Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan (1840–1909) was the grandfather of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan, first president of the United Arab Emirates

United Arab Emirates

The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...

. He was born in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, in what was then called Trucial Oman, sometime around 1840. He lived much of his early life with the Bedouin

Bedouin

The Bedouin are a part of a predominantly desert-dwelling Arab ethnic group traditionally divided into tribes or clans, known in Arabic as ..-Etymology:...

 of Abu Dhabi. He made Ruler of Abu Dhabi after the deposition of his cousin, Sheikh Said bin Tahnun, in 1855. He ruled for 54 years, until his death in 1909.

Early in his rule, Zayed guided Abu Dhabi through a series of conflicts with the Emirate of Sharjah. In 1868, he killed the Ruler of Sharjah, Sheikh Khalid bin Sultan, in single combat. The death of Khalid brought an end to the conflicts. The result of these fights left Abu Dhabi the most powerful Sheikhdom in the Gulf region.

Zayed also led Abu Dhabi in an extended war with Qatar

Qatar

Qatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...

 in the 1880s that secured the western border of Abu Dhabi. He united with Oman

Oman

Oman , officially called the Sultanate of Oman , is an Arab state in southwest Asia on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by the United Arab Emirates to the northwest, Saudi Arabia to the west, and Yemen to the southwest. The coast is formed by the Arabian Sea on the...

i forces to drive the Saudi troops from the Buraimi area in 1870. This left the forts defending the Buraimi Oasis in permanent control of Abu Dhabi and forced the Saudis to abandon their designs on Oman. Abu Dhabi's influence and control over this area steadily grew afterwards.

He was a strong leader and all tribes along his Emirates treated him with respect. The borders of the Emirate were extended three times, to reach near Qatar in the west and to touch the Rub' Al Khali in the south.

He was also a pearl diving fleet owner and a merchant that helped other people around Emirates financially and served as a wise father.

In 1892, Khalifi signed a treaty

Treaty

A treaty is an express agreement under international law entered into by actors in international law, namely sovereign states and international organizations. A treaty may also be known as an agreement, protocol, covenant, convention or exchange of letters, among other terms...

 with the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 which effectively ceded control of Abu Dhabi's international commercial relations to the British

British people

The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...

.