He was a great leader, and will always be. I think no other leader could have sacrificed as the way he did...Imagine a Desert turns into a green land...I think he was a miracle. Not just he cared about his people, yet he also cared and helped other countries if they faced difficulties. In my opinion, he is the best leader I’ve known since i was born. According to people who said he's a rich savage....Hey may be rich, yet he's not a savage, he used the money he got from oil to raise his country from darkness to brightness. And to the people who say he's an Islamic madness. Well he might be religious, yet he's not mad, because he didn’t cause any harm to any foreign country, nor he disgraced any religion.

Not too bad for a sand dunes despot.

skaik zayed is a great man i like it always shaikh zayed living my heart any time god bless him

He was very good ruler he love his people very much ( nationals and Friegners) he knows the feelings of ordinery men

I have lived in the UAE for more than 28 years, and I can guarantee that Shaikh Zayed is and will remain a great man. All he cared for was his people, to give them a better life. Thank you His Highness.

Second only to his neighbor in Oman in terms of quality leadership and regional cooperation.

great leader

Islamic madness.

An amazingly well-balanced leader who has moved his country out of the dark ages - a step at a time.

Sultan al-Nahyan's regime in the United Arab Emirates is a good example of how a Middle Eastern nation should be run. Here is a man who put together a nation from various local tribes and created a well differentiated modern society all in the span of about thirty years. Oil profits are distributed to all of the people. This is a modern post-industrialist society in the Middle East. To all those who say that Arabs can't live in peace and prosperity, I say look towards the UAE. al-Nahyan could have been like other leaders in the developing world and kept the money for himself, but he instead decided to invest it in human capital and the result was the creation of one of the most modern societies in the world. A big problem in the developing world is that wealth is not properly distributed. Governments in these nations should become more selfless and invest in human capital; it will bring a worthwhile return. It isn't that difficult to do, invest in infrastructure, education, and social services and the rest will solve itself because you will have independent people who are not impoverished and that are productive. Massive land and wealth redistribution programs akin to the Stalinist system of government will not solve anything. Our greatest natural resource is people. al-Nahyan realized that and he is reaping the benefits of his progressive policies.

Oil rich savage.

a truely great man,not only untied 7 enirates but look at the country today they were still living under tents only 30 years ago and take a look at them now,if you havent visited the uae then do not comment,even the people are wonderful,happy cheerful,generous and have the highest respect for women. a truely great country and a truely great man in all ways.

one of the very few who lead by cooperation not intimidation

He is a man well liked by his people in the UAE and very well respected. For years he's been the father figure to people in the United Arab Emirates and other parts of the middle east and even internationally. I think he was the man of the year 1988 or so, and won the world environmental award for his special involvement in, and support of the environmental issues world wide. UAE regularly achieved the highest income per capita in the world under his rule. Also he united the 7 emirates into a federation in 1971. He is a man of his word and always supported the Palestinian cause. He is such a nobel man, he is my hero.