Knowledge Base Wiki

Search for LIMS content across all our Wiki Knowledge Bases.

Type a search term to find related articles by LIMS subject matter experts gathered from the most trusted and dynamic collaboration tools in the laboratory informatics industry.

"Al Nahyan" redirects here. For other uses, see Al Nahyan (disambiguation).

House of Nahyan
آل نهيان
Royal house
Parent houseAl Falahi
CountryUnited Arab Emirates
Founded1761; 263 years ago (1761)
FounderDhiyab bin Isa Al Nahyan (died 1793)
Current headMohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan
TitlesRuler of Abu Dhabi
Sheikh
Style(s)His/Her Highness

The House of Nahyan (Arabic: آل نهيان, romanized: Āl Nuhayān) is the ruling royal family of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and one of the six ruling families of the United Arab Emirates. The family is a branch of the House of Al Falahi (Āl Bū Falāḥ), a branch of the Bani Yas tribe, and are related to the House of Al Falasi from which the ruling family of Dubai, the Al Maktoum, descends.

The Bani Yas came to Abu Dhabi in the 18th century from Liwa 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 multiple sovereign wealth funds including the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority and Mubadala Investment Company that have an estimated US$1 trillion worth of assets under management.[4]

Rulers

The following Al Nahyan family members have ruled Abu Dhabi:

NameLifespanReign startReign endNotesFamilyImage
Dhiyab bin Isa Al NahyanUnknown
–
1793		17611793
(killed by his cousin Hazza bin Zayed bin Muhammad bin Falah)		Leader of the Bani Yas tribal confederation and founder of the Al Bu Falah dynasty, which still rules Abu Dhabi[5][6]House of Nahyan
Shakhbut bin Dhiyab Al Nahyan
  • شخبوط بن ذياب آل نهيان
Unknown17931816
(deposed by his son)		Son of Dhiyab bin Isa Al NahyanHouse of Nahyan
Muhammad bin Shakhbut Al Nahyan
  • محمد بن شخبوط آل نهيان
Unknown18161818
(deposed by his brother, Tahnun bin Shakhbut Al Nahyan, with the support of their father and sent to exile)		Son of Shakhbut bin Dhiyab Al NahyanHouse of Nahyan
Tahnun bin Shakhbut Al Nahyan
  • طحنون بن شخبوط آل نهيان
Unknown
–
1833		18181833
(killed by his two brothers)[7]		Son of Shakhbut bin Dhiyab Al NahyanHouse of Nahyan
Khalifa bin Shakhbut Al Nahyan
  • خليفة بن شخبوط آل نهيان
Unknown
–
1845		18331845
(killed by his maternal nephew, Isa bin Khalid al-Falahi, at the conclusion of the feast on the beach at Abu Dhabi)[8]		Son of Shakhbut bin Dhiyab Al NahyanHouse of Nahyan
Saeed bin Tahnun Al Nahyan
  • سعيد بن طحنون آل نهيان
Unknown
–
January 1855		1833January 1855
(death by natural causes)		Son of Tahnun bin Shakhbut Al NahyanHouse of Nahyan
Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan
  • زايد بن خليفة آل نهيان
1835
–
19 May 1909		185519 May 1909
(death by natural causes)		Son of Khalifa bin Shakhbut Al Nahyan and grandfather of the founder of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Zayed 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 1909October 1912
(death by natural causes)		Son of Zayed bin Khalifa Al NahyanHouse of Nahyan
Hamdan bin Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan
  • حمدان بن زايد بن خليفة آل نهيان
Unknown
–
1922		19121922
(killed by his younger brother, Sultan bin Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan)		Son of Zayed bin Khalifa Al NahyanHouse of Nahyan
Sultan bin Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan
  • سلطان بن زايد بن خليفة آل نهيان
Unknown
–
1926		19221926
(killed by his brother, Saqr bin Zayed Al Nahyan)		Son of Zayed bin Khalifa Al NahyanHouse of Nahyan
Saqr bin Zayed Al Nahyan
  • صقر بن زايد آل نهيان
Unknown
–
1928		19261928
(killed by members of the Al Bu Shaar section of the Al Manasir tribe)		Son of Zayed bin Khalifa Al NahyanHouse of Nahyan
Shakhbut bin Sultan Al Nahyan
  • شخبوط بن سلطان آل نهيان
1 June 1905
–
11 February 1989		19281966
(deposed in the bloodless coup by the Trucial Oman Scouts to the benefit of his brother Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan)		Son of Sultan bin Zayed bin Khalifa Al NahyanHouse of Nahyan
Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan
  • زايد بن سلطان آل نهيان
6 May 1918
–
2 November 2004		19662004
(death by natural causes)		Son of Sultan bin Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan. Founder and first President of the United Arab EmiratesHouse of Nahyan
Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan
  • خليفة بن زايد بن سلطان آل نهيان
7 September 1948
–
13 May 2022		20042022
(death by natural causes)		Son of Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and second President of the United Arab EmiratesHouse of Nahyan
Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan
  • محمد بن زايد آل نهيان
11 March 1961
–
current		2022IncumbentSon of Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and current President of the United Arab EmiratesHouse of Nahyan

Genealogy

The current head of the family, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan

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, Sheikh Issa 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 a Belgium court over the inhumane treatment of servants, an incident that occurred between 2007 and 2008.[11][12]

See also

References

  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. Retrieved 17 April 2013.
  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. Archived from the original on 27 August 2023. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  4. ^ "Wealth fund newbie comes into focus in Abu Dhabi's $1 trillion sovereign hub". Gulf Business. 2 March 2021. Archived from the original on 23 May 2021. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  5. ^ "United Arab Emirates". worldstatesmen.org. Archived from the original on 2 December 2017. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  6. ^ Gannon, Mo (27 February 2013). "Key figures in the life of Qasr Al Hosn | The National". Archived from the original on 15 January 2017. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  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.
  9. ^ Joffe, Lawrence (3 November 2004). "Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 28 August 2013. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  10. ^ "ABC News Exclusive: Torture Tape Implicates UAE Royal Sheikh". ABC News. Archived from the original on 26 April 2022. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  11. ^ "UAE princesses guilty of servant abuse in Belgium". BBC. 23 June 2017. Archived from the original on 23 November 2022. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  12. ^ "Eight princesses convicted in Belgium for 'inhumane' abuse of servants". The Independent. 26 June 2017. Archived from the original on 31 August 2023. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Nahyan