10 Questions
What was the condition of the people of Abu Dhabi five or six years ago?
Living in poverty
Why was Zayed's brother Shaqrud sent into exile by Zayed?
Due to his miserly habits and inability to adapt to the new wealth
What role does Zayed play in tribal life in Abu Dhabi?
The undisputed boss
Why did Shaqrud struggle when Abu Dhabi became wealthy?
His miserly habits paralyzed him
What inspired the Muslim idea of heaven according to the text?
The abundance of water
What is the predominant religion in Arabia?
Islam
How has the introduction of oil impacted the desert in Arabia?
Attracted prospectors, lawyers, and mapmakers
What traditional activity in Arabia involves chasing game with Falcons?
Falconry
Who is described as trying to strike a balance between old traditions and new developments in Arabia?
Zayed
What is Zayed's vision for Abu Dhabi according to the text?
To become a model state of Arabia with development
Study Notes
- The text is about Sheikh Zayed of Abu Dhabi, a wealthy Arab leader who rules over a small desert kingdom.
- Zayed is an Arab sheikh who was born in old Arabia and will die in a new one. He is a man of two worlds, worshipping Allah, loving the desert, and one of the richest men in the world.
- Abu Dhabi is a small kingdom in Arabia with around 20,000 people, half the size of Denmark, and is mostly made up of sand and salt flats.
- Zayed is the undisputed boss of Abu Dhabi, and his forefathers ruled the desert from the back of a camel. He is still the center of tribal life and is followed everywhere.
- Five or six years ago, the people of Abu Dhabi were living in poverty, and the 20th century had passed them by. However, with the discovery of oil, their ruler ID Zayed became one of Arabia's nouveau riche.
- Zayed's brother Shaqrud ruled Abu Dhabi in poverty and comparative peace for more than thirty years. However, when Abu Dhabi struck it rich, Shaqrud's miserly habits paralyzed him, and the people began to demand a better ruler.
- Shaqrud was a miser and had been a poor man all his life. He couldn't meet the challenge of the rich new world and was eventually sent into exile by his brother Zayed.
- Arabia is a harsh and lonely place, only water makes it bearable. The desert is so important that it inspired the Muslim idea of heaven.
- The women of Arabia still hide behind the veil as the land itself has done for centuries. The Arab boats are made by hand with ancient equipment, much as they were in the days of the spice trade and the slave trade.
- The religion of Arabia is Islam, and it is still the home of the most devoted followers of Muhammad.
- Oil has brought money and change to Arabia. The desert is rich, and the prospectors, lawyers, and mapmakers have come to divide it.
- The desert game is chased with a string of Falcons, and each falcon has a follower to look after. The pampered darlings of a rich man's camp are now costly.
- The traditional feast for a visitor has become an operating to a wealthy benefactor instead of the poor eating at the rich man's table.
- The old Arabia still exists, but time is money, and the purse strings control everything.
- The fairytale of Arabia where time is endless and patience more so is over, and everyone now lives happily ever after in the dream world of the Arabian Nights.
- However, it's not easy uneven in the real world of Arabia, and even the best of friends can't promise a happy ending to Zayed's modern fairy tale that's only just begun.
- The old way of life cannot be reconciled with a hundred million dollars a year, and God and the oil business have already chosen for you.
- The vultures of world commerce have descended on Abu Dhabi, and the modern world is taking over.
- Construction machines are weapons of destruction that can tear an old way of life to shreds before a new one has properly begun.
- Someone must try to strike a balance between building new and wrecking the old, and that someone is the ruler.
- Patience is still required, but now there's a hundred million dollars of good hard cash burning a hole in the ruler's pocket.
- Five years after the oil began to flow, Abu Dhabi is no longer a place of peace but a place of constant change and development.
- Zayed has a plan to make Abu Dhabi a model state of Arabia with all the paraphernalia of development.
- Zayed awards contracts worth seventy million dollars and is out every day to spur on the men who are making him a brand new kingdom.- Greens Bar Zoid expressed concern about the future but felt a duty to give to his people, who had lacked basic necessities like schools, hospitals, and infrastructure.
- The location of Abu Dhabi was described as having an artificial deepwater harbor, a four-lane highway, and a water pipeline across the desert, as well as an airport with a long runway.
- The first thing to change, according to Zoid, would be the people's love for their camels.
- The number of airlines permitted and the resulting number of aircraft at any given time would impact the size of the airport.
- Zayed acted hastily and harshly in dismissing a plan for a new souk in Abu Dhabi, destroying two months of work.
- He was once a modern oil tycoon, but after a plan dismissal, he reverted back to being a feudal lord with a following.
- The Arabs of Abu Dhabi were learning to keep up with the Joneses and experiencing snobbery as a new vice.
- Old ways of life, such as traditional schools and reliance on local herbs for medicine, still existed.
- There were massive poverty and sickness issues, with only a few hospitals and doctors present.
- Women in Arabia were still secluded and were difficult for doctors to examine.
- The total revenue for 1967 was estimated to be 41 million two hundred and 2080 dinars, with development expenditure estimated at 23 million two hundred and seventy five thousand six hundred and seventy-one dinars.
- The police and other expenditures were difficult to estimate.
- Zayed was now the administrator of a modern state and was forced to shut his people out of his life.
- He was unsure of himself and his people were uncertain about the new way of life.
- The desert was described as an escape and a return to innocence, but it was also an illusion.
- The old Arabia was being dragged into the world's sight and was no longer independent.
- The people of Abu Dhabi would have to face the infinite hopes, possibilities, and disillusionment of the modern world.
Explore the story of Sheikh Zayed, a wealthy Arab leader ruling over a small desert kingdom in Abu Dhabi. Discover the transformation from poverty to opulence through oil discovery and the challenges faced in modernizing the traditional way of life. Dive into the complexities of balancing tradition with rapid development in a changing world.
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