Al_Nahyan
House of Nahyan
Royal family in the United Arab Emirates
"Al Nahyan" redirects here. For other uses, see Al Nahyan (disambiguation).
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.
Quick Facts House of Nahyan آل نهيان, Parent house ...
| House of Nahyan آل نهيان | |
|---|---|
| Royal house | |
| Parent house | Al Falahi |
| Country | United Arab Emirates |
| Founded | 1761; 263 years ago (1761) |
| 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 |
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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]
The following Al Nahyan family members have ruled Abu Dhabi:
More information Name, Lifespan ...
| Name | Lifespan | Reign start | Reign end | Notes | Family | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 the Al Bu Falah dynasty, which still rules Abu Dhabi[5][6] | House of Nahyan | |
Shakhbut bin Dhiyab Al Nahyan
| Unknown | 1793 | 1816 (deposed by his son) | Son of Dhiyab bin Isa Al Nahyan | House of Nahyan | |
Muhammad bin Shakhbut Al Nahyan
| Unknown | 1816 | 1818 (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 Nahyan | House of Nahyan | |
Tahnun bin Shakhbut Al Nahyan
| Unknown – 1833 | 1818 | 1833 (killed by his two brothers)[7] | Son of Shakhbut bin Dhiyab Al Nahyan | House of Nahyan | |
Khalifa bin Shakhbut Al Nahyan
| 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 of Shakhbut bin Dhiyab Al Nahyan | House of Nahyan | |
Saeed bin Tahnun Al Nahyan
| Unknown – January 1855 | 1833 | January 1855 (death by natural causes) | Son of Tahnun bin Shakhbut Al Nahyan | House of Nahyan | |
Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan
| 1835 – 19 May, 1909 | 1855 | 19 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
| 1857 – October 1912 | May 1909 | October 1912 (death by natural causes) | Son of Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan | House of Nahyan | |
Hamdan bin Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan
| Unknown – 1922 | 1912 | 1922 (killed by his younger brother, Sultan bin Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan) | Son of Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan | House of Nahyan | |
Sultan bin Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan
| Unknown – 1926 | 1922 | 1926 (killed by his brother, Saqr bin Zayed Al Nahyan) | Son of Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan | House of Nahyan | |
Saqr bin Zayed Al Nahyan
| Unknown – 1928 | 1926 | 1928 (killed by members of the Al Bu Shaar section of the Al Manasir tribe) | Son of Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan | House of Nahyan | |
Shakhbut bin Sultan Al Nahyan
| 1 June 1905 – 11 February 1989 | 1928 | 1966 (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 Nahyan | House of Nahyan |  |
Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan
| 6 May 1918 – 2 November 2004 | 1966 | 2004 (death by natural causes) | Son of Sultan bin Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan. Founder and first President of the United Arab Emirates | House of Nahyan |  |
Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan
| 7 September 1948 – 13 May 2022 | 2004 | 2022 (death by natural causes) | Son of Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and second President of the United Arab Emirates | House of Nahyan | .jpg) |
Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan
| 11 March 1961 – current | 2022 | Incumbent | Son of Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and current President of the United Arab Emirates | House of Nahyan |  |
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 Dhiyabbin 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 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Muhammadbin 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 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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]
- 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. Retrieved 17 April 2013.
- 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.
- "Wealth fund newbie comes into focus in Abu Dhabi's $1 trillion sovereign hub". Gulf Business. 2 March 2021. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
- "United Arab Emirates". worldstatesmen.org. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
- Gannon, Mo (27 February 2013). "Key figures in the life of Qasr Al Hosn | The National". Retrieved 8 July 2016.
- 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. Archived from the original on 28 August 2013. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
- "ABC News Exclusive: Torture Tape Implicates UAE Royal Sheikh". ABC News. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
- "UAE princesses guilty of servant abuse in Belgium". BBC. 23 June 2017. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
- "Eight princesses convicted in Belgium for 'inhumane' abuse of servants". The Independent. 26 June 2017. Retrieved 31 August 2023.