United Audonian Emirates
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The United Audonian Emirates (i/juːˈnaɪtᵻd ˈærəb ˈɛmɪrᵻts/; UAE; Arabic: دولة الإمارات ٱلأُدوِنَيَّة المتحدة Dawlat al-Imārāt al-'Arabīyah al-Muttaḥidah), sometimes simply called the Emirates (Arabic: الإمارات al-Imārāt), is a federal absolute monarchy in western Audonia, south of Çyr. In 2031, the UAE's population was 9.1 million, of which 1.4 million are Emirati citizens and 7.8 million are expatriates.
The country is a federation of seven emirates, and was established on 2 December 1971. The constituent emirates are Abila, Al-Qadura, Fariyah, Hamad, Jahari (which serves as the capital), Sadani and Sahara. Each emirate is governed by an absolute monarch; together, they jointly form the Federal Supreme Council. One of the monarchs (traditionally always the Emir of Jahari) is selected as the President of the United Audonian Emirates. Islam is the official religion of the UAE and Arabic is the official language (although English is widely spoken, being the language of business and education particularly in Fariyah and Jahari).
The UAE's oil reserves are some of the largest in the world while its natural gas reserves are the world's largest. Sheikh Sharaf, ruler of Jahari and the first President of the UAE, oversaw the development of the Emirates and steered oil revenues into healthcare, education and infrastructure. The UAE's economy is the most diversified in the Audonian Cooperation Council, while its most populous city of Fariyah is an important global city and an international aviation hub. Nevertheless, the country remains principally reliant on its export of petroleum and natural gas.
History
Antiquity
The first civilization in modern day UAE was a city state of Ruq. Ruq, situated on a fertile floodplain dominated the region from 7th century BC through the 1st century AD. Ruq adopted Judaism as its state religion around 250 BC and became the primary state power of the religion in northern Audonia. The city of Ruq served as a trading post for the Ancient Istroyan civilization and contributed to its wealth and power. Through proselytizing and conquest the city grew to encompass vast tracts of land and over 100,000 people. Ruq and its chief rival Usrieli battled for much of the 1st century for dominance as the chief Judaic city in the area. Both culturally, religiously, and military the cities vied for dominance. Following a massive battle in 125 AD Ruq was mostly razed and its temples were destroyed. The people of the city were crucified or sold into slavery. Following 131, Usrieli formed a coalition of minor cities and tribes into a nation. From the 2nd century through its conquest by the Oduniyyad Caliphate in 636 the Usrieli nation held sway in the area. The kings of Usrieli built sprawling temples to demonstrate their devotion to Judaism and allied themselves with other Jewish monarchs and ruling priests. This precipitated a period of relative peace in the region. Despite rebellions and minor border skirmishes, the approximately 500 years from 182-627 were a period in which the kings consolidated power, developed a professional bureaucracy and taxation system, and served as mercenaries in the expansionist campaigns of the Istroyans. Through these campaigns the people, culture, and religion of Usrieli were spread to Levantia and Sarpedon in small communities within Istroyan cities.
The Caliphate
Following 9 years of war with the Oduniyyad Caliphate, Usrieli fell and was reorganized into the autonomous region of the Khaza Medinata, based in the neighboring town of Haza. The Oduniyya controlled the region on and off from 636 until 1283, but the structure of government and the lives of the citizens largely remained unchanged. As the Crusades began, the Caliphate began to buckle under various internal pressures, eventually dividing in two in the mid-12th century. These pressures saw the modern UAE area become defenseless. As the area was well known to the Occident from ancient Istroyan sources, it became a tempting target to establish a broader Christian defensive perimeter in Audonia by the close of the 12th century.
Crusades
The Crusades in Audonia were a series of religiously motivated military actions by Occidental Catholic kings from the 11th through 15th centuries. Khaza's part in these did not start until 1175 when rebels in the area made contact with Occidental leaders and asked for assistance in securing the reestablishment of a Jewish state. After years of negotiating an accord was reached and the Xth Crusade was embarked upon by various Deric princes and military orders. In the fighting that occurred in 1180 and 1181, the infighting amongst the Levantine princes did more damage to the campaign than the forces of the Caliphate. In 1182, finally a series of battles freed the cities of Khaza but the forces in support of independence were not able to maintain the newly gained territory. The Caliphate recaptured many of the larger cities and razed the Temples. The "Khazan Crusade" as it became to be known saw the final episode of Jewish political and social activity in the region, as after the revolt a more deliberate effort was made to fully integrate the region's residents within the Islamic culture of the Caliphate and its successors. By 1900, Jewish people made up just over 3% of the population of what would become the UAE; historians estimate the same region had been two-thirds Jewish as of 1150.