When the first oil-fields in Abu Dhabi were discovered in 1958, onshore in the Bab field and offshore at Umm Shaif, few could have predicted how much change they would help fund in the decades that followed.
After Sheikh Zayed became ruler of Abu Dhabi in 1966, with unification still over five years away, the riches of Abu Dhabi were shared among the tribes that inhabited what would eventually become the United Arab Emirates.
By the time the first government of the UAE was set up in 1971, no effort was wasted in creating a government with functioning institutions. Departments of police, water and electricity, health, municipal planning, defence and many others brought stability to the fledging country. And behind it all, was the shrewd development of the oil industry.
From November 11 to 14, Emiratis and expatriates will have an opportunity to ponder the early days of oil and gas exploration in the UAE, and consider how the capital's hydrocarbons industry built this country from the ground up. The four-day showcase will be part of the offerings at the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference. We have no doubt it will make a lasting impression.
