Polish Emigration and Polish Diaspora on the Arabian Peninsula
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Abstract
The article discusses the life and activity of Poles in the countries on the Arabian Peninsula. The countries are Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Yemen (South Yemen and North Yemen after WW2), Qatar, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates.
Poles had limited contacts with this part of the world in the past. Only few arrived in the peninsula. This situation changed in the 1970s when Arab states began to develop rapidly owing to funds earned from the sale of natural resources: crude oil and natural gas. As a result, they attracted scientific and technical staff as well as experts in various fields, not to mention musicians and representatives of the tourism industry. Polish women who married Arabs were also moving to the Persian Gulf.
At the turn of the 20th century, the Polish communities (including earlier Poles immigrants) on the Arabian Peninsula numbered from a few to several hundred people, depending on the country. Polish individuals and families were found in Yemen and Oman, 30 in Qatar, 100 to 200 in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, and 600 in the United Arab Emirates. This last of the listed Polish communities was one of the best organised in the Arab world. For over 30 years since the Polish political and economic transformation, the Polish communities on the Arabian Peninsula have grown from several dozen (Yemen, Oman), through several hundred (Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar) to several thousand people (United Arab Emirates). Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Sharjah continue to be most popular economic destinations for Poles and members of the Polish diaspora from the Western world.
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