Ajman
This article is about the city. For the eponymous Emirate, see Emirate of Ajman. For
other uses, see Ajman (disambiguation).
Ajman
‫عجمان‬
City
Clockwise from top: Aerial view of Ajman, Corniche Mosque, Ajman
beach, Street in Ajman, Ajman Fort Museum
Ajman (Arabic: ‫عجمان‬, 'Aǧmān; Gulf Arabic: ‫ عيمان‬ʿymān) is the capital of the emirate
of Ajman in the United Arab Emirates. It is the fifth-largest city in UAE
after Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Al Ain. Located along the Persian Gulf, it is
engulfed by the larger emirate of Sharjah in territory.
History[edit]
Al Bu Kharaiban Nuaimi rule in Ajman started in 1816, when Sheikh Rashid bin
Humaid Al Nuaimi and fifty of his followers took the coastal settlement of Ajman from
members of the Al Bu Shamis Nuaimi tribe in a short conflict.[2] It wasn't until 1816 or
1817, however, that the Ajman fort finally fell to Rashid's followers and his rule was
endorsed by the powerful Sheikh of neighbouring Sharjah and Ras Al
Khaimah, Sheikh Sultan bin Saqr Al Qasimi.[3]
On 8 January 1820, following the sack of Ras Al Khaimah by a British force led by
Sir W.G. Keir, Sultan bin Saqr signed the General Maritime Treaty with the United
Kingdom on 4 February 1820, followed on 15 March by Rashid bin Humaid[4] at
Falaya Fort.
An 1822 British maritime survey noted that Ajman had one of the best backwaters on
the coast and was a small town with a single fortified building, the ruler's house. In
common with many other coastal towns on what became the Trucial Coast, the
population was mobile depending on the season – there were as many as 1,400 to
1,700 men of the 'Mahamee' tribe living there during the pearl hunting season (April–
September), many of whom would migrate to Al Buraimi in the date season. The
survey notes that Ajman's ruler Rashid bin Ahmed considered his dominion
independent of the Emirate of Sharjah, but that Sharjah did not maintain that view
even though it had no power over Ajman.[5] The survey noted that the inhabitants of
Ajman were 'mostly strict Wahhabis' and recorded the presence of the ruined village
of Fasht down the shore from Ajman town, which is today the Fisht suburb
of Sharjah city.
Ajman Fort, today a museum
In 1831, the Sheikh of Ajman accepted a subsidy from the Imam of Muscat to join
with Sultan bin Saqr of Sharjah against Sohar, but following Sultan's defeat declared
for Sohar.[clarification needed] In his absence, a part of Bani Yas from Abu Dhabi sacked
Ajman town and its date groves.[6] In retaliation, the forces of Ajman committed
'daring depredations' upon the cities of Sohar and Muscat. When called upon to
provide redress for the actions of his 'subject', Sultan bin Saqr disavowed any
authority over Ajman and in 1832 a British naval force was sent to Ajman to obtain
redress for the raids on the East Coast cities.[7] Ending a conflict between Sharjah,
Ajman and Dubai on the one hand and Abu Dhabi on the other, Ajman (together with
the other parties) signed the 1835 Maritime Treaty in its own right. [7]
In 1840, Humaid bin Obeid bin Subt of Al Heera invaded Ajman supported by a body
of the Bani Naeem. Although initially reluctant to assist Humeid bin Rashid, Sultan
bin Suggur of Sharjah sent his son Suggur who, together with Maktoum of Dubai,
ejected the invaders and sacked Al Heera in reprisal.
In 1843 a further Maritime Treaty was signed between the Trucial Sheikhs and the
British and then, on 4 May 1853, 'A Perpetual Treaty of Peace' was entered into by
the coastal Sheikhs, including Ajman. A copy of this treaty is on display in Ajman
Museum. A further treaty of 1892 bound the Trucial States to Britain.
By the 20th century, J. G. Lorimer's survey of the coast of the Trucial States showed
Ajman to be a small town of some 750 inhabitants (in comparison, the population of
Dubai at the time numbered over 10,000).[8] On 2 December 1971, Ajman, under
Sheikh Rashid bin Humayd Al Nuaimi, joined the United Arab Emirates.
Population[edit]
The city has more than 90% of the population of the emirate. The area runs directly
into the city of Sharjah along the coast to the southwest, which in turn is adjacent
to Dubai, forming a continuous urban area.