Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (1918-2004)
His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan
served as President of the United Arab Emirates since the formation of the
Federation on 2 December 1971 and as Ruler of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi since
1966.
Understanding the UAE is impossible without understanding
the life of Sheikh Zayed and his deep religious faith, vision,
determination and hard work; his generosity at home and abroad; and the way in
which he devoted his life to the service of his people and the creation of a
better world.
Born around 1918 in Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Zayed
was the youngest of the four sons of His Highness Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed Al
Nahyan, Ruler of Abu Dhabi from 1922 to 1926. At the time of Sheikh Zayed’s
birth, the Emirate was poor and undeveloped, with an economy based primarily on
fishing and pearl diving and on simple agriculture in scattered oases inland.
As Sheikh Zayed grew into a young man, he travelled extensively
throughout the country, gaining a deep understanding of the land and its
people. In the early 1930s, when oil company teams arrived to undertake
preliminary geological surveys, he obtained his first exposure to the industry
that would shape the development of the UAE today.
Life, even for members of the ruling family, was
simple. Education was generally confined to lessons in reading and writing,
along with instruction in Islam from the local preacher. Transport was by camel
or boat, and the harshness of the arid climate meant that survival itself was
often a major concern.
Through the late 1920s and 1930s, Sheikh
Zayed’s thirst for knowledge took him into the desert, living alongside
Bedouin tribesmen to learn all he could about their way of life and connection
with their surroundings. He joyfully recalled his experiences of life and his
initiation into the sport of falconry, which became a lifelong passion.
The first cargo of crude oil was exported from
Abu Dhabi in 1962. On 6 August 1966, Sheikh Zayed succeeded his elder
brother as Ruler of Abu Dhabi. He promptly increased contributions to the
Trucial States Development Fund and with revenues growing as oil production
increased, Sheikh Zayed undertook a massive construction program, building
schools, housing, hospitals and roads.
In 1946, Sheikh Zayed was chosen as
Ruler’s Representative in Abu Dhabi's Eastern Region, centered on Al Ain, 160
kilometers inland east of Abu Dhabi. He brought to his new task a firm belief
in the values of consultation and consensus and his judgments ‘were
distinguished by their acute insights, wisdom and fairness.’ The job involved
ruling over six villages and an adjacent desert region. Despite a lack of
significant government revenue, Sheikh Zayed was successful in advancing
Al Ain. Sheikh Zayed established a basic administration system,
personally funded the first modern school in the Emirate and encouraged
relatives and friends to contribute towards small-scale development.
He revised local water ownership rights to ensure
a more equitable distribution, which led to agricultural development and
re-establishment of the oasis as the predominant market center. Sheikh
Zayed’s city planning in Al Ain helped ensure a bright future, and today,
the city is one of the greenest in the Arab world.
In August 1966, Sheikh Zayed became Ruler
of Abu Dhabi, with a mandate to develop the Emirate as quickly as possible. His
years in Al Ain had given him valuable experience in government and time to
develop a vision of progress. With the export of the first cargo of Abu Dhabi
crude oil in 1962, Sheikh Zayed could rely on oil revenues to start an
infrastructure overhaul, constructing schools, housing, hospitals and roads.
In 1968 with the British announcement of the
country’s withdrawal from the Arabian Gulf, Sheikh Zayed stepped to
action to quickly establish closer ties with the Emirates. Together with the
late Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Sheikh Zayed called
for a Federation that would include not only the seven Emirates that made up
the Trucial States, but also Qatar and Bahrain.
Eventually seven states followed Sheikh Zayed in
establishing the UAE, which formally emerged on the international stage on 2
December 1971.
The new state emerged at a time of political
turmoil in the region. A couple of days prior, Iran had seized the islands of
Greater and Lesser Tunb, part of Ras al-Khaimah, and had landed troops on Abu
Musa, part of Sharjah. Foreign observers predicted that the UAE would survive
only with difficulty, pointing to disputes with its neighbors and to the wide
disparity between the seven Emirates. Sheikh Zayed was more optimistic
and the predictions of those early pessimists were shown to be unfounded. There
is little doubt that the prosperity, harmony and modern development that today
characterizes the UAE is due to the long-term vision and formative role played
by the UAE’s founding fathers.
While Sheikh Zayed’s enthusiasm for the
Federation was a key factor in the formation of the UAE, he also won support
for the way in which he sought consensus and agreement among his fellow rulers.
Sheikh Zayed was elected by these rulers to serve as the first President
of the UAE, a post to which he was successively re-elected at five-year
intervals.
One foundation of his philosophy as a leader and
statesman was that the resources of the country should be fully used to the
benefit of the people. This extended to the women of the UAE, who flourished
under his visions of education, employment and equality for all Emiratis.
In governing the nation, Sheikh Zayed drew
from Arabian Bedouin traditions of consensus and consultation. At an informal
level, that principle has long been practiced through the institution of the
majlis (council) where a leading member of society holds an “open-house”
discussion forum. The forum allows any individual the opportunity to proffer
views for discussion and consideration.
In 1970, recognizing that Abu Dhabi was embarking
on a process of rapid development, Sheikh Zayed formalized the consultation
process and established the National Consultative Council, bringing together
the leaders of each of the main tribes. A similar body was created in 1971 for
the entire UAE: the Federal National Council, the state’s parliament.
As the country grew, the conservation of natural
environment and wildlife was critical to Sheikh Zayed. He believed that
the character of the Emirati people derives, in part, from the struggle to
survive in the harsh and arid local environment. In this vein, Sheikh Zayed
worked throughout his life on ensuring the preservation of such species as the
Arabian Oryx and the sand gazelle. The World Wildlife Fund recognized his great
contribution with the prestigious Gold Panda award.
