How Zayed’s legacy endures

A man reads the newspapers with Sheikh Zayed’s portrait covering the whole front page during the funeral procession of the late president. Rabih Moghrabi / AFP

Emirates security arrive at Sultan bin Zayed Mosque where the funeral ceremony of Sheik Zayed took place. The UAE began 40 days of mourning following the president’s death. Kamran Jebreili / AP

An Emirati walks through deserted street in Abu Dhabi following the death of Sheikh Zayed. Anwar Mirza / Reuters

An Emirati kisses the picture of Sheikh Zayed during his funeral in Abu Dhabi. Rabih Moghrabi / AFP

Residents in Abu Dhabi’s old market mourn the death of Sheikh Zayed. Anwar Mirza / Reuters

All pretence of normal life ceased; offices were deserted and shops shuttered. Many of those waiting and watching held up photographs of the man known to all as “father”. Rabih Moghrabi / AFP

Mourners at Sheikh Zayed’s funeral.

Sheikh Zayed’s coffin is carried into the Sultan bin Zayed mosque for prayers in Abu Dhabi. Anwar Mirza / Reuters

Ten years later, his legacy is still with us, not just in the buildings and roads that carry his name, or for the visitors who gather each day at the graveside in the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, but in the astonishing progress of the country that he helped to create and the millions of lives that have been transformed by his leadership. Kamran Jebreili / AP

Today is the 10th anniversary of the passing of the founding president. He was instrumental in shaping the UAE's progress and improving the lives of millions.

It was the evening of the 19th day of Ramadan, on November 2, 2004, when the announcement was made.

"The presidential court announces to Arab and Islamic countries and the rest of the world the death of the leader of the nation Sheikh Zayed," the state news agency Wam reported.

According to official documents, Sheikh Zayed was nearly 86, born on December 1, 1918, in an age when events were recorded in words rather than written. His birth came just weeks after the end of the First World War and the shattering of empires, including that of the Ottomans, who until then had controlled much of the region.

At Sheikh Zayed’s funeral the following day, it was the rulers of the 21st century who assembled, including King Abdullah of Jordan, Hamid Karzai, the president of Afghanistan, Sultan Qaboos of Oman, and Prince Charles of Britain.

In the edition that recorded the passing of Sheikh Zayed, Al Ittihad, the Arabic-language sister paper of The National wrote: "We belong to Allah and to Allah we shall return. Zayed returns to his Creator, content and gratified."

On Dubai television, it was the task of senior newsreader Ali Khalifa to break the news. In an interview with The National in 2011, he recalled breaking down on air, unable to continue. “No amount of professionalism is there to help you repress your emotions or have control over the situation,” he said.

Through the following morning, the crowds gathered to mourn, filling the streets around the Sultan bin Zayed Mosque in Al Bateen. All pretence of normal life ceased; offices were deserted and shops shuttered. Many of those waiting and watching held up photographs of the man known to all as “father”.

In the mosque, members of the royal family and guests recited the funeral prayer, the salat al janaza. Afterwards, the sons of Sheikh Zayed carried his body to the funeral cortege.

A silver minivan carried the President on his final journey, to the then incomplete Grand Mosque where he was buried in the grounds.

For the next three days, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed received condolences, as he was appointed the UAE’s new President. For the country, there was 40 days of mourning, with flags at half mast across the seven Emirates.

Sheikh Zayed had been the Ruler of Abu Dhabi since August 1966, then the driving force in the creation of the federation of the United Arab Emirates, a dream that was realised on December 2, 1971. It was inevitable that he would become the country’s first President and that he would remain so until his death.

Ten years later, his legacy is still with us, not just in the buildings and roads that carry his name, or for the visitors who gather each day at the graveside in the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, but in the astonishing progress of the country that he helped to create and the millions of lives that have been transformed by his leadership.