House of Nahyan

House of Nahyan
آل نهيان
House of Nahyan; آل نهيان
Royal house
Parent house	Al Falahi
Country	United Arab Emirates
Founded	1761;263 years ago
Founder	Dhiyab bin Isa Al Nahyan(died 1793)
Current head	Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Titles	Ruler of Abu Dhabi; Sheikh
Style(s)	His/Her Highness

TheHouse of Nahyan(Arabic:آل نهيان,romanized:Āl Nuhayān) is the ruling royal family of theEmirate of Abu Dhabi,and one of thesix ruling families of the United Arab Emirates.The family is a branch of theHouse of Al Falahi(Āl Bū Falāḥ), a branch of theBani Yastribe, and are related to theHouse of Al Falasifrom which the ruling family ofDubai,theAl Maktoum,descends.

The Bani Yas came to Abu Dhabi in the 18th century fromLiwa Oasis.^[1]They have ruled Abu Dhabi since 1793, and previously ruled Liwa. Five of the rulers were overthrown and eight were killed in coups between 1793 and 1966; many were brothers.^[2]^[3]The Al Nahyan family control multiplesovereign wealth fundsincluding theAbu Dhabi Investment AuthorityandMubadala Investment Companythat have an estimatedUS$1trillionworth of assets under management.^[4]

Rulers

The following Al Nahyan family members have ruled Abu Dhabi:

Name	Lifespan	Reign start	Reign end	Notes	Family
Dhiyab bin Isa Al Nahyan	Unknown – 1793	1761	1793 (killed by his cousin Hazza bin Zayed bin Muhammad bin Falah)	Leader of the Bani Yas tribal confederation and founder of theAl Bu Falah dynasty,which still rules Abu Dhabi^[5]^[6]	House of Nahyan
Shakhbut bin Dhiyab Al Nahyan شخبوط بن ذياب آل نهيان	Unknown	1793	1816 (deposed by his son)	Son ofDhiyab bin Isa Al Nahyan	House of Nahyan
Muhammad bin Shakhbut Al Nahyan محمد بن شخبوط آل نهيان	Unknown	1816	1818 (deposed by his brother,Tahnun bin Shakhbut Al Nahyan,with the support of their father and sent to exile)	Son ofShakhbut bin Dhiyab Al Nahyan	House of Nahyan
Tahnun bin Shakhbut Al Nahyan طحنون بن شخبوط آل نهيان	Unknown – 1833	1818	1833 (killed by his two brothers)^[7]	Son ofShakhbut bin Dhiyab Al Nahyan	House of Nahyan
Khalifa bin Shakhbut Al Nahyan خليفة بن شخبوط آل نهيان	Unknown – 1845	1833	1845 (killed by his maternal nephew, Isa bin Khalid al-Falahi, at the conclusion of the feast on the beach at Abu Dhabi)^[8]	Son ofShakhbut bin Dhiyab Al Nahyan	House of Nahyan
Saeed bin Tahnun Al Nahyan سعيد بن طحنون آل نهيان	Unknown – January 1855	1833	January 1855 (death by natural causes)	Son ofTahnun bin Shakhbut Al Nahyan	House of Nahyan
Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan زايد بن خليفة آل نهيان	1835 – 19 May 1909	1855	19 May 1909 (death by natural causes)	Son ofKhalifa bin Shakhbut Al Nahyanand grandfather of the founder of theUnited Arab Emirates,SheikhZayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan^[9]	House of Nahyan
Tahnoun bin Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan طحنون بن زايد بن خليفة آل نهيان	1857 – October 1912	May 1909	October 1912 (death by natural causes)	Son ofZayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan	House of Nahyan
Hamdan bin Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan حمدان بن زايد بن خليفة آل نهيان	Unknown – 1922	1912	1922 (killed by his younger brother,Sultan bin Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan)	Son ofZayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan	House of Nahyan
Sultan bin Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan سلطان بن زايد بن خليفة آل نهيان	Unknown – 1926	1922	1926 (killed by his brother,Saqr bin Zayed Al Nahyan)	Son ofZayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan	House of Nahyan
Saqr bin Zayed Al Nahyan صقر بن زايد آل نهيان	Unknown – 1928	1926	1928 (killed by members of the Al Bu Shaar section of theAl Manasirtribe)	Son ofZayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan	House of Nahyan
Shakhbut bin Sultan Al Nahyan شخبوط بن سلطان آل نهيان	1 June 1905 – 11 February 1989	1928	1966 (deposed in the bloodless coup by theTrucial Oman Scoutsto the benefit of his brotherZayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan)	Son ofSultan bin Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan	House of Nahyan
Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan زايد بن سلطان آل نهيان	6 May 1918 – 2 November 2004	1966	2004 (death by natural causes)	Son ofSultan bin Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan.Founder and firstPresidentof theUnited Arab Emirates	House of Nahyan
Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan خليفة بن زايد بن سلطان آل نهيان	7 September 1948 – 13 May 2022	2004	2022 (death by natural causes)	Son ofZayed bin Sultan Al Nahyanand secondPresidentof theUnited Arab Emirates	House of Nahyan
Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan محمد بن زايد آل نهيان	11 March 1961 – current	2022	Incumbent	Son ofZayed bin Sultan Al Nahyanand currentPresidentof theUnited Arab Emirates	House of Nahyan

