SHEIKH KHALIFA BIN ZAYED AL-NAHYAN

The Ruler Of Abu Dhabi, Passed Away At The Age Of 73

    His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE President and Ruler of Abu Dhabi, passed away at the age of 73 on May 13, the Ministry of Presidential Affairs announced. An array of presidents and prime ministers continued to descend on the United Arab Emirates from around the world to pay their respects to the federation's late ruler. They also came to praise his successor, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a vivid sign of Abu Dhabi's influence in Western and Arab capitals. The Ministry of Presidential Affairs of UAE has announced official mourning and flags at half-mast for a period of 40 days. India has announced one day of state mourning on Saturday as a mark of respect to the departed UAE President.  

    Khalifa was born in 1948 in the inland oasis of Al Ain, near the border with the sultanate of Oman, and named after his great grandfather, Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbout. Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan was the eldest son of the founding leader of UAE Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. In 1969, while the area was still a British protectorate, Khalifa was named as Abu Dhabi prime minister and chairman of the emirate's Department of Defense, which later became the core of the UAE's armed forces. After independence in 1971, he became defense minister along with other roles. Later, the title of supreme commander of the armed forces was assumed by Mohammed bin Zayed. 

    As the 16th emir of Abu Dhabi and president of the UAE, he has been the leader of the country since November 2004 when he was first elected as the president. He was the second president in the UAE's history and served for over 17 years. Under Khalifa bin Zayed’s leadership, the UAE transformed into a thriving regional power and a major business and technology hub. The UAE also normalized ties with Israel in the historic Abraham Accords under his administration. In 2014, he suffered a stroke but was in stable condition. However, most of the authority was given over to Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, his half-brother, as per a Jerusalem Post report.

    Khalifa, oversaw much of the country's blistering economic growth and his name was immortalized on the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, after bailing out debt-crippled Dubai during its financial crisis over a decade ago. Khalifa held the most powerful position among the seven semi-autonomous city-states stretching along the shores of the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. His role as president derived from his standing as hereditary ruler of Abu Dhabi, the UAE's largest and richest emirate. Abu Dhabi serves as home to the federal capital. Despite its size and vast oil wealth, Abu Dhabi often found itself overshadowed by the glitzy neighboring emirate of Dubai, the Middle Eastern commercial hub that showcases both the UAE's bold visions and, at times, debt-fueled pipe dreams, including a massive palm-shaped man-made island that sits empty years after its creation.

    Although the UAE's ruling sheikhs hold near absolute power, Khalifa began an experiment with elections by allowing limited voting — by a hand-picked electorate — for half the members of a 40-seat federal advisory body in 2006. Subsequent rounds of elections in 2011 and 2015 failed to attract even two out of five of those given a chance to vote. The UAE saw none of the Arab Spring street protests that shook other parts of the region, though in the wake of that unrest, Khalifa oversaw tightening crackdowns on Islamists and other activists, drawing criticism from international rights groups. The UAE also supported efforts in the region to quash the Muslim Brotherhood, including in Egypt.

     Khalifa’s personal life was not much in the public eye. Like many in the Gulf, he was passionate about the traditional sport of falconry and was said to enjoy fishing. He is known to have had eight children — two sons and six daughters — with his first wife, Sheikha Shamsa bint Suhail Al Mazrouei. He is also survived by several grandchildren.