Family and early life[edit]
Although the exact date of his birth is unknown, officially on documents, Sheikh Zayed was born on 1 December 1918 in Abu Dhabi.[1] He was the youngest son of Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed bin Khalifah Al Nahyan.[2] His birth date is also reported to be 1916.[3] His father was the ruler of Abu Dhabi from 1922 until his assassination in 1926. Zayed was named after his grandfather, Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan ("Zayed the Great"), who ruled the emirate from 1855 to 1909.[4] At the time of Zayed's birth, the sheikhdom of Abu Dhabi was one of seven Trucial States along the coast of the lower coast of the Persian Gulf.[5]
He was raised and lived for the first fifteen years of his life in Al Ain.[6] As Zayed was growing up, there were no modern schools anywhere along the coast. He received only a basic instruction in the principles of Islam, and lived in the desert with Bedouin tribesmen, familiarising himself with the life of the people, their traditional skills and their ability to survive under the harsh climatic conditions.[7]
His eldest brother, Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan Al Nahyan, became ruler of Abu Dhabi in 1928 after their uncle, Saqr bin Zayed Al Nahyan, was also assassinated. Their mother was Sheikha Salma bint Butti.[8][9] She extracted a promise from her sons not to use violence against each other, a promise which they kept.[10]
Career and reign[edit]
Zayed was appointed the governor of the Eastern Region of Abu Dhabi in 1946[4] and was based in the Muwaiji fort in Al Ain. At this time, the area was poor and prone to outbreaks of disease. When survey parties from Petroleum Development (Trucial Coast) began exploring for oil in the area, Zayed assisted them.[11]
In 1952, a small Saudi Arabian force led by Turki bin Abdullah al-Otaishan occupied the village of Hamasa in the Buraimi Oasis (the so-called Buraimi dispute). Zayed was