President Sheikh Mohamed on Flag Day said people in the UAE are united by national pride and are optimistic about the future.
In a post on Twitter accompanied by a video showing UAE leaders with young Emiratis, Sheikh Mohamed said the optimism is based on the future generation who will continue the country's progress.
"As people across the UAE join together to raise the flag as one, we reflect on our country’s past and are optimistic for its future," he said.
"The UAE people are united by a shared sense of national pride and a steadfast belief in the next generation who will lead our continued progress."
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, shared a Twitter post with a group of Emirati boys.
"Today we raised the flag of the United Arab Emirates with a group of Emirati sons who represent part of our future," Sheikh Mohammed wrote.
"It's a day on which we establish loyalty and belonging in our generations and celebrate the symbol of our sovereignty and pride, and renew our pride in our unity and union. May God protect our flag, our state and our people."
The UAE celebrated Flag Day on Thursday, with schools and workplaces across the country marking the occasion.
At 11am, people briefly stopped work to mark the event, which is now in its 10th year.
The idea was conceived in 2013 by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid to celebrate the accession of Sheikh Khalifa as President in 2004.
It is commemorated every year on the anniversary, November 3, although the day is not a public holiday.
Who designed the UAE flag?
Abdullah Al Maainah came up with the design in 1971 as part of a competition run by Al Ittihad newspaper.
The young Emirati intended the four colours to represent Arab unity, as described in poetry written by Safi-u-ddin Al Hali.
His submission beat more than 1,000 entries vying to become the emblem of the new nation.
Mr Al Maainah was 19 at the time and would later become the minister of foreign affairs.
Only two flags were raised in December 1971 to mark the formation of the nation — one in Abu Dhabi and the other at Union House in Dubai.
On Thursday, there are likely to be hundreds of thousands.
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8.30pm: Ajman - Handicap (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 2,200m
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The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
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