Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan

"Zayed" redirects here. For other uses, see Zayed (disambiguation).

Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan الشيخ زايد بن سلطان آل نهيان
Emir (Prince) and Hakim (Ruler) of Abu Dhabi and Rais (President) of the United Arab Emirates
Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, on a state visit to Brazil in December 2003: photo by Antônio Milena/ABr
Reign	6 August 1966 – 2 November 2004
Full name	Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan bin Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan
Titles	His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Past President of the United Arab Emirates Ruler of Abu Dhabi
Born	1918
Birthplace	In Al Ain,  Abu Dhabi
Died	2 November 2004 (aged 86)
Place of death	In Al Ain,  Abu Dhabi
Buried	Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Abu Dhabi, 3 November 2004 (aged 86)
Predecessor	Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan Al Nahyan
Successor	Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Wives	Sheikha Hassa bint Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan Sheikha Sheikha bint Ma'dhad Al Mashghouni Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Al Ketbi Sheikha Mouza bint Suhail bin Awaidah Al Khaili Sheikha Ayesha bint Ali Al Darmaki Sheikha Amna Al Darmaki
Royal House	House of Al Nahyan
Father	Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Religious beliefs	Muslim

Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (Arabic: زايد بن سلطان آل نهيان‎)‎, (1918 – 2 November 2004), the principal driving force behind the formation of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), was the ruler of Abu Dhabi and first president of the UAE, a post which he held for over 30 years (1971–2004).

Early life

Zayed was the youngest son of Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, the traditional ruler of Abu Dhabi from 1922 until his assassination in 1926. Zayed was named after his famous grandfather, Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan ("Zayed the Great"), who ruled the emirate from 1855 to 1909. His eldest brother, Sheikh Shakhbut Bin-Sultan Al Nahyan, became ruler of Abu Dhabi in 1928 after their uncle, Saqr bin Zayed Al Nahyan, was also assassinated. Zayed's mother, Sheikha Salaamah, extracted a promise from her sons not to use violence against each other, a promise which they kept.^[1]

At the time of Zayed's birth, the sheikhdom of Abu Dhabi was one of seven Trucial States along the coast of the lower coast of the Persian Gulf. These territories were in treaty relations with Britain, their rulers having signed a series of maritime truces with the British in the 19th century.^[2]

As Zayed was growing up, there were no modern schools anywhere along the coast. He received only a basic instruction in the principles of Islam, and lived in the desert with Bedouin tribesmen, familiarising himself with the life of the people, their traditional skills and their ability to survive under the harsh climatic conditions.^[3]

Zayed was appointed the governor of the Eastern Region of Abu Dhabi in 1946 and was based in the Muqaiji fort in Al Ain. At this time, the area was poor and prone to outbreaks of disease. When survey parties from Petroleum Development (Trucial Coast) began exploring for oil in the area, Zayed assisted them.^[4]

In 1952, a small Saudi Arabian force led by Turki bin Abdullah al-Otaishan occupied the village of Hamasa in the Buraimi Oasis (the so-called Buraimi dispute). Zayed was prominent in his opposition to Saudi territorial claims and reportedly rejected a bribe of about £30 million to allow Aramco to explore for oil in the disputed territory. As part of this dispute, Zayed and his brother Hazza attended the Buraimi arbitration tribunal in Geneva in September 1955 and gave evidence to tribual members. When the tribunal was abandoned amid allegations of Saudi bribery, the British initiated the reoccupation of the Buraimi Oasis through a local military force, the Trucial Oman Levies. A period of stability followed during which Zayed helped to develop the region and took a particular interest in the restoration of the falaj system, a network of water channels which kept the plantations of the Buraimi Oasis irrigated and fertile. ^[4][5]

The discovery of oil in 1958, and the start of oil exports in 1962, led to frustration among members of the ruling family about the lack of progress under Sheikh Shakhbut’s rule. On 6 August 1966 Shakhbut was deposed in a bloodless palace coup.^[5][6] In 1971, after occasionally difficult negotiations with the other six rulers of the Trucial States, the United Arab Emirates came into being. Zayed was appointed to the presidency of the UAE in 1971 and was reappointed on four more occasions: 1976, 1981, 1986, and 1991.^[7]

