Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan

"Zayed" and "Sheikh Zayed" redirect here. For other uses, see Zayed (disambiguation) and Sheikh Zayed (disambiguation).
In this Arabic name, the surname is Al Nahyan.

Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan
زايد بن سلطان آل نهيان
Zayed bin Sultan in 1974
1st President of the United Arab Emirates
In office
2 December 1971 – 2 November 2004
Prime Minister
Vice President
  • Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum
  • Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byKhalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Ruler of Abu Dhabi
Reign6 August 1966 – 2 November 2004
PredecessorShakhbut bin Sultan Al Nahyan
SuccessorKhalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Born(1918-05-06)6 May 1918[1]
Qasr Al-Hosn, Abu Dhabi, Trucial States
Died2 November 2004(2004-11-02) (aged 86)
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Burial
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
Spouses
Issue
more...
Names
Zayed bin Sultan bin Zayed bin Khalifa bin Shakhbut Al Nahyan
HouseAl Nahyan
FatherSultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan
MotherSalama bint Butti Al Qubaisi
ReligionSunni Islam

Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (Arabic: زايد بن سلطان آل نهيان, romanized: Zāyid bin Sulṭān Āl Nahyān; 6 May 1918 – 2 November 2004) was an Emirati royal, politician, philanthropist and the founder of the United Arab Emirates. Zayed served as the governor of Eastern Region from 1946 until he succeeded Sheikh Shakhbut as the ruler of Abu Dhabi in 1966, and then as the first president of the United Arab Emirates while he retained his position as Abu Dhabi's ruler from 1971 until his death in 2004.[2][1][3] He is revered in the United Arab Emirates as the Waalid al-Ummah ("Father of the Nation"), credited for being the principal driving force behind uniting the seven Trucial States to found the Union of the United Arab Emirates.[4][5][6][7]

Zayed replaced his older brother Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan as the ruler of Abu Dhabi on 6 August 1966 after Shakhbut was deposed through a bloodless coup by members of the ruling family with British support.[8]

  1. ^ a b Martin, Douglas (3 November 2004). "Zayed bin Sultan, Gulf Leader and Statesman, Dies". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 30 July 2013. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
  2. ^ Hamad Ali Al Hosani. "The Political Thought of Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan" (PhD Thesis). Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 February 2017. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
  3. ^ Killgore, Andrew I. (March 2005). "Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (1918–2004)". Washington Report on Middle East Affairs: 41. Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 February 2017. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
  4. ^ Salim, Sahim. "UAE themes: From Year of Zayed to Giving and Tolerance". Khaleej Times. Archived from the original on 22 March 2021. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  5. ^ Freelance, Motivate (16 March 2021). "Sheikh Khalifa announces 2021 as Year of the 50th". Gulf Business. Archived from the original on 22 March 2021. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  6. ^ "Year-long grand celebrations marking 50 years of UAE". gulfnews.com. 16 March 2021. Archived from the original on 22 March 2021. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  7. ^ Monsy, Karen Ann. "Watch: Sheikh Zayed at first police graduation ceremony 50 years ago". Khaleej Times. Archived from the original on 7 March 2021. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  8. ^ Helene von Bismarck (29 March 2013). British Policy in the Persian Gulf, 1961–1968: Conceptions of Informal Empire. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 183. ISBN 978-1-137-32673-7. Retrieved 14 May 2022. On the evening of 4 August, a letter was eventually delivered to Nuttall in the political agency in Abu Dhabi, stating the desire of the 'Heads and lawful representatives of [the] Ruling family' to depose the ruler and asking the British Government for its help in removing him from the shaikhdom