The president of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, has died, according to the state news agency of the UAE, WAM. He was 73.
“The Ministry of Presidential Affairs announced that there will be 40 days half- mourning with flags at half mast and three days when all federal, local, and private government offices and ministries will be closed,” the agency wrote on Twitter on Friday.
Sheikh Khalifa had been sick for a long time and was no longer involved in day-to-day business. His brother, Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed, was seen as the real leader.
There was no immediate news about who would take over.
Sheikh Khalifa took over from his father, the UAE’s founder Sheikh Zayed, in 2004. He is rarely seen in official photos or at public events, though. He had a stroke ten years later, which has kept him mostly out of the public eye ever since.
The Burj Khalifa is the name of the late ruler of the UAE’s emirate of Dubai. It is the tallest building in the world.