In 1974, Zayed apparently settled the outstanding border dispute with Saudi Arabia by the Treaty of Jeddah by which Saudi Arabia received the output of the Shaybah oilfield and access to the lower Persian Gulf in return for recognising the UAE. ^[8] He was considered a relatively liberal ruler, and permitted private media. However, they were expected to practice self-censorship and avoid criticism of Zayed or the ruling families. Freedom of worship was permitted, and to a certain extent allowances were made for expatriate cultures, but this did not always sit comfortably in the eyes of the wider Arab world with Zayed's role as a Muslim head of state.^[5]

Attitudes

His religious tolerance of Christians and the freedom given Western workers sojourning in the UAE was in marked contrast to most neighbors in the region and exposed him to criticism from other more conservative nations. Sheikh Zayed was respected around the world^{[citation needed]} for his unifying influence and his drive to make the Emirates one nation. His calls for cooperation extended across Persian Gulf to Iran. Sheikh Zayed advocated dialogue as the means to settle the row with Tehran over three strategic Persian Gulf islands which Iran seized from the (future) UAE Emirate of Sharjah in 1971, though the islands remain in Iranian hands, despite over three decades of UAE diplomatic initiatives.

Zayed did not shy away from controversy when it came to expressing his opinion on current events in the Arab world. Troubled by the suffering of Iraqi civilians^{[citation needed]}, or perhaps for other reasons, he took the lead in calling for lifting sanctions on Iraq imposed by the United Nations in the aftermath of the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990, despite Kuwaiti displeasure and opposition.

Zayed was considered one of the wealthiest men in the world. A Forbes magazine estimate put his fortune at around USD billion. The source of this wealth could be almost exclusively attributed to the immense oil wealth of Abu Dhabi and the Emirates, which sit on a pool of a tenth of the world's proven oil reserves. Nevertheless he chose to live a relatively modest and traditional lifestyle, riding and hunting with falcons, though he gave up hunting with firearms, a sport at which he excelled, to set an example for wildlife conservation in his fragile desert homeland. He was personally popular, and was regarded to be considerably pious in his religious observances.^{[citation needed]}

Policies and charity

At the time the British withdrew from the Persian Gulf in 1971, Zayed oversaw the establishment of the Abu Dhabi Fund for Arab Economic Development; through its oil riches were channeled to some forty less fortunate Islamic nations in Asia and Africa during the decades that followed. He is also remembered as "the man who turned the desert green," because he invested oil revenues into projects to improve the harsh desert environment.

Using the country's enormous oil revenues, Zayed built up institutions such as hospitals, schools and universities and made it possible for UAE citizens to enjoy free access to them. He also decreed that the State would undertake the cost of foreign health care for those families unable to afford it. Other charitable acts included adopting hundreds of orphans and building several hospitals abroad in Europe, Asia, and Africa.

When asked by the New York Times in April 1997 why there is no elected parliamentary democracy, Zayed replied,

“Why should we abandon a system that satisfies our people in order to introduce a system that seems to engender dissent and confrontation? Our system of government is based upon our religion and that is what our people want. Should they seek alternatives, we are ready to listen to them. We have always said that our people should voice their demands openly. We are all in the same boat, and they are both the captain and the crew. Our doors are open for any opinion to be expressed, and this well known by all our citizens. It is our deep conviction that Allah has created people free, and has prescribed that each individual must enjoy freedom of choice. No one should act as if they own others. Those in the position of leadership should deal with their subjects with compassion and understanding, because this is the duty enjoined upon them by Allah, who enjoins upon us to treat all living creatures with dignity. How can there be anything less for mankind, created as Allah's vicegerent (khalif or Caliphate) on earth? Our system of government does not derive its authority from man, but is enshrined in our religion and is based on Allah's Book, the Quran. What need have we of what others have conjured up? Its teachings are eternal and complete, while the systems conjured up by man are transitory and incomplete.”^[9][10]

Land was also often distributed gratis. However, whilst this policy benefited many landless families, enormously wealthy clans and individuals were given free land grants in proportion to their status and influence with the royal family. His majlis (a traditional Arab consultation council) was open to the public, and as well as discussing national and personal issues, he enjoyed hearing people's opinions on poetry, as well as recitals by new and young poets. His tolerance towards other people and their faiths was evident, and he allowed the building of religious buildings such as churches and temples. This action in particular helped his image with the vast multitudes of expatriate workers who make up approximately three quarters of the population of the UAE. Zayed was also an advocate for the education and participation of women in the work force, within traditional parameters. His views regarding women's rights were considerably more liberal than his contemporaries in the GCC nations.

