on 30 November 1976 Dubai and Abu Dhabi signed an arbitration compromise under the auspices of the Supreme Council of the Federation. A formal compromise ending hostilities was reached in 1979, allowing Abu Dhabi control of the rest of the UAE while leaving Dubai to rule many of its own affairs, especially trade.

Following the death of Sheikh Rashid II ibn Said Al Maktoum on 7 October 1990, Sheikh Maktoum III bin Rashid Al Maktoum became Ruler of Dubai.

Image source: Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum

In 2006, upon the death of Sheikh Maktoum al-Maktoum, his brother, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum became Emir, having been de facto ruler for a decade and credited with helping to force Dubai's rapid expansion.

Britain left the Persian Gulf in the early part of 1971, having announced their intentions in 1968, causing Dubai and Abu Dhabi, in conjunction with five other emirates, to form the United Arab Emirates.

Image source: United Arab Emirates

The Persian Gulf War of 1990, in which Dubai as part of the UAE provided military aid to the coalition, unsettled the economy; however, in the mid-1990s this stabilised and many foreign trading communities moved their businesses to Dubai.

Image source: Gulf War

Dubai continued to foster political alignment with the western world, and during the 2003 Invasion of Iraq, they provided refueling bases to allied forces in the Jebel Ali Free Zone as they did during the Persian Gulf War.

Image source: 2003 invasion of Iraq

In February and March 2026, Dubai was impacted by missile and drone strikes launched by Iran as part of a regional escalation following hostilities between the United States, Israel and Iran. On 28 February, Fairmont The Palm hotel was set ablaze after debris from an Iranian missile strike hit the area, injuring four people.

On March 1, 2026, Dubai's international airport and the Burj Al Arab hotel were damaged in Iranian attacks, which also caused a fire at Jebel Ali Port and resulted in four injuries at the airport, while a drone intercepted over the city caused minor damage to the hotel's facade.