One of the richest monarchs in the world, President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates, has been buried after he died at the age of 73 on Friday.

 

 

His burial followed a Janazah prayer led by the Crown Prince, Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, at the Al-Farooq Omar Bin Al-Khattab Mosque in Dubai after the Magrib (Sunset) prayer, while prayers were held nationwide.

He was laid to rest at a cementary in Al Bateen after military honour guard dressed in uniform carried the remains od the President before it was handed over to his family for burial.

Sheikh Khalifa was president of the UAE since 2004, but his role had been largely ceremonial since he suffered a stroke in 2014.

His half-brother, Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, is now in charge of state affairs.

As well as being president of the UAE, Sheikh Khalifa was also the ruler of Abu Dhabi, the oil-rich capital of the seven emirates which comprise the UAE.

The ministry of presidential affairs declared 40 days of mourning with flags at half-mast from Friday, and work suspended in the public and private sector for the first three days.

Sheikh Khalifa took over as the UAE's second president in November 2004, succeeding his father as the 16th ruler of Abu Dhabi.

In the first decade of his rule, he presided over a major restructuring of both the federal government and that of Abu Dhabi.

But after his stroke, he was rarely seen in public, although he continued to issue rulings.

Under the UAE's constitution, the vice-president Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, ruler of Dubai, will act as interim president.

The federal council, which brings together the rulers of the seven emirates, must meet within 30 days to elect a new president.