Find cheap flights to United Arab Emirates with BudgetAir

Created only a generation ago in 1971, the United Arab Emirates are the success story of the Middle East with glittering cities where skyscrapers are the norm to the oil boom of the 1970s and 1980s. It is no wonder that the United Arab Emirates holds such a fascination for people around the globe.

Many expats flock here to take part in the riches that have abounded over the last few decades and visitors are realising there is more to the United Arab Emirates than just beaches and gazing up at the world’s tallest building.

The history of the United Arab Emirates

The United Arab Emirates was formed by the coming together of seven emirates all with one goal in mind – to reach an agreement over off-shore oil rights. Oil had first been discovered in Dubai, one of the United Arab Emirates, in 1966 and the world started to take notice.

The United Arab Emirates as it is today is rather dislocated geographically due to many tribal disagreements during the forming of the United Arab Emirates. It means that several of the states of the United Arab Emirates are split up. For example, Fujairah is split by enclaves that belong to Oman and Sharjah.

This reflects how Arabian tribes, before the United Arab Emirates was formed, would divide their time between pearl hunting and fishing on the coast in the summer, then retreating to the mountains in the winter. The modern equivalent in United Arab Emirates today is that plenty of city workers also have a country farm.

The capital of the United Arab Emirates

Abu Dhabi was made the capital of the United Arab Emirates and is also the largest, occupying 86 percent of the whole area of the United Arab Emirates. With a lot of the land given over to desert, you might wonder what there is to do there. The answer – plenty.

There are souks (markets) filled with carpets, local handicrafts and spices that will fill your nose with new aromas, a historic fort built in 1763, and a place where you can see traditional dhows (boats) being built.

Close to the city is Umm an-Nar, an island where evidence of settlements from 3,000 BC have been found. There are hillside tombs and a museum explaining all about the excavations. If you have four wheel drive you might want to venture into the desert, or better still, hire a camel and see it the traditional way.

One of the most striking sights for visitors to the United Arab Emirates is how much the locals wear national dress. Men generally wear a dishdash, a light coloured robe, while women in public cover their heads and bodies with a black overdress that often conceals brightly coloured clothing underneath.

Flying to the United Arab Emirates with BudgetAir could not be easier. Check out the cheapest prices, pick the duration of your trip and get on the phone or online. The United Arab Emirates really is an up-and-coming destination, so be one of the first to experience this exciting country.