HH Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan
President of the United Arab Emirates
Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces

02-12-1971   /   03-11-2004

Formed in his youth by the desert which forged him into a redoubtable horseman, hunter and camel rider, Sheikh Zayed combines in his character the inherent purity of a Beduin heritage with the accrued wisdom of an experienced statesman.

He was born in 1918.  His grandfather was Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, Ruler of Abu Dhabi from 1855-1909 and called “Zayed the Great” in appreciation of the important role he played in the history of the Emirates by forging unity between the tribes of the coast of Oman and bringing glory to the Bani Yas tribe, of which the Al Nahyan family is a branch.
Sheikh Zayed was a precocious and inquisitive child attending his father's Majlis at the age of seven.  When his father died in 1927, he went to live at the Oasis of Al Ain where he passed his early youth and childhood and drew his earliest experiences.
His early education was of a religious nature.  He learnt the Holy Qur'an at the age of eight and was deeply moved by the biography of the Prophet Mohammed ,peace be upon him.

His brother, Sheikh Shakhbut, Ruler of Abu Dhabi from 1928-1966, appointed him in 1946 as Governor of the Eastern Region of the Emirate. Sheikh Zayed spent the next 20 years dealing efficiently with the problems of citizens and visitors.

Writing in 1966, while Sheikh Zayed was still Governor  of the Eastern Region, British author Clarence Mann said, "he has always been the most influential person in the sheikhdom.  Centred in Al Buraimi, he controlled directly the villages in the area … and his influence stretched throughout Al Dhafrah.  Highly respected by the beduins because he knows and practices their ways and traditions, he was at the same time appreciated for his progressive ideas for the sheikhdom".

During his reign as Governor - Eastern Region and despite the meager resources, Sheikh Zayed dedicated himself to introducing agricultural reforms and increasing the areas of fertile land under cultivation by making available free irrigation.  He was able to repair the ancient irrigation system, build new canals and implement some development projects.  His motto was that "water and grazing should be free for all", since he believed that agriculture was an essential perquisite of the emirate.

Sheikh Zayed's first visit abroad was in 1953 when he toured Great Britain, the United States of America, Switzerland, Lebanon, Iraq, Egypt, Syria, India, Iran, Pakistan and France.  He came back from this visit convinced of the urgent need in his own emirate for reforms that could facilitate the growth and development of his country so as to bridge the vast gap that separated it from the outside world.

On the 6th August, 1966 Sheikh Zayed became the Ruler of Abu Dhabi.  He thus ushered in a new era of development and progress in the emirate and, with his prescient vision, began a search for a wider unity that could bring together all the Arab Gulf emirates into one federated state.  He believed that it was only through unity that the security and prosperity of the region could be assured.

Sheikh Zayed was the first statesman in the Gulf to call for this union.  When Britain announced in January 1968 that it would withdraw its military presence from the Gulf and the east of Suez by 1971, he began to put his plans for unification into action.

His first step was to establish preliminary contacts with Sheikh Rashid bin Said Al Maktoom, Ruler of Dubai.  The two Rulers held an historic meeting in Samih on the 18th February, 1968 and announced the formation of federation between the two emirates as the nucleus for a wider union.  They also invited the remaining five emirates on the coast of Oman to join this federation and called on Bahrain and Qatar to meet them so as to discuss the future of the region and to approve a common action for its future security.

One week after the signature by the two rulers of their bilateral agreement, a meeting was held attended by the seven rulers of the emirates as well as the Rulers of Bahrain and Qatar.  On the 27th February, 1968 a new agreement was proclaimed for the establishment of a federation between the nine emirates (Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Fujirah, Bahrain and Qatar).

This agreement, however, was short lived.  Sheikh Zayed tried over the next three years to bring together the diverging viewpoints between its signatories.  Sensing the insurmountable difficulties that seemed to obstruct the realization of a union between nine emirates, all efforts were concentrated on bringing about the federation of the seven emirates of the coast.  These efforts were crowned by the official proclamation, on the 2nd December, 1971, of the state of the United Arab Emirates.  Sheikh Zayed set as his objective the development of the new state and the welfare of its people. "Money is of no value", he was quoted as saying, "if not utilized for the benefit of society".  He thus directed his Government to establish a basic social, economic and welfare infrastructure for the citizens.  Roads, hospitals, schools, housing projects and social services were extended to every village and corner of the Emirates.  Agriculture was expanded and industry encouraged to establish alternative sources of income.

In his foreign policy Sheikh Zayed called on his Arab brothers to concert their efforts and unite their policies for the advancement and progress of the Arab Nation.  The UAE under him played an important role in Arab politics, bringing its voice of reason and reconciliation to Arab councils.  The UAE committed a major part of its income to assist its Arab brethren as well as the developing countries of the third World.  It supported all the just causes of the Arab world.

The UAE continued this role of moderation and reconciliation of the international scene.  It became an active member of all international forums and sought, within those organizations, to contribute to world summits and meetings.