Sheikh Sheikh ( , , , , ''shuyūkh'' ) is an honorific title in the Arabic language, literally meaning "elder (administrative title), elder". It commonly designates a tribal chief or a Muslim ulama, scholar. Though this title generally refers to me ...

Shakhbut bin Sultan Al Nahyan (; 1 June 1905 – 11 February 1989) was the

ruler of Abu Dhabi This article lists the rulers of separate states on the territory of the United Arab Emirates, most of which became its emirates. List of rulers of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi Al Nahyan of Al Abu Falah dynasty List of rulers of the Emirate of ...

from 1928 to 1966. On 6 August 1966, Shakhbut was deposed by members of his family with assistance from Britain in a

bloodless coup A nonviolent revolution is a revolution conducted primarily by unarmed civilians using tactics of civil resistance, including various forms of nonviolent protest, to bring about the departure of governments seen as entrenched and authoritarian ...

. His younger brother,

Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (; 6 May 1918 – 2 November 2004) was an Emirati royal, politician, philanthropist and the founder of the United Arab Emirates. Zayed served as the governor of Eastern Region from 1946 until he became ...

succeeded him as the ruler of Abu Dhabi.

Early life

Shakhbut was born in 1905. He was the eldest son of

Sultan bin Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan () was the ruler of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi The Emirate of Abu Dhabi is one of seven Emirates of the United Arab Emirates, emirates that constitute the United Arab Emirates. It is the largest ...

. His mother was Sheikha

Salama bint Butti Sheikha Salama bint Butti Al Qubaisi () was the wife of Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, Ruler of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi from 1922, and the mother of Sheikhs Shakhbut (who ruled Abu Dhabi from 1928 to 1966) and Zayed (who rule ...

Reign

Sheikh Shakhbut was installed following a coup against Sheikh

Saqr bin Zayed Al Nahyan Saqr bin Zayed Al Nahyan was the Ruler of Abu Dhabi from 1926 to 1928. He was the half brother of Sultan bin Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan (Ruler of Abu Dhabi from 1922 to 1926), whom he shot and killed to become Ruler himself. He was the uncle of Z ...

in 1928, becoming the ruler of the emirate of Abu Dhabi. During his reign, he adopted an aggressively mercantilist strategy, keeping his reserves in gold. After the discovery of oil in Abu Dhabi in 1958, Abu Dhabi's elites were frustrated by Shakhbut's refusal to spend the petroleum royalties. At the request of Abu Dhabi's elites, the British, via the

Trucial Oman Scouts The Trucial Oman Scouts (), known as Trucial Oman Levies prior to 1956, was a predecessor paramilitary force that operated in the Trucial States under British control from 1951 to 1971, after which they were renamed to the Union Defence Force with ...

, carried out a bloodless coup against Shakhbut on 6 August 1966, installing Sheikh

as the ruler of Abu Dhabi in his stead.

Personal life

Shakhbut married twice. His first wife was his first cousin, Sheikha Fakhera bint Hazza Al Nahyan, and she was the mother of all his children. They had two sons, Saeed and Sultan. Both of his sons predeceased Shakhbut; they died in their youth while living in exile with their father. The elder son, Saeed, was married to his cousin, the daughter of his uncle

Sheikh Zayed Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (; 6 May 1918 – 2 November 2004) was an Emirati royal, politician, philanthropist and the founder of the United Arab Emirates. Zayed served as the governor of Al Ain Region, Eastern Region from 1946 un ...

in Buraimi in 1963. He has a son named Tahnoun. Saeed's daughter, Fakhra is married to

Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan (; born 1951) is an Emirati royal and politician, who currently serves as the minister of tolerance of the United Arab Emirates. Al Nahyan previously served as the minister of culture and the minister of higher ...

. Sultan also had a son, Khalifa. Their descendants continue to live in the emirate of Abu Dhabi. In addition to his two sons, Sheikh Shakhbut also had four daughters, Osha, Mozah, Qoot and Rawdha. Shakhbut's second wife was Mariam bint Rashid Al Otaiba. They did not have children together. After being deposed, Shakhbut and his family went into exile to Iran under his brother Zayed's orders. They resided in the

Khuzestan Khuzestan province () is one of the 31 Provinces of Iran. Located in the southwest of the country, the province borders Iraq and the Persian Gulf, covering an area of . Its capital is the city of Ahvaz. Since 2014, it has been part of Iran's ...

province of Iran. They were hosted by Sheikh Abdulkarim Al-Faisali of the

Banu Tamim The Banū Tamīm () are an Arab tribe that originated in Najd and Hejaz in the Arabian Peninsula. It is mainly present in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq, Oman, Jordan and Lebanon, and has a strong presence in Algeria, and Morocco, Palestine, ...

tribe.

Honours

On 24 April 1966

King Hussein of Jordan Hussein bin Talal (14 November 1935 – 7 February 1999) was King of Jordan from 1952 until his death in 1999. As a member of the Hashemite dynasty, the royal family of Jordan since 1921, Hussein was traditionally considered a 40th-generatio ...

awarded him the Nahda Order, then the highest Jordanian honour.

References

External links

''LIFE'' magazine article dated 3 May 1963
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Shakhbut bin Sultan Al Nahyan 20th-century Emirati people 20th-century rulers in Asia 1905 births 1989 deaths Dethroned monarchs Emirati politicians Shakhbut Sultan Sheikhs of Abu Dhabi Children of presidents of the United Arab Emirates World War II political leaders 20th-century monarchs in the Middle East