The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a federal, elective monarchy composed of seven emirates, with Abu Dhabi as its capital. It shares land borders with Oman to the east and northeast, and with Saudi Arabia to the southwest; as well as maritime borders in the Persian Gulf with Qatar and Iran, and with Oman in the Gulf of Oman. As of 2024, the UAE has an estimated population of over 10 million, of which 11% are Emiratis; Dubai is its most populous city and is an international hub. Islam is the official religion and Arabic is the official language, while English is the most spoken language and the language of business.
The Catholic Church in the United Arab Emirates is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome.
The Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia is an apostolic vicariate of the Catholic Church with territorial jurisdiction for Oman, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
In the Middle East, Armenians are mostly concentrated in Iran, Lebanon, Cyprus, Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Jerusalem, although well-established communities exist in Iraq, Egypt, Turkey and other countries of the area including, of course, Armenia itself. They tend to speak the Western dialect of the Armenian language and the majority are adherents of the Armenian Apostolic Church, with Catholic and Protestant minorities. There is a sizable Armenian population in the thousands in Israel. There is also the Armenian Quarter in Jerusalem with a history that goes back 2,000 years.
The Armenian Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia is an autocephalous Oriental Orthodox church. Since 1930, the Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia has been headquartered in Antelias, Lebanon. Aram I is the Catholicos of Cilicia since 1995.
The Armenians in Kuwait are people of Armenian descent living in Kuwait. As of 2024, there has been a large population increase and now there are 30,000 Armenians. Before the Gulf War, the Armenian population reached its peak of 12,000. But after the Iraqi invasions, the numbers of the Armenians resident in Kuwait greatly diminished to just 500 as they left the country.
The Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf is one of three dioceses in the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East, a province in the Anglican Communion. It covers Cyprus and the Arabian Peninsula, Iraq and Yemen. The bishop in Cyprus and the Gulf is the Ordinary of the diocese. In every part of the diocese, except in Cyprus and Iraq, the congregations are largely expatriate, with many Christians from Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, the Philippines and the African continent. The diocese is linked with the Diocese of Exeter in England and the Diocese of Thika in Kenya. The diocese is divided into the Archdeaconry of Cyprus and the Archdeaconry of the Gulf: Christopher Futcher was collated archdeacon in Cyprus on 7 September 2019. The Rev'd Canon Dr. Michael Mbona, a Zimbabwean serving at St. Paul's in Kuwait, was appointed as Archdeacon for the Gulf, following the retirement of long-serving Archdeacon Bill Schwartz, OBE.
Indians in the United Arab Emirates constitute the largest part of the population of the country. Over 3,860,000 Indian expats are estimated to be living in the United Arab Emirates, with over 38% of the country's total population and the fourth highest number of overseas Indians in the world, after the United States, Saudi Arabia, and Malaysia. Indian contact with the emirates that now constitute the UAE dates back several centuries, as a result of trade and commerce between the emirates and India. The UAE has experienced a tremendous increase in the population of resident Indians who initially migrated to the country as a result of opportunities in petroleum. Now, Indians are key to the UAE's construction, retail, financial services, healthcare, manufacturing and transport sectors. A sizeable minority of Indian migrants are involved in professional services and entrepreneurship. Relations between India and the UAE have traditionally been very friendly.
Christians in the United Arab Emirates account for 12.9% of the total population according to 2020 estimates.
Ethnic Armenians in Qatar number between 800 and 1,500 and live mainly in the capital Doha. Unofficial sources place them at around 5,500.
The Trucial States, also known as the Trucial Coast, the Trucial Sheikhdoms, Trucial Arabia or Trucial Oman, was a group of tribal confederations to the south of the Persian Gulf whose leaders had signed protective treaties, or truces, with the United Kingdom between 1820 and 1892.
The Holy Trinity Church is an inter-denominational Christian church in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is part of the Chaplaincy of Dubai, Sharjah and the Northern Emirates. It was founded on 5 April 1970, on the land granted by the Emir of Dubai, Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum.
Holy See – United Arab Emirates relations are the foreign relations between the Holy See and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The earliest form of contact between officials of both states was when the founder of the UAE, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, unofficially met Pope John Paul II in the 1980s. Relations between the two were not established until 31 May 2007. According to a Vatican communiqué, the diplomatic arrangement was founded on a desire to promote “bonds of mutual friendship and of strengthening international cooperation.
The Chaplaincy of Dubai with Sharjah and the Northern Emirates is part of the Anglican Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf. The Chaplaincy consists of five churches in the United Arab Emirates:
Expatriates in the United Arab Emirates represent about 88% of the population, while Emiratis constitute roughly 12% of the total population, making the UAE home to one of the world's highest percentage of expatriates.
The Armenian Prelacy of Canada, is a diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church affiliated with the Holy See of Cilicia, formed in 2002. The prelacy building is located at 3401 Oliver Asselin in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Arshak Poghosi Poladian is an Armenian diplomat, historian, orientalist and author. Since 2019, he has served as Armenian's ambassador to Tunisia and Morocco with residence in Yerevan. Previously Poladian was ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of Armenia to Syria from 2007 to 2018 and Armenia's non-resident ambassador to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan from 2011 to 2018. Poladian also served as the Armenian ambassador to the United Arab Emirates from 2002 to 2006, and as the Armenian ambassador (non-resident) to the State of Kuwait and Kingdom of Bahrain from 2003 to 2007.
Andrew Thompson is an English Anglican priest, who has done extensive religious work with churches throughout the Middle East and North Africa region, currently based at St. Margaret's Church in Uxbridge, London Diocese. He is also an author, magician, and interfaith activist.
The Apostolic Nunciature to United Arab Emirates is an ecclesiastical office of the Catholic Church in United Arab Emirates. It is a diplomatic post of the Holy See, whose representative is called the Apostolic Nuncio with the rank of an ambassador.
