Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the second President of the United Arab Emirates and 16th ruler of Abu Dhabi, has passed away at age 73 on Friday.
Sheikh Nahyan, whose full name is Khalifa bin Zayed bin Sultan bin Zayed bin Khalifa bin Shakhbout bin Theyab bin Issa bin Nahyan bin Falah bin Yas, is survived by his wife Sheikha Shamsa bint Suhail Al Mazrouei. He has eight children.
The Ministry of Presidential Affairs has announced the start of official mourning for a period of 40 days, starting today, and flags will fly at half-mast.
Work has been suspended at ministries, departments, federal and local institutions, and the private sector for three days, the state-run news agency, Wam, reported. Offices will therefore be closed from Saturday, May 14, and open again on Tuesday, May 17.
The Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed said in a post on Twitter: “We belong to God and to Him we shall return. The Emirates lost its righteous son, the leader of the “empowerment stage” and the trustee of its blessed journey. His stances, achievements, wisdom, giving, and initiatives are visible in every corner of the country.
“Khalifa bin Zayed, my brother, my mentor, and my teacher, may God have mercy on you with his vast mercy and enter you into his good pleasure and paradise.”
Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed passes away on Friday, March 13
Born in 1948, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed was raised in Al-Ain and became his father’s official representative to the region when the latter became emir in 1966.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed assumed the office of president in 2004 after his father, Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, passed away. Sheikh Nahyan was elected in 2009 to a second five-year term.
Before becoming president, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed had been named deputy commander of the UAE Armed Forces in May 1976.
Sheikh Khalifa also became the head of the Supreme Petroleum Council in the late 1980s. Additionally, he was the chairman of the Environmental Research and Wildlife Development Agency.
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