Mubarak bin Mohammed Al Nahyan (1935–2010) was an Emirati royal and the first interior minister of the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...

. He also held other public posts which were mostly security-related.

Early life

Al Nahyan was born in 1935. He was the second son of Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan and grandson of

Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan ( ar,  خليفة بن زايد بن سلطان آل نهيان‎; 7 September 1948 – 13 May 2022) was the second president of the United Arab Emirates and the ruler of Abu Dhabi, serving f ...

. Mubarak's elder brother was Hamdan. He also had younger brothers, Tahnoun and Saif.

Career

Mubarak was close to the rulers of Abu Dhabi. During the reign of

Shakhbut bin Sultan Shakhbut bin Sultan Al Nahyan ( ar, شخبوط بن سلطان آل نهيان; 1 June 1905 – 11 February 1989) was the ruler of Abu Dhabi from 1928 to 1966. On 6 August 1966, Shakhbut was deposed by members of his family with assistance f ...

, he was named as the director of the police and the public security department in 1961. He replaced Sultan bin Shakbut Al Nahyan as the director of the Abu Dhabi Police. In May 1964 Sheikh Shakhbut removed Bill Edge, a British citizen, from office who had been serving as the commander (it was labelled as ''commandant'') and chairman of the Abu Dhabi Police since 1961 and appointed Mubarak Al Nahyan to this post. When Zayed bin Sultan succeeded Shakhbut bin Sultan as the ruler of the Abu Dhabi in 1966, Mubarak and his brothers, Hamdan, Tahnoun and Saif, assumed major roles due to the fact that Zayed bin Sultan's sons were very young to hold these posts. Mubarak Al Nahyan retained his post as commander of the Abu Dhabi Police under Sheikh Zayed. In 1967 Mubarak Al Nahyan was promoted from the rank of

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

to that of

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

. He became the minister of interior of Abu Dhabi in June 1971. Immediately after the establishment of the United Arab Emirates Mubarak was appointed minister of interior in December 1971, being the first Emirati official to hold this post. He was made a member of the Abu Dhabi's executive council in December 1973. His term as the commander of the Abu Dhabi Police ended in 1974, and he was replaced by Mohammed Jumaa Al Dhaheri in the post. He continued to serve as the interior minister of the United Arab Emirates until 1990.

Personal life and death

His eldest son was

Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan ( ar, نهيان بن مبارك آل نهيان; born 1951) heads the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Culture, Youth, and Social Development. Biography He is the son of Mubarak bin Mohammed Al Nahyan, grands ...

, an Emirati politician. His other son, Hamdan, served as the chairman of Abu Dhabi’s Civil Aviation Department and chairman of Gulf Air. Mubarak Al Nahyan was seriously injured in a road accident in the United Kingdom in 1979. He died on 24 February 2010.

Awards and legacy

Mubarak Al Nahyan was the recipient of the Zayed 2nd Order, the

Order of King Abdulaziz The Order of King Abdulaziz is a Saudi Arabian order of merit. The order was named after Abdulaziz Al Saud, founder of the modern Saudi state. History In 1971, the introduction of orders was announced in a decree. It was instituted by King Fais ...

and the Qatar Collar of Merit. In 2022 a prize was instituted in memory of him, Sheikh Mubarak bin Mohammed Prize for Natural History.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nahyan, Mubarak Mohammed 1935 births 2010 deaths

Mubarak Muhammad Hosni El Sayed Mubarak, (; 4 May 1928 – 25 February 2020) was an Egyptian politician and military officer who served as the fourth president of Egypt from 1981 to 2011. Before he entered politics, Mubarak was a career officer in t ...

Interior ministers of the United Arab Emirates 20th-century Emirati people