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Al Ain ((アラビア語:العين), , literally ''The Spring''), also known as the ''Garden City'' due to its greenery, is the second largest city in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the fourth largest city in the United Arab Emirates. With a population of 568,221 (2010), it is located approximately east of the capital Abu Dhabi and about south of Dubai.〔()〕 Al-`Ain is the birthplace of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the first president of the United Arab Emirates, and it has the country's highest number of Emirati nationals. Al-`Ain is located in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, inland on the border with Oman. The freeways connecting Al-`Ain, Abu Dhabi, and Dubai form a geographic triangle in the country, each city being roughly from the other two. ==History== Historically a part of Ṫawam or Al Buraimi Oasis. Al-`Ain has been inhabited for over 4,000 years, with archaeological sites showing human settlement at Al-Hili and Jabel Ḥafeeṫ. These early cultures built "beehive" tombs for their dead and engaged in hunting and gathering in the area. The oasis provided water for early farms until the modern age. A companion of the Islamic prophet, Muhammad, Ka`ab Bin Ahbar, was reportedly sent to the region to introduce Islam to the people. He settled and died in the oasis. The forts currently in Al-`Ain were built in the late 19th or early 20th century to solidify Abu Dhabi's control over the oasis. Wilfred Thesiger visited Al-`Ain in the late 1940s during his travels across the Empty Quarter. He met Sheikh Zayed and stayed with him at Al-Muwaiji Fort. This network of fortresses served as the trading and slaving posts for the area. In 1952 Saudi Arabia sent raiders to capture Al-`Ain's fortresses and incorporate the oasis into the Saudi kingdom. Forces from the Trucial Oman Scouts, as well as the army of Muscat-Oman, arrived to recapture the oasis. With British intervention, the Saudi forces surrendered, leaving the oasis back in the hands of Abu Dhabi and Muscat-Oman. Prior to independence, Al-`Ain was part of the Arabian slave trade network that extended from east Africa into the Persian Gulf. In the 1960s, Sheikh Zayed abolished formal slavery. Today, some families in both Al-`Ain and Al-Buraimi are descended from these slaves. In 1971 Queen Elizabeth II visited the Hilton Hotel in the area, still in use, during her tour of the Persian Gulf. Following independence in 1971, Al-`Ain experienced rapid growth and investment as part of the emirate of Abu Dhabi, quickly becoming larger and more successful than `Oman's Al-Buraimi. In 1972 `Oman and Abu Dhabi agreed on the final borders to divide Al-Buraimi and Al-`Ain. Until Sheikh Zayed's death in 2004, Al-`Ain's municipal code forbade construction of buildings over four storeys, with the exceptions of the Hilton, Danat Al Ain Resort, and Rotana hotels. In the 1990s, a serious uprising occurred among the labourers of the industrial district of Al-`Ain, Aṣ-Ṣana`iya. This uprising was suppressed by the UAE army and local police forces. All the labourers involved were interned and deported. Until 2006, Al-Buraimi and Al-`Ain shared an open border. This border was closed in November 2006, and passport controls were imposed. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Al Ain」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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