Ajman
History
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.[3] 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.[4]
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[5] 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.[6] 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.[7] 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.[8] 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.[8]
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).[9] On 2 December 1971, Ajman, under Sheikh Rashid bin Humayd Al Nuaimi, joined
the United Arab Emirates.