Genealogy

Current Ruler of Abu Dhabi
Previous Ruler of Abu Dhabi

Dhiyab
bin Isa
⁽¹⁾
r. 1761-1793

Shakhbut
bin Dhiyab
⁽²⁾
r. 1793-1816

Muhammad
bin Shakhbut
⁽³⁾
r. 1816-1818

Tahnun bin
Shakhbut
⁽⁴⁾
r. 1818-1833

Khalifa bin
Shakhbut
⁽⁵⁾
r. 1833-1845

Saeed bin
Tahnun
⁽⁷⁾
r. 1845-1855

Zayed bin
Khalifa
⁽⁸⁾
r. 1855-1909

Tahnun
bin Zayed
⁽⁹⁾
r. 1909-1912

Hamdan
bin Zayed
⁽¹⁰⁾
r. 1912-1922

Sultan
bin Zayed
⁽¹¹⁾
r. 1922-1926

Saqr bin
Zayed
⁽¹²⁾
r. 1926-1928

Khalifa bin
Zayed
Al Nahyan

Muhammad
bin Khalifa
Al Nahyan

Shakhbut
bin Sultan
⁽¹³⁾
r. 1928–1966

Fatima bint
Mubarak
Al Ketbi

Zayed
bin Sultan
⁽¹⁴⁾
r. 1966-2004
President
⁽¹⁾
r. 1971-2004

Hassa bint
Muhammad
Al Nahyan

Muhammad
bin Zayed
⁽¹⁶⁾
r. 2022-present
President
⁽³⁾
r. 2022-present

Khalifa
bin Zayed
⁽¹⁵⁾
r. 2004-2022
President
⁽²⁾
r. 2004-2022

Khaled bin
Muhammad
Al Nahyan

Controversy

In April 2009, SheikhIssa bin Zayed,a member of the Al Nahyan royal family, was subject to a controversy where he was allegedly shown to be torturing a man.^[10]

In 2017, several Emirati princesses from the Al Nahyan family were found guilty in aBelgiumcourt over theinhumanetreatment of servants, an incident that occurred between 2007 and 2008.^[11]^[12]

References

^Motohiro, Ono (March 2011)."Reconsideration of the Meanings of the Tribal Ties in the United Arab Emirates: Abu Dhabi Emirate in Early ʼ90s"(PDF).Kyoto Bulletin of Islamic Area Studies.4–1(2): 25–34.Archived(PDF)from the original on 5 August 2019.Retrieved17 April2013.
^Davidson, Christopher M. (2011).Abu Dhabi: Oil and Beyond.Hurst.ISBN 9781849041539.
^James Onley; Sulayman Khalaf (2006)."Shaikhly Authority in the Pre‐oil Gulf: An Historical–Anthropological Study".History and Anthropology.17(3): 189–208.doi:10.1080/02757200600813965.S2CID 53984524.Archivedfrom the original on 27 August 2023.Retrieved15 May2021.
^"Wealth fund newbie comes into focus in Abu Dhabi's $1 trillion sovereign hub".Gulf Business.2 March 2021.Archivedfrom the original on 23 May 2021.Retrieved23 May2021.
^"United Arab Emirates".worldstatesmen.org.Archivedfrom the original on 2 December 2017.Retrieved8 July2016.
^Gannon, Mo (27 February 2013)."Key figures in the life of Qasr Al Hosn | The National".Archivedfrom the original on 15 January 2017.Retrieved8 July2016.
^Heard-Bey, Frauke (2005).From Trucial States to United Arab Emirates: a society in transition.London: Motivate. p. 49.ISBN 1860631673.OCLC 64689681.
^Lorimer, John (1915).Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf.British Government, Bombay. p. 766.
^Joffe, Lawrence (3 November 2004)."Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan".The Guardian.Archivedfrom the original on 28 August 2013.Retrieved31 March2018.
^"ABC News Exclusive: Torture Tape Implicates UAE Royal Sheikh".ABC News.Archivedfrom the original on 26 April 2022.Retrieved31 August2023.
^"UAE princesses guilty of servant abuse in Belgium".BBC. 23 June 2017.Archivedfrom the original on 23 November 2022.Retrieved15 August2021.
^"Eight princesses convicted in Belgium for 'inhumane' abuse of servants".The Independent.26 June 2017.Archivedfrom the original on 31 August 2023.Retrieved31 August2023.

