Behind Zayed the Founder Day: the UAE's first President

Background

The UAE's new national occasion on 7 January honours the man the country calls its Founder, so his offices are worth fixing in memory.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan was Ruler of Abu Dhabi from 1966 to 2004.
He was the first President of the UAE, serving from the formation of the federation on 2 December 1971 until his death in 2004.
He was known as the Father of the Nation for his part in forming the federation.
His years in office covered the building of the country's federal institutions out of oil revenue.
That is the legacy the new Zayed the Founder Day is meant to carry to later generations.