shiva

HHS Zayed passed away tonight.
i for one am very sad as are all in my family,he was a great leader and a good man. a sad sad day.my thoughts are with all in the gulf.
chris

LakesLassie

Absolutely. He was a truly great leader and will be sorely missed. The end of an era for sure.

Florie

So what happens now.... is there a mourning period and what does that mean?

Truth Speak

A man of vision - the first ruler of the UAE - let us hope for a swift transition.

Arabian wind
The Needle's Eye is thin
The Ships of State sail on mirage
but drown in sand
in No-Man's Land
where ALLAH does command



What good is spilling
blood? It will not
grow a thing


"TASTE ETERNITY"
the sword sings Blues for ALLAH
In'sh'ALLAH


They lie where they fall
There's nothing more to say
The desert stars are bright tonight,
let's meet as friends
The flower of Islam
The fruit of Abraham


The thousand stories have
come round to one again
Arabian Night
our gods pursue their fight
What fatal flowers of
darkness spring from
seeds of light


Bird of Paradise - Fly
In white sky
Blues for ALLAH
In'sh'ALLAH


Let's see with our heart
these things our eyes have seen
and know the truth will still lie
somewhere in between
Under eternity
Under eternity
Under eternity
Blue
Bird of Paradise
Fly
In white sky
Under eternity
Blues
for ALLAH
In'sh'ALLAH

These lyrics were written as a requiem for King Faisal of Saudi Arabia, a progressive and democratically inclined ruler

I think they are appropriate.

TS

Jellybean

[QUOTE=Truth Speak]A man of vision - the first ruler of the UAE - let us hope for a swift transition.

How sweet TS, good on yer. I found some more karma

novita77

[QUOTE=Jellybean] Sollieee..... is this another joke or true???

Jellybean

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/index00.asp

True

novita77

Got it now JB. Thanks . He was a nice ruler. Really so sad...

shiva

nice words ts good choice
chris

Face81

Uptil this afternoon when I watched the funeral on TV, It hadnt really sunk in yet......I didnt realise how signifiant his pasing would be....... Even now, I have a lump in my throat......odd though it may be, I did consider him to be a sort of role model. Having been born here, the U.A.E is my only home and probably will remain as such even when (and if) I decide to move overseas for whatever reason.

A feeling of grief and sadness has enveloped the country and his loss is a very tremendous blow to the people of the U.A.E.

In the honour of Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Ruler of AbuDhabi and President of the United Arab Emirates, I decided to put up the pictures/headlines that made up this mornings front pages:

Gulf News front page:


Recent photograph of our ailing monarch (dated early October, 2004):


Headline reflecting the general atmosphere:


Khaleej Times front page:


In the honour of his memory, I have decided to change my avatar for sometime aswell. I will personally miss him now that he is gone. The United Arab Emirates will observe a 40 day mourning period, with all flags flying at half mast.

Present at his funeral this afternoon were the leaders of Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Algeria, Qatar, Oman, Syria, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Pakistan and Yemen.

This is what appeared on the BBC website:

Obituary: Sheikh Zayed
By Julia Wheeler
BBC Gulf correspondent, UAE

The President of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahyan has died. He was in believed to have been in his late 80s. Sheikh Zayed was the first and only president of the UAE, which was formed in 1971. He was strongly revered by Emiratis and other Arabs across the Middle East.

Sheikh Zayed waving from a car ealier in 2004
The ailing sheikh stayed out of the limelight after long career
To the people of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Zayed was more than a President.

He was frequently referred to as the father of the nation.

He led them through economic and political change which could not have been imagined when many were born.

Sheikh Zayed was born in Abu Dhabi around 1918 although the exact date is unknown.

As a young man he spent time with Bedouin tribesmen, learning about their way of life and the desert in which they lived.

His first taste of government came in 1946 when he was appointed Ruler's Representative based in the oasis town of al-Ain.

Ruling by consensus

Seen as someone who led by example, he used consultation and consensus to deal with the tribes.

Oil was first exported from Abu Dhabi in 1962 and, as the ruling al-Nahyan family lost confidence in the then ruler to use their new-found wealth for development, Sheikh Zayed replaced his older brother.

There followed a massive building programme - schools, hospitals, housing and roads were constructed on a huge scale.

Sheikh Zayed in 1967
Zayed enjoyed the life of a Bedouin sheikh in the desert
When, in 1968, the British decided to pull out of the area known as the Trucial States, Sheikh Zayed quickly established closer ties with other emirates, taking a leading role in forming a federation.

Rapid development

The UAE came into being in December 1971.

Sheikh Zayed became president and was re-elected to the post ever since.

At the time, pessimists questioned the viability of the new federation, but over the past 33 years or more it has survived and developed beyond all recognition.

The UAE has endured not least because Sheikh Zayed continued to distribute Abu Dhabi's oil wealth throughout the country, ensuring the status quo politically and socially.

Sheikh Zayed was loved by the people of the Emirates, and respected by the expatriates who make up the vast majority of the population.

This adoration goes beyond the sycophancy associated with many other Arab rulers. There is a real sense of gratitude for the sharing of wealth.

Sheikh Zayed is also credited with everything from greening the Emirates by planting vast tracts of vegetation, to keeping its heritage alive through teaching young people about the region's disappearing history.

Emiratis will undoubtedly be mindful that a crucial era of their history is passing with the death of their first president.

LakesLassie

If only there were more leaders like him, the world would be a far better, not to mention safer, place.

Face81

Too right! Karma for that!

Here is a satellite pic of the U.A.E.........He really did do EVERYTHING in his power to transform our tiny desert nation:



He will really be missed!

shiva

nice words face. thx also for putting pics up for us to see

shiva

would give u karma but it wont let me as usual

LakesLassie

Tried to send Karma for new avatar but not allowed. It's the thought that counts though