Collapse of BCCI

In 1972, Agha Hasan Abedi, a Pakistani banker who had set up a new bank called Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI), approached Zayed for investment. Abedi had previously set up the United Bank of Pakistan in 1959, which became a leading nationalized bank in 1971. Zayed fronted the majority of the investment for the BCCI. Bank of America (25%) and the CIA allegedly invested, too. It is claimed that the CIA was seeking a funding route for the mujahideen in Afghanistan, similar to the Investors Overseas Service and the Nugen Hand Bank in the 1960s.

By 1977, the bank was almost insolvent. It took on the attributes of a Ponzi scheme, as it funded its operating expenses by deposits it received, rather than by returns from investments it made. In eight years, it reported assets of over $4 billion with over 150 branches in 46 countries. Bank of America reduced its shares, while holding companies in Abu Dhabi took on a controlling block.

In 1990, an audit of the BCCI by Price Waterhouse revealed an unaccountable loss of hundreds of millions of dollars. The bank approached Sheikh Zayed, who funded the loss in exchange for increasing his share to 78% of the bank. The bank was shut down in 1991 by the Bank of England. At the time Zayed's shareholding was 77%.^[11]

In December 1991, further investigation found layers of criminal activity taking place through the bank. The law enforcement in the U.S. established the BCCI as an organized crime syndicate^{[citation needed]}. Although Sheikh Zayed was not directly mentioned during interrogations, other family members were implicated in the criminal activity tied to the bank^{[citation needed]}. The investigation found evidence of bribery, money laundering, arms trafficking, prostitution, and support of terrorism.^[12] See: CIA Reading Room Document of William Kerr dated October 25, 1991 for details of Iran Contra and ElSalvador links.

Zayed Center

Controversy over the opinions of the Zayed Center caused the Harvard Divinity School to return Sheikh Zayed's $2.5 million gift to the institution in 2000 as "tainted money." Former United States president Jimmy Carter accepted the Zayed International Prize for the Environment, 2001. The award included a monetary prize of $500,000 from the Zayed Center, and Carter stated in his acceptance that this award meant a lot to him, since it was named after his personal friend, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahayan.^[13]

There was similar controversy when the London School of Economics accepted a large donation by the Zayed Center, to build a new lecture theatre in the New Academic Building in 2008.^[14] Despite student protests^{[citation needed]}, the gift was accepted with the Sheik Zayed Theatre being the second largest lecture hall on the campus.

Harvard's equivocation, the Carter controversy, and the engendering negative publicity, prompted Sheikh Zayed to shut down the center in August 2003, saying that the Zayed Center "had engaged in a discourse that starkly contradicted the principles of interfaith tolerance."^[15]

Final years

In 1999, while he was in a hospital for some tests, the people of the UAE wrote him a personal thank-you letter with 1.5 million signatures. He underwent a kidney transplant in 2000 at the Cleveland Clinic in the U.S.

On 2 November 2004, Zayed died, as announced by Abu Dhabi TV. He was believed to be 86 years old. He is buried in the courtyard of the new Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi.

His eldest son, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, born in 1948, took an increasing role in the government from the 1990s; he was ratified as the Ruler of the United Arab Emirates by his fellow rulers on the Supreme Council directly after his father's death.

Shaikh Zayed International Airport located at Rahim Yar Khan, Punjab, Pakistan is named in his honor.

Children

• With Sheikha Hassa bint Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan
  • Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan (born 1948)
• With Sheikha Sheikha bint Ma'dhad Al Mashghouni
  • Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan (born 1953)
• With Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Al Ketbi
  • Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan
  • Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan (born 1963)
  • Hazza bin Zayed Al Nahyan (born 1965)
  • Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan
  • Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan (born 1970)
  • Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan (born 1972)
  • Alyazia bint Zayed Al Nahyan
  • Shamma bint Zayed Al Nahyan
• With Sheikha Mouza bint Suhail bin Awaidah Al Khaili
  • Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan
  • Ahmed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (1968–2010)
  • Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan
  • Omar bin Zayed Al Nahyan
  • Khalid bin Zayed Al Nahyan
  • Shamsa bint Zayed Al Nahyan
  • Afra bint Zayed Al Nahyan
• With Sheikha Ayesha Al Darmaki
  • Saeed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (born 1966)
  • Falah bin Zayed Al Nahyan
  • Nahyan bin Zayed Al Nahyan
  • Diab bin Zayed Al Nahyan
  • Latifa bint Zayed Al Nahyan
  • Mouza bint Zayed Al Nahyan
  • Wadeema bint Zayed Al Nahyan
  • a Sheikha (Princess)
• With Sheikha Amna Al Darmaki
  • Issa bin Zayed Al Nahyan
  • Nasser bin Zayed Al Nahyan (1967–2008)

