ABU DHABI // By speaking to the people who knew him well, Jamal bin Huwaireb believes he has discovered the essence of Sheikh Zayed’s greatness.
On the 10th anniversary of the death of the country’s founding Father, the Emirati historian hopes he can portray Sheikh Zayed’s most important characteristics to a generation who never knew him.
Mr bin Huwaireb has conducted research about Sheikh Zayed by interviewing acquaintances of the nation’s first President.
He also gathered information from publications, such as the travel books by Wilfred Thesiger, as well as national and British documents.
What made Sheikh Zayed a great leader was firstly his name and ancestry, said Mr bin Huwaireb. “Zayed was named after his grandfather who was a symbol of justice, generosity and courage,” he said.
He grew up in a family of leaders, and was brought up listening to stories about his grandfather, Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa.
So, it was natural that Sheikh Zayed would grow up to be a wise leader because of the environment in which he lived, the stories he heard and the things he saw from the family surrounding him.
“Zayed grew up with this name, and with the love of imitating the person behind the name. His name had a major role in his character.”
Mr bin Huwaireb said Sheikh Zayed learnt what leadership entailed from a young age from his father, Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed. “Even though his father did not reign for long, it was enough,” he said.
“Zayed’s father was blessed with wisdom. This boy looked into his father’s life, he saw the majlises and saw what leadership is in front of his eyes. He saw how fair his father was, and how he treated the community with equality. He spoke to them, played with the children. That is how he created a relationship with the people.”
Sheikh Zayed also learnt from his elder brother, Sheikh Shakhbout, who had a vast knowledge of politics, literature and Sharia.
“From Sheikh Shakhbout’s majlis in Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Zayed learnt about literary works like Al Mutanabi’s poetry.”
When Sheikh Zayed became the Ruler’s representative in Al Ain, he quickly won over the area’s people.
“He did it through communication, cooperating with the people. He would borrow money to be able to look after the people of Al Ain. He built a school and a souq, and was continuously developing,” said Mr bin Huwaireb.
He said this period in Sheikh Zayed’s life was about acquiring knowledge.
In 1953, Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Shakhbout travelled to London and Paris – their first visit to western countries. Mr bin Huwaireb said: “At that time, there was nothing mentionable in the country. Sheikh Zayed came to Al Ain and he was sad, he was telling people ‘when will our country become like the West’.
“He wanted to develop architecture, to build roads, to make use of technology, and there was nothing in the country but a few buildings and little trade.”
When Zayed became Ruler of Abu Dhabi in 1966 he immediately set to work in building hospitals, schools, and roads, said the historian.
“The country developed in just five years. After the British [announced that they would be leaving] in 1968, he decided to unify the Emirates and, with the help of Sheikh Rashid Al Maktoum, it was possible.”
Sheikh Zayed always saw the country in a light that required constant development in all sectors, said Mr bin Huwaireb, who stressed that it was important to impress that development on younger generations.
“Sheikh Zayed followed the path of his ancestors and the characteristics have remained in all the leaders. And now, his children and the sheikhs are following his footsteps. We call our sheikhs ‘father’, because we have a different relationship between the ruler and the people.
“It is important to know that Zayed’s upbringing gave him that personality, and we must take him as a model in raising our own children.”
He said younger generations should be inspired by Sheikh Zayed and “by narrating his story we are instilling nobility, cooperation and the ability to achieve in our children”.
aalkhoori@thenational.ae
The biog
Name: Fareed Lafta
Age: 40
From: Baghdad, Iraq
Mission: Promote world peace
Favourite poet: Al Mutanabbi
Role models: His parents
The biog
Favourite books: 'Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Life' by Jane D. Mathews and ‘The Moment of Lift’ by Melinda Gates
Favourite travel destination: Greece, a blend of ancient history and captivating nature. It always has given me a sense of joy, endless possibilities, positive energy and wonderful people that make you feel at home.
Favourite pastime: travelling and experiencing different cultures across the globe.
Favourite quote: “In the future, there will be no female leaders. There will just be leaders” - Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook.
Favourite Movie: Mona Lisa Smile
Favourite Author: Kahlil Gibran
Favourite Artist: Meryl Streep
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
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West Asia rugby, season 2017/18 - Roll of Honour
Western Clubs Champions League - Winners: Abu Dhabi Harlequins; Runners up: Bahrain
Dubai Rugby Sevens - Winners: Dubai Exiles; Runners up: Jebel Ali Dragons
West Asia Premiership - Winners: Jebel Ali Dragons; Runners up: Abu Dhabi Harlequins
UAE Premiership Cup - Winners: Abu Dhabi Harlequins; Runners up: Dubai Exiles
UAE Premiership - Winners: Dubai Exiles; Runners up: Abu Dhabi Harlequins
Everybody%20Loves%20Touda
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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more from Janine di Giovanni
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESmartCrowd%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2018%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESiddiq%20Farid%20and%20Musfique%20Ahmed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDubai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%20%2F%20PropTech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInitial%20investment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%24650%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2035%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeries%20A%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EVarious%20institutional%20investors%20and%20notable%20angel%20investors%20(500%20MENA%2C%20Shurooq%2C%20Mada%2C%20Seedstar%2C%20Tricap)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
RIVER%20SPIRIT
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
The specs: 2018 BMW R nineT Scrambler
Price, base / as tested Dh57,000
Engine 1,170cc air/oil-cooled flat twin four-stroke engine
Transmission Six-speed gearbox
Power 110hp) @ 7,750rpm
Torque 116Nm @ 6,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 5.3L / 100km
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
STAY%2C%20DAUGHTER
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