UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed dies at age 73

Emirati state news agency WAM reported the death of United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. He was 73.

“The Ministry of Presidential Affairs announced that there will be 40 days of official mourning with flags at half mast and three days closure of ministries and official entities at the federal and local levels and the private sector,” the agency wrote on Twitter on Friday.

Despite his illness, Sheikh Khalifa had long been out of touch with day-to-day affairs; he was replaced as ruler by his brother, Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed.

There was no immediate announcement about the successor.

After succeeding his father, the UAE’s founder Sheikh Zayed, in 2004, Sheikh Khalifa has rarely been pictured in official photos or at public events. Then, he suffered a stroke, which kept him out of the public eye for the next decade.

Since becoming the president of the UAE, Sheikh Khalifa has presided over a major restructuring of both the Federal Government and the government of Abu Dhabi.

Under his reign, the UAE has witnessed an accelerated development that ensured decent living for the people calling the country home.

His key objectives as the president of the UAE was to continue on the path laid down by his father Sheikh Zayed, whose legacy, he said “will continue to be the beacon guiding us into the future, a prosperous future where security and stability will reign.”

The world’s tallest tower in the UAE’s emirate of Dubai is named the Burj Khalifa after the late ruler.