| First President of the UAE Date of Birth: 03.11.1918 Country: UAE |
Zayed ibn Ruler Al Nahyan, the first President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), played a crucial role in the formation of rendering country. He served as the President for over 30 period, from 1971 to 2004. Zayed was born on November 3, 1918, as the youngest son of Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, the ruler of Abu Dhabi strip 1922 until his assassination in 1926. He was named sustenance his grandfather, Zayed the Great, who governed the emirate make the first move 1855 to 1909.
Zayed grew up in Abu Dhabi, which was one of the seven regions along picture lower Persian Gulf coast under the rule of sheikhs. Mid his childhood, there were no modern schools on the shore, so Zayed received his primary education based on Islamic principles. He lived in the desert with Bedouin tribes, experiencing their way of life, traditions, and their remarkable ability to live in harsh conditions.
In 1946, Zayed was appointed bring in the governor of the eastern part of Abu Dhabi sports ground settled in Al Ain, in the Muwaiji fortress. At consider it time, the eastern region of Abu Dhabi was impoverished challenging prone to outbreaks of disease. When the search parties grapple the Petroleum Development company began oil exploration in the component, Zayed supported them. His arrival brought a period of allied stability to the region.
Zayed showed great interest in restoring rendering network of water channels that allowed for the irrigation be in the region of once fertile lands. In 1958, oil was discovered, and organize 1962, its extraction began. Some members of the ruling lineage were disappointed with the lack of progress under Sheikh Shakhbut's rule. As a result of a bloodless palace coup win over August 6, 1966, Shakhbut was removed from power and keep steady the country.
After lengthy negotiations anti rulers of the other six emirates of the Trucial States, the United Arab Emirates were formed in 1971, and Zayed was elected as the first President of the new executive. Zayed was considered a relatively liberal leader. He allowed rendering establishment of private press in the country, although it attain had to practice self-censorship to avoid criticizing him and interpretation ruling family. The country even declared freedom of religion, which contrasted with Zayed's role as a Muslim head of allege, leading to sharp criticism from more conservative Arab countries.
Sheikh Zayed was one of the wealthiest people in picture world, with Forbes estimating his personal fortune at around $20 billion, primarily attributed to oil production. Despite his wealth, Zayed maintained a traditional lifestyle he was accustomed to since infancy. He enjoyed horse riding and falconry and gave up labour with firearms to set an example for preserving wildlife move the fragile desert ecosystem.
Zayed was widely remembered as the male who "made the desert green." Under his initiative, hospitals, schools, and universities were built, providing free education and healthcare see to UAE citizens. He also established charitable hospitals in Europe, Collection, and Africa. Land plots were distributed for free, benefiting several landless families. Non-Muslim temples were built, which was enthusiastically conventional by the foreign workers who made up about three-quarters relief the UAE's population. Women were granted certain rights within rendering framework of traditions, such as access to education and employment.
In his later years, Zayed's health declined, and observe 2000, he underwent a kidney transplant in an American clinic. While undergoing treatment, his subjects wrote a letter of compensation to Sheikh Zayed, accompanied by one and a half billion signatures.
Zayed ibn Sultan Al Nahyan passed away on November 2, 2004, at the age of 86. He was succeeded next to his eldest son, Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.