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F or the miracle called Abu Dha- bi, the most credit belongs to a man who had a powerful idea, a visionary who cared and who changed the course of histo- ry: the Father of the Emirates, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. He became the leader of Abu Dha- bi in 1966. Of nine emirates, on 2 nd De- cember 1971 he united seven of them: Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras al-K- haimah, Sharjah and Umm al-Quwain. Bahrain and Qatar opted for indepen- dence. The first decades of indepen- dence were marked by competition between the two largest emirates, Abu Dhabi and Dubai, with regard to the degree of centralisation and the dis- tribution of power. A final agreement was reached in 1979. Since then the seat of the president has been reser- ved for the Emir of Abu Dhabi, while the position of prime minister is re- served for the Emir of Dubai. As you would imagine, the first President of the United Arab Emira- tes was Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. His vision implied absolute wellbeing: water and electricity ava- ilable to everyone, suitable homes, adequate medical care and educati- on. He was a leader in whom the pe- ople believed. He travelled around Bedouin villages, spoke to the people, learned about them and then he toured the world in or- der to bring back to his coun- try the best of everything. That’s why the Emirates represent su- ch a wonderful combination of East and West, tradition and modernity. Sheikh Zayed ma- de wide intersecting avenues like those of any international city, brought greenery to the desert, without forgetting how important it is to live in har- mony with nature and to preser- ve natural resources. On maps he charted boulevards, rounda-

Njegova vizija podrazumevala je apsolutno blagostanje za sve His vision implied absolute wellbeing for everybody

Zastava u četiri boje – crvenoj, ze- lenoj, beloj i crnoj, vijori se sa goto- vo svih građevina u Abu Dabiju, uz portrete šeika Zajeda i dvojice njego- vih sinova – šeikaHalife bin Zajeda al Nahjana, predsednika UAE i šei- ka Muhameda bin Zajeda al Nahjana, krunisanog princa Abu Dabija. Narod u Emiratima čuva uspomenu na veli- kog ujedinitelja, a jedno od mnogih poznatih mesta koje je po njemu do- bilo ime je Velika džamija…

bouts, hotels and everything that to- day adorns this place and will make it special in the future. The archite- cture of modern Abu Dhabi is simi- lar to that which can be seen in the United States, although complemen- ted with elements of Arabic cultu- re. Sheikh Zayed himself is to thank for this, for he sought the help of a Japanese architect in order to rea- lise his dream. Katsuhiko Takahas- hi designed the city on the basis of Sheikh Zayed’s imaginings. The flag in four colours – red, green, white and black – flies from almost every building in Abu Dhabi, along with portraits of Sheikh Za- yed and two of his sons – His High- ness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al Nahyan, President of the UAE, and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan, Crown Prin- ce of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supre- me Commander of the UAE Armed Forces. The people of the Emirates protect the memory of their great unifier. One of the many famous pla- ces named after him is the Grand Mosque...

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