The name derives from the singular of Sharqiyin, long the dominant tribe along the East coast of the Trucial States (and the second most numerous in the area around the start of the 19th century), an area known as Shamailiyah.[1] The Sharqiyin were traditionally dependents of Sharjah and, over the centuries, made several attempts to secede and declare independence, finally practically managing this from 1901 onwards[2] and finally gaining British recognition as a Trucial State in 1952.[3]