See also

	United Arab Emirates portal
	Biography portal

• Champions of the Earth, 2005 award by United Nations Environment Programme
• Sheikh Zayed lecture theatre, in the London School of Economics

Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan House of Al Nahyan Born: 1918 Died: 2 November 2004
Regnal titles
Preceded by Shakhbut Bin-Sultan Al Nahyan	Ruler of Abu Dhabi 6 August 1966 – 2 November 2004	Succeeded by Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Political offices
Preceded by Post Created	President of the United Arab Emirates 2 December 1971 – 2 November 2004	Succeeded by Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan

References

1. ^ Michael Tomkinson (1970), The United Arab Emirates &#91al-Imārāt al- ʻArabīyah al-Muttaḥidah (romanized form)&#93 (The United Arab Emirates ed.), Hammamet, Tunisia : Tomkinson, 1975, ISBN 0950434434, 0950434434, http://openlibrary.org/books/OL4439853M/The_United_Arab_Emirates 
2. ^ Donald Hawley (first edition 1970, second impression 1971), The Trucial States &#91with a foreword by Sir William Luce&#93 (The Trucial States ed.), London: Allen & Unwin, ISBN 0049530054, 0049530054, http://openlibrary.org/books/OL5274266M/The_Trucial_States 
3. ^ UAEU Bio
4. ^ ^{a b} Edward Henderson (1988), This strange eventful history, London: Quartet Books, ISBN 070432671X, 070432671X, http://openlibrary.org/books/OL1844865M/This_strange_eventful_history 
5. ^ ^{a b c} Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan, Daily Telegraph, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1475775/Sheikh-Zayed-bin-Sultan-Al-Nahyan.html 
6. ^ Christopher M. Davidson (2009), Abu Dhabi oil and beyond, New York: Columbia University Press, http://openlibrary.org/books/OL23186143M/Abu_Dhabi_oil_and_beyond 
7. ^ Federal Research Divsion (2004), United Arab Emirates: A Country Study, Kessinger Publishing, http://books.google.com/books?id=H5PjAAAACAAJ&dq=uae&hl=en&ei=deQjTuLKH8KDhQfX0OGgAw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CEAQ6AEwBTgo 
8. ^ Schofield R., Evans K.E. (eds) Arabian Boundaries: New Documents (2009), vol. 15, pp. viii-xv.
9. ^ Folklore and folklife in the United Arab Emirates by Sayed Hamid A. Hurreiz
10. ^ http://www.uae.org.br/_PDF/zayed.pdf page 28
11. ^ [1]
12. ^ (http://www.fas.org/irp/congress/1992_rpt/bcci/04crime.htm)
13. ^ Greif, Lloyd (26 April 2008). "To see Jimmy Carter's true allegiances, just follow the money". Daily News (New York). http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2008/04/27/2008-04-27_to_see_jimmy_carters_true_allegiances_ju.html. 
14. ^ Hodges, Lucy (20 November 2008). "The LSE's jaw-dropping £71m structure is a building to wow students". The Independent (London). http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/higher/the-lses-jawdropping-16371m-structure-is-a-building-to-wow-students-1025412.html. 
15. ^ Jacoby, Jeff (2003-08-31). "Harvard must give back tainted money". The Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2003/08/31/harvard_must_give_back_tainted_money. Retrieved 2008-04-30. 

External links

• Sheikh Zayed's website
• CooperativeResearch - Zayid bin Sultan Al Nahyan
• Official UAE tribute to Sheikh Zayed
• Biography at Brazil Embassy

Persondata
Name	Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan
Alternative names
Short description	Sheikh of Abu Dhabi
Date of birth	1918
Place of birth	In Al Ain,
Date of death	2 November 2004
Place of death	In Abu Dhabi