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.
| House of Nahyan آل نهيان | |
|---|---|
| Royal house | |
 | |
| Parent house | Al Falahi |
| Country | United Arab Emirates |
| Founded | 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 |
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
editThe following Al Nahyan family members have ruled Abu Dhabi:
| 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 | .jpg) |
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 |  |
Genealogy
edit
 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 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Controversy
editIn 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
edit
References
edit- ^ 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.
- ^ 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. Archived from the original on 27 August 2023. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "United Arab Emirates". worldstatesmen.org. Archived from the original on 2 December 2017. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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. Archived from the original on 26 April 2022. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
- ^ "UAE princesses guilty of servant abuse in Belgium". BBC. 23 June 2017. Archived from the original on 23 November 2022. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
- ^ "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.