Sheikh Zayed had long impressed outsiders who travelled to Abu Dhabi, from British diplomats, to oilmen and even desert explorers such as Wilfred Thesiger.
“A strong intelligent face with steady, observant eyes ... his manner was quiet but masterful,” was Thesiger’s first impression after his historic crossing of the Empty Quarter in 1945.
For Archie Lamb, the British political agent in Abu Dhabi in 1965 “his bisht always seemed to be filled with the wind of heaven”.
This was a year before Sheikh Zayed became Ruler of Abu Dhabi. Chosen as the founding President of the UAE 50 years ago, he would become a familiar figure on the world stage until his death on the 19th day of Ramadan in 2004.
The anniversary of his birth is next month, on May 6 – he would have been 104 – and it is an appropriate milestone on which to reflect on how Sheikh Zayed introduced this new country to the world.
His bisht always seemed to be filled with the wind of heaven
Archie Lamb
A full 20 years before the creation of the UAE in December 1971, Sheikh Zayed was already representing the interests of his people abroad.
In the summer of 1951, he travelled to Paris with his brother, then Ruler, Sheikh Shakhbut, for a case at the International Court of Arbitration. The result went in favour of Abu Dhabi, awarding the emirate the rights to oil found under the sea as well as on land.
Photographs of that first trip to Europe survive, one of which shows the group taking a break in a Parisian park and another of Sheikh Zayed taking in the view from the Eiffel Tower.
On the return home, there was a stopover in Rome and the first visit by a Ruler of Abu Dhabi to Vatican City. It would be followed, nearly 70 years later, by the Pope’s arrival in the UAE.
There are other glimpses of the future in that trip. After visiting the Louvre in Paris, it is reported, Sheikh Zayed expressed the hope there would one day be such a museum in Abu Dhabi.
Six years later, Sheikh Zayed paid his first visit to New York, accompanying his uncle, Sheikh Hazza bin Sultan, for treatment for cancer, and the party returned via London on the Queen Mary liner.
Increasingly, Sheikh Zayed would be the international face of the country. Within a year of becoming Ruler in 1966, he visited King Faisal bin Abdulaziz in Saudi Arabia, a gesture of friendship to settle past disputes over the border between the two countries.
Two years later, Sheikh Zayed made his first official visit as Ruler to London, where he was the UK prime minister’s guest of honour at Trooping of the Colour ceremony.
The visit in 1969 was more than ceremonial, for by that time Britain had announced its plan to pull out of the Arabian Gulf, and preparation was advancing for the new country Sheikh Zayed would soon lead.
There was no time for a meeting with the Queen then but, in 1989, he returned for a full state visit and banquet at Buckingham Palace.
It came a decade after the Queen paid the first of her two visits to the UAE, in February 1979.
Deepening the bonds with the British royal family, Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales were welcomed to Abu Dhabi by Sheikh Zayed in March 1989.
Sheikh Zayed’s first visit abroad as President was to Sudan in February 1972, where he was received by Sudanese President Jaafar Nimeiri.
That was followed by trips to Syria, Oman, Pakistan, Yemen and London, again, this time to meet prime minister Edward Heath in his first year of office.
In only three weeks in 1981, Sheikh Zayed received separately the German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt and King Baudouin of Belgium, while preparing for the first summit of the Gulf Co-operation Council.
Over the 33 years of his Presidency, Sheikh Zayed would meet many world leaders. He was received by Indira Gandhi on a visit to India in 1975 and welcomed her to Abu Dhabi in 1981.
Other world leaders who came to the UAE included French president Valery Giscard D’Estaing in 1980, British prime minister Margaret Thatcher a year later, King Hussein of Jordan, Algeria’s president Houari Boumedienne and Canadian prime minister Pierre Trudeau. He also met his son, Justin, who would go on to become prime minister himself.
Two of the most famous images of Sheikh Zayed are of him greeting Nelson Mandela, who paid a state visit to the UAE in 1995, and with former US president Jimmy Carter.
Mr Carter came to Abu Dhabi to win support for the Carter Centre, which he set up to fight neglected tropical diseases.
