Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan
Sheikh of Abu Dhabi from 1966 to 2003
- Lived
- 1918–2004
- Country
- Trucial States
Updated September 2026
About Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan was an Emirati politician, philanthropist, and the founding father of the United Arab Emirates. Zayed served as the governor of Eastern Region from 1946 until he became the ruler of Abu Dhabi in 1966, and served as the first president of the United Arab Emirates from its independence on 2 December 1971 until his death in 2004. He is referred in the United Arab Emirates as the Father of the Nation for being the principal driving force behind the unification of the United Arab Emirates.
Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
Authors like Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan
Sources: book lists and dates from Wikidata and Open Library, ratings from Open Library readers. Last updated September 2026.