The UAE declared 3 days of mourning for the passing of Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan

All Government departments and schools closed and the private sector shut for three days. 

Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Representative of the President, has passed away late on Monday, November 18th at the age of 64.

Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, mourned the loss of his brother Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the representative of the UAE President.

At the directives of the Ministry of Presidential Affairs, the UAE will observe an official mourning period of three days with the flag flown at half-mast starting from today.

“Today I lost my brother and one of the UAE’s loyal statesmen and one of its national symbols. He worked with the founding father, the late Sheikh Zayed, to lay down the foundations of the Union’s institutions and serve his people. May Allah rests the soul of Sheikh Sultan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan in peace, and grant us patience and solace to bear this great loss,” His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces tweeted on Monday.

Sheikh Sultan was the second son of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, founder of UAE. He was educated at Millfield School in Somerset in the United Kingdom and was a graduate of Sandhurst military academy. He served as Commander-in-Chief of the UAE Armed Forces with a rank of Brigadier from 1978 to 1982 and was appointed as Chairman of the Public Works Department, Abu Dhabi in 1988. 

Sheikh Sultan also held various portfolios such as Chairman of the Zayed Center in Abu Dhabi, Chairman of the Media and Cultural Centre, Chairman of the Emirates Heritage Club and Chairman of Zayed centre for coordination and follow-up, a member of Supreme Petroleum Council, and a member of Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA).

He was also appointed President of the UAE Football Association between 1976 and 1981, among other prominent positions, such as being a member on the Higher Council for Petrol and a member on the chairing board of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, as well as being a prominent member on the boards of different institutes, mosques, hospitals, and sports teams.

Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed has always been deeply interested in preserving and maintaining the UAE’s heritage. He had been assigned with different tasks to serve the UAE both nationally and internationally.

In the statement, the Ministry prays to Allah the Almighty to rest his soul in peace, and grant Al Nahyan’s Family all patience and solace.