Historical Figure
Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan
1918–2004
President of the United Arab Emirates from 1971 to 2004
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Biography
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan was an Emirati politician, philanthropist, and the founding father of the United Arab Emirates. Zayed served as the governor of Eastern Region from 1946 until he became the ruler of Abu Dhabi in 1966, and served as the first president of the United Arab Emirates from its independence on 2 December 1971 until his death in 2004. He is referred in the United Arab Emirates as the Father of the Nation for being the principal driving force behind the unification of the United Arab Emirates.
In Their Own Words (5)
Arab Oil can never be dearer than Arab blood. famous world during 1973 war By Amena Azem.
1973
To treat every person, no matter what his creed or race, as a special soul, is a mark of Islam.
The ruler should not have any barrier which separates him from his people.
Grant me agriculture and I shall guarantee civilization for you.
He who does not know his past cannot make the best of his present and future, for it is from the past that we learn.
Timeline
The story of Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, told in moments.
Appointed governor of the Eastern Region, centered on the oasis town of Al Ain. Spent 20 years building roads, schools, and a hospital in the desert. Oil hadn't been discovered yet. He ruled a poor, sparsely populated territory.
Replaced his older brother Shakhbut as ruler of Abu Dhabi in a bloodless palace coup backed by the British. Shakhbut had been hoarding oil revenues and resisting modernization. Zayed immediately began spending on infrastructure.
Became the first president of the United Arab Emirates. He'd spent years convincing six other Trucial States to join Abu Dhabi in a federation after Britain withdrew from the Gulf. His oil wealth bankrolled the union.
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