Arab ǀ Middle Eastern
Photo: Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum was the ruler of Dubai from 1958 until his death in 1990, and is credited with transforming Dubai from a small cluster of settlements to a modern port city and commercial hub. His famous line, “My grandfather rode a camel, my father rode a camel, I drive a Mercedes, my son drives a Land Rover, his son will drive a Land Rover, but his son will ride a camel.” reflected his concern that Dubai’s oil, which was discovered in 1966 and shortly after began production, would run out within a generation. He was a driving force behind a number of major infrastructure projects to promote Dubai as a regional hub for trade to help the economy survive the end of oil production. Photo by Dubai Government Photographer accessed on Wikimedia Commons.
Dubai Arabs represent a combination of descendants from familial clans who inhabited the land, and those who relocated from other areas to work in the bustling economy that Dubai enjoys today as part of the nation known as the United Arab Emirates. Dubai Arabs are an autosomal DNA population name within the metapopulation category of Arab and megapopulation category of Middle Eastern.
From United Arab Emirates: “Emirati society is divided into two social categories: the nationals (Al-Muwateneen) and the foreign immigrants, referred to as the incomers (Al-Wafedeen). Citizens are subdivided into four main social classes: (1) the ruling sheikhly families, whose members hold the highest political positions and power and have immense wealth and prestige, (2) the merchant class, known as al-tujjar , who traditionally were pearling merchants and they now sell international consumer goods, (3) the new middle class, represented by increasing numbers of professionals who have benefitted from free state education, and (4) the low-income groups, represented by newly settled Bedouin nomads and former pearl divers and oasis farmers. Among the immigrants there are hierarchical groups that receive different economic and social rewards: (1) top professionals and technocrats with international contracts, who earn high salaries and other benefits, (2) middle-range professionals such as school teachers, skilled technicians, and company salesmen, and (3) low-paid, semi-skilled and unskilled workers, who primarily are Asian. In general, nationals are a privileged minority, and they benefit from state laws and business regulations. Symbols of Social Stratification. The symbol of a male national as a distinct social category is seen most visibly in the traditional dress of a white robe (kandoura) and white head cloth (ghutrah) with a black rope (aqal). Men grow short beards and mustaches.”
There are two data sets that have been incorporated into DNA Consultants’ method.
For more details on this population, see:
United Arab Emirates in Perspective;
Photo: Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum was the ruler of Dubai from 1958 until his death in 1990, and is credited with transforming Dubai from a small cluster of settlements to a modern port city and commercial hub. His famous line, “My grandfather rode a camel, my father rode a camel, I drive a Mercedes, my son drives a Land Rover, his son will drive a Land Rover, but his son will ride a camel.” reflected his concern that Dubai’s oil, which was discovered in 1966 and shortly after began production, would run out within a generation. He was a driving force behind a number of major infrastructure projects to promote Dubai as a regional hub for trade to help the economy survive the end of oil production. Photo by Dubai Government Photographer accessed on Wikimedia Commons.
Source publication: Allele frequency distributions and other population genetic parameters for 13 STR loci in a UAE local population from Dubai, ICS (2003) 249-258. STR population diversity in nine eithic populations living in Dubai, FSI 152 (2005) 267-279.
[Population 232, 245]
