| House of Nahyan آل نهيان | |
|---|---|
| Royal house | |
 | |
| Parent house | Al Falahi |
| Country | United Arab Emirates |
| Founded | 1761; 264 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 |
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. 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. 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. The family is ranked second in the list of world's richest families 2024.
Rulers
The 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 Falahi dynasty, which still rules Abu Dhabi | 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 | April 1833 (killed by his two brothers) | Son of Shakhbut bin Dhiyab Al Nahyan | House of Nahyan | |
Khalifa bin Shakhbut Al Nahyan
| Unknown – 1845 | April 1833 | 1845 (killed by his maternal nephew, Isa bin Khalid al-Falahi, at the conclusion of the feast on the beach at Abu Dhabi) | Son of Shakhbut bin Dhiyab Al Nahyan | House of Nahyan | |
Saeed bin Tahnun Al Nahyan
| Unknown – January 1855 | December 1845 | 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 | 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 | House of Nahyan | .jpg) |
Tahnoun bin Zayed 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 Al Nahyan
| Unknown – 22 August 1922 | October 1912 | 22 August 1922 (killed by his younger brother, Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan) | Son of Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan | House of Nahyan | |
Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan
| Unknown – 4 August 1926 | 22 August 1922 | 4 August 1926 (killed by his brother, Saqr bin Zayed Al Nahyan) | Son of Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan and father of the founder of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan | House of Nahyan | |
Saqr bin Zayed Al Nahyan
| Unknown – 1 January 1928 | 4 August 1926 | 1 January 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 | 1 January 1928 | 6 August 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 Al Nahyan | House of Nahyan |  |
Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan
| 6 May 1918 – 2 November 2004 | 6 August 1966 | 2 November 2004 (death by natural causes) | Son of Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan and first president of the United Arab Emirates | House of Nahyan | .jpg) |
Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan
| 7 September 1948 – 13 May 2022 | 2 November 2004 | 13 May 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 – present | 13 May 2022 | present | Son of Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and current president of the United Arab Emirates | House of Nahyan | .jpg) |
Genealogy
 Dhiyabbin Isa r. 1761–1793 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shakhbut bin Dhiyab r. 1793–1816 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Muhammad bin Shakhbut r. 1816–1818 | Tahnun bin Shakhbut r. 1818–1833 | Khalifa bin Shakhbut r. 1833–1845 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Saeed bin Tahnun r. 1845–1855 | Zayed bin Khalifa r. 1855–1909 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tahnoun bin Zayed r. 1909–1912 | Hamdan bin Zayed r. 1912–1922 | Sultan bin Zayed r. 1922-1926 | Saqr bin Zayed r. 1926–1928 | Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shakhbut bin Sultan r. 1928–1966 | Fatima bint Mubarak Al Ketbi | Zayed bin Sultan r. 1966–2004 President t. 1971–2004 | Hassa bint Mohammed Al Nahyan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Mohamedbin Zayed r. 2022–present President t. 2022–present | Khalifa bin Zayed r. 2004–2022 President t. 2004–2022 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Khaled bin Mohamed 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.
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.
See also
- Royal families of the United Arab Emirates
- List of Sunni Muslim dynasties
- List of rulers of separate Emirates of the United Arab Emirates
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. 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.
- "Bloomberg - Are you a robot?". www.bloomberg.com.
{{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help) - "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.
| Rulers of Abu Dhabi | ||
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 Emirate of Abu Dhabi | |
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| Culture | Cultural property of national significance in Abu Dhabi |
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 Arab tribes in the United Arab Emirates | |
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| These prefixes ignored in the alphabetical ordering: Al, Al-Bu, Albu, Banu, Bani | |
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| Muslim dynasties in the Arabian Peninsula | |
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