Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, emir of Abu Dhabi and first president of the United Arab Emirates (d. 2004)
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (Arabic: ٱلشَّيْخ زَايِد بِن سُلْطَان آل نَهْيَان, romanized: Ash-Shaykh Zāyed bin Sulṭān Āl Nahyān; 6 May 1918 – 2 November 2004) was the founding father and the principal driving force behind the formation of the United Arab Emirates, uniting seven emirates, and becoming the Union's first Raʾīs (president), a position which he held for a period of almost 33 years (1971 until his death in 2004). He was also the ruler of Abu Dhabi for more than 30 years (6 August 1966 – 2 November 2004). He is commonly referred to in the UAE as the Father of the Nation.