Sheikh Zayed buried, sadness overwhelms UAE

A large funeral was held yesterday afternoon for Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan al-Nahyan, late president of the United Arab Emirates, who died on Tuesday evening at 86 year old of which he had spent 33 years as a president for the country.

Thousands of Emirates and foreigners gathered in the streets of Abu Dhabi to take part in the funeral procession and strained to catch a glimpse of the body.

The funeral ceremony started by prayers on the body of the deceased in Sheikh Sultan Bin Zayed mosque to the north of Abu Dhabi. Arab leaders and senior UAE rulers and officials gathered at the Sultan Bin Zayed Mosque to pray over the body that was shrouded in the UAE flag.

The funeral procession proceeded with the participation of several Arab and Islamic states via the streets of the city towards Sheikh Zayed mosque, situated to the southern entrance of Abu Dhabi city and his body was buried there.

The new ruler of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Khaleifa Bin Zayed al-Nahyan, accepted condolences on the demise of his father as from Wednesday evening.

By the death of Sheikh Zayed the Arab World has lost one of its major leaders. He devoted all his country's resources to boost economic and building infrastructures in all parts of the UAE.