[ono2011mar-1] Motohiro, Ono (March 2011)."Reconsideration of the Meanings of the Tribal Ties in the United Arab Emirates: Abu Dhabi Emirate in Early ʼ90s"(PDF).Kyoto Bulletin of Islamic Area Studies.4–1(2): 25–34.Archived(PDF)from the original on 5 August 2019.Retrieved17 April2013.

[2] Davidson, Christopher M. (2011).Abu Dhabi: Oil and Beyond.Hurst.ISBN 9781849041539.

[3] James Onley; Sulayman Khalaf (2006)."Shaikhly Authority in the Pre‐oil Gulf: An Historical–Anthropological Study".History and Anthropology.17(3): 189–208.doi:10.1080/02757200600813965.S2CID 53984524.Archivedfrom the original on 27 August 2023.Retrieved15 May2021.

[4] "Wealth fund newbie comes into focus in Abu Dhabi's $1 trillion sovereign hub".Gulf Business.2 March 2021.Archivedfrom the original on 23 May 2021.Retrieved23 May2021.

[World_Statesman-5] "United Arab Emirates".worldstatesmen.org.Archivedfrom the original on 2 December 2017.Retrieved8 July2016.

[6] Gannon, Mo (27 February 2013)."Key figures in the life of Qasr Al Hosn | The National".Archivedfrom the original on 15 January 2017.Retrieved8 July2016.

[7] Heard-Bey, Frauke (2005).From Trucial States to United Arab Emirates: a society in transition.London: Motivate. p. 49.ISBN 1860631673.OCLC 64689681.

[8] Lorimer, John (1915).Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf.British Government, Bombay. p. 766.

[jof3nov-9] Joffe, Lawrence (3 November 2004)."Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan".The Guardian.Archivedfrom the original on 28 August 2013.Retrieved31 March2018.

[10] "ABC News Exclusive: Torture Tape Implicates UAE Royal Sheikh".ABC News.Archivedfrom the original on 26 April 2022.Retrieved31 August2023.

[11] "UAE princesses guilty of servant abuse in Belgium".BBC. 23 June 2017.Archivedfrom the original on 23 November 2022.Retrieved15 August2021.

[12] "Eight princesses convicted in Belgium for 'inhumane' abuse of servants".The Independent.26 June 2017.Archivedfrom the original on 31 August 2023.Retrieved31 August2023.

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v t e Emirate of Abu Dhabi
Cities and areas	Abu al Abyad Abu Dhabi Al Ain Al-Aryam Island Al Faqa(shared withDubai) Al Yahar Al Maryah Island Al Mushrif Al Nahyan Al-Wathbah Dalma Das Island Habshan Halat al Bahrani Khalifa City Liwa Oasis Madinat Zayed Marawah Mussafah Remah Ruwais Sila Sir Bani Yas Abu Dhabi Global Market Swaihan Yas Island Al Fahid Island
Municipal regions	Abu Dhabi Region Adh-Dhafrah (Gharbiyyah,Western) Region Al-Ain (Sharqiyyah,Eastern) Region
Government	Al Nahyan family(Royal House) Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan(Ruler)
Culture	Cultural property of national significance in Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi Cultural Foundation Al Ain National Museum Guggenheim Abu Dhabi Louvre Abu Dhabi Qasr al-Hosn Qasr Al Watan Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Sheikh Zayed Palace Museum Zayed National Museum
Transport	Abu Dhabi International Airport Al Ain International Airport Mussafah Bridge Port Zayed Salam Street Sheikh Zayed Bridge
Infrastructure	Al Lulu Island Al Nahyan Stadium Al Raha Al Reem Island Central Market Project Khalifa Port Kizad Masdar City Saadiyat Island Al Fahid Island Tallest buildings
History	Timeline of Abu Dhabi (city)
Sister Cities	Houston Madrid Rahim Yar Khan

v t e Arab tribesin theUnited Arab Emirates
These prefixes ignored in the Alpha betical ordering: Al, Al-Bu, Albu, Banu.
Tribal coalition	Al Ali Al-Balush Awamir Dahaminah Dhawahir Daramikah Duru Habus Bani Kaab Kunud Manasir Al Bu Muhair Al Murrah Na'im Al Bu Shamis Naqbiyin Al Qawasim Bani Qitab Sharqiyin Shihuh Bani Hadiyah Bani Shatair Sudan Al Tunaij Bani Yas Al Bu Hamir Al Bu Falasah Marar Mazari Zaab
Part ofArab tribes

Rulers

Genealogy

Controversy

See also

References