Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (Arabic: زايد بن سلطان آل نهيان ‎; 6 May 1918 – 2 November 2004) was the principal driving force behind the formation of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Emîr (أمير) (Ruler) of Abu Dhabi and first Ra’îs (رئيس) (President) of the United Arab Emirates, a post which he held for over 33 years (1971–2004).