Equally memorable was the sight of Sheikh Zayed walking along the Great Wall of China in 1990, and at the inauguration in 1986 of the rebuilt Marib dam in Yemen, which last held water more than a thousand years earlier.
All but forgotten is a visit to Jerusalem and Al Aqsa Mosque in April 1966, made with his brother Sheikh Shakhbut when the old city was still held by Jordan.
The years of Sheikh Zayed’s Presidency read like a modern history book in which he was frequently on the pages. The 1967 and 1973 Middle East wars with Israel and the 1991 Gulf War, the break-up of the Soviet Union, and the Oslo Accords.
He outlasted seven US presidents, from Richard Nixon to George W Bush. The current US president, Joe Biden, had just won his first election as a county councillor in Delaware when the UAE was formed.
Sheikh Zayed’s skills as a leader and a diplomat were honed in the desert, says his former translator, cultural adviser and later Minister of State, Zaki Nusseibeh.
"He had what is known as Al Ferasa, a skill where the person can read the other person's facial and body language and understand and know the truth about their character and intention," he told The National in 2015.
“It is a survival skill in the desert, as one meets wandering strangers all the time. And so when Sheikh Zayed used to meet anyone, and even if he didn’t understand their language, he knew. He just knew what their real intention and character was.”
Sheikh Zayed died on Ramadan 19 in 1425 on the Islamic calendar, which fell on November 2, 2004. Among those travelling to Abu Dhabi for the day of his funeral were presidents, princes and prime ministers, paying tribute to the man who had led the UAE to such a prominent role in the community of nations.
*This story first appeared in The National in 2021
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Power: 110 horsepower
Torque: 147Nm
Price: From Dh59,700
On sale: now
THE DETAILS
Kaala
Dir: Pa. Ranjith
Starring: Rajinikanth, Huma Qureshi, Easwari Rao, Nana Patekar
Rating: 1.5/5
Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
- Park in shaded or covered areas
- Add tint to windows
- Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
- Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
- Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Heavily-sugared soft drinks slip through the tax net
Some popular drinks with high levels of sugar and caffeine have slipped through the fizz drink tax loophole, as they are not carbonated or classed as an energy drink.
Arizona Iced Tea with lemon is one of those beverages, with one 240 millilitre serving offering up 23 grams of sugar - about six teaspoons.
A 680ml can of Arizona Iced Tea costs just Dh6.
Most sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, five teaspoons of sugar in a 500ml bottle.
Essentials
The flights: You can fly from the UAE to Iceland with one stop in Europe with a variety of airlines. Return flights with Emirates from Dubai to Stockholm, then Icelandair to Reykjavik, cost from Dh4,153 return. The whole trip takes 11 hours. British Airways flies from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Reykjavik, via London, with return flights taking 12 hours and costing from Dh2,490 return, including taxes.
The activities: A half-day Silfra snorkelling trip costs 14,990 Icelandic kronur (Dh544) with Dive.is. Inside the Volcano also takes half a day and costs 42,000 kronur (Dh1,524). The Jokulsarlon small-boat cruise lasts about an hour and costs 9,800 kronur (Dh356). Into the Glacier costs 19,500 kronur (Dh708). It lasts three to four hours.
The tours: It’s often better to book a tailor-made trip through a specialist operator. UK-based Discover the World offers seven nights, self-driving, across the island from £892 (Dh4,505) per person. This includes three nights’ accommodation at Hotel Husafell near Into the Glacier, two nights at Hotel Ranga and two nights at the Icelandair Hotel Klaustur. It includes car rental, plus an iPad with itinerary and tourist information pre-loaded onto it, while activities can be booked as optional extras. More information inspiredbyiceland.com
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
DIVINE%20INTERVENTOIN
%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Elia%20Suleiman%2C%20Manal%20Khader%2C%20Amer%20Daher%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Elia%20Suleiman%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%204.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
SPECS%3A%20Polestar%203
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ELong-range%20dual%20motor%20with%20400V%20battery%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E360kW%20%2F%20483bhp%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E840Nm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESingle-speed%20automatic%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EMax%20touring%20range%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20628km%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E0-100km%2Fh%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204.7sec%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETop%20speed%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20210kph%20%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh360%2C000%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeptember%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
