United Arab Emirates
The oldest human traces in the Emirates date back to 7000 years BCE. The Emirates has more than 330 historical buildings, some have a history from the Stone Age. After the start of Islam a new chapter began in the area, during the Umayyad period, the area of the Arabic Gulf was stable and it became important for navigation and shipping. The Portuguese were the first who arrived in this area after the fall of Al-Andalus. The explorer Vasco da Gama was the first to reach India from Europe after turning around the Cape of Good Hope and passing the Arabic Gulf. The Portuguese controlled all the harbors in the area for more than 2 centuries. During the 18th and 19th centuries Great Britain controlled the area after the Portuguese left. They organized the Trucial States.