I dedicated my latest artwork Bioglyphe to:
His Highness Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan
2018 was the 100 years anniversary of His Highness Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan. This unique occasion I took as challenge to paint a Bioglyphe about Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan.
For me my Bioglyphe is a historical and unforgettable statement from a cosmopolitan artist of the 21st century.
His Highness Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan was not only The Founder of the United Arab Emirates. No, he was a milestone in human history. What can be better symbolized as forever, unforgettable history - to write it in Egyptian hieroglyphics to underline his greatness and importance for million of people.
For me it was not only an honour, but a must to manifest in art his unique personality. His mind and energy is not only living in his family but also in the people of the United Arab Emirates.
His Bioglpyhe is the biggest I ever painted with the most hieroglyphics I have ever done. Over 12'000 sings, the artwork with a size of 1.60 x 2.40 meter in oil on canvas and the background is in golden oil colour.
In the golden background I painted in hieroglyphics the history of the Founder of the United Arab Emirates - His Highness Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan and in the dress the life of His Highness, in the right arm the 100 years anniversary of His Highness. It tooks me half a year to finish this artwork. But also with it I would state a milestone.
In the golden background I painted the history of the Founder of the United
Arab Emirates (the following text is 1:1 as on the original artwork - translated in English)
His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan,
Founder of the United Arab Emirates
His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan served as President of the United Arab Emirates since the formation of the Federation on 2 December 1971 and as Ruler of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi since 1966.
Understanding the UAE is impossible without understanding the life of Sheikh Zayed and his deep religious faith, vision, determination and hard work; his generosity at home and abroad; and the way in which he devoted his life to the service of his people and the creation of a better world.
Born 1918 in Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Zayed was the youngest of the four sons of His Highness Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler of Abu Dhabi from 1922 to 1926. At the time of Sheikh Zayed’s birth, the Emirate was poor and undeveloped, with an economy based primarily on fishing and pearl diving and on simple agriculture in scattered oases inland. As Sheikh Zayed grew into a young man, he travelled extensively throughout the country, gaining a deep understanding of the land and its people. In the early 1930s, when oil company teams arrived to undertake preliminary geological surveys, he obtained his first exposure to the industry that would shape the development of the UAE today.
Through the late 1920s and 1930s, Sheikh Zayed’s thirst for knowledge took him into the desert, living alongside Bedouin tribesmen to learn all he could about their way of life and connection with their surroundings. He joyfully recalled his experiences of life and his initiation into the sport of falconry, which became a lifelong passion.
The first cargo of crude oil was exported from Abu Dhabi in 1962. On 6 August 1966, Sheikh Zayed succeeded his elder brother as Ruler of Abu Dhabi.
In 1946, Sheikh Zayed was chosen as Ruler’s Representative in Abu Dhabi's Eastern Region, centered on Al Ain, 160 kilometers inland east of Abu Dhabi. The job involved ruling over six villages and an adjacent desert region. Despite a lack of significant government revenue, Sheikh Zayed was successful in advancing Al Ain. Sheikh Zayed established a basic administration system, personally funded the first modern school in the Emirate and encouraged relatives and friends to contribute towards small-scale development.
He revised local water ownership rights to ensure a more equitable distribution, which led to agricultural development and re-establishment of the oasis as the predominant market center. Sheikh Zayed’s city planning in Al Ain helped ensure a bright future, and today, the city is one of the greenest in the Arab world.
In August 1966, Sheikh Zayed became Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with a mandate to develop the Emirate as quickly as possible. His years in Al Ain had given him valuable experience in government and time to develop a vision of progress. With the export of the first cargo of Abu Dhabi crude oil in 1962, Sheikh Zayed could rely on oil revenues to start an infrastructure overhaul, constructing schools, housing, hospitals and roads.
In 1968 with the British announcement of the country’s withdrawal from the Arabian Gulf, Sheikh Zayed stepped to action to quickly establish closer ties with the Emirates. Together with the late Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Sheikh Zayed called for a Federation that would include not only the seven Emirates that made up the Trucial States, but also Qatar and Bahrain.
Seven states followed Sheikh Zayed in establishing the UAE, which formally emerged on the international stage on 2 December 1971.
The new state emerged at a time of political turmoil in the region. A couple of days prior, Iran had seized the islands of Greater and Lesser Tunb, part of Ras al-Khaimah, and had landed troops on Abu Musa, part of Sharjah. Foreign observers predicted that the UAE would survive only with difficulty, pointing to disputes with its neighbours and to the wide disparity between the seven Emirates. Sheikh Zayed was more optimistic and the predictions of those early pessimists were shown to be unfounded.
While Sheikh Zayed’s enthusiasm for the Federation was a key factor in the formation of the UAE, he also won support for the way in which he sought consensus and agreement among his fellow rulers. Sheikh Zayed was elected by these rulers to serve as the first President of the UAE, a post to which he was successively re-elected at five-year intervals.
One foundation of his philosophy as a leader and statesman was that the resources of the country should be fully used to the benefit of the people. This extended to the women of the UAE, who flourished under his visions of education, employment and equality for all Emiratis.
In governing the nation, Sheikh Zayed drew from Arabian Bedouin traditions of consensus and consultation.
In 1970, recognizing that Abu Dhabi was embarking on a process of rapid development, Sheikh Zayed formalized the consultation process and established the National Consultative Council, bringing together the leaders of each of the main tribes. A similar body was created in 1971 for the entire UAE: The Federal National Council, the state’s parliament.
Sheikh Zayed was also notably a firm opponent of harsh dogmas and intolerance. In an interview in 2002, he said, “Muslims stand against any person of Muslim faith who will try to commit any terror act against a fellow human being. A terrorist is an enemy of Islam and of humanity, while the true Muslim is friendly to all human beings and a brother to other Muslims and non-Muslims alike. This is because Islam is a religion of mercy and tolerance.”
In the 1990s Sheikh Zayed recognized that the UAE could play a more active role in international peacekeeping operations. The UAE Armed Forces participated in the Arab Deterrent Force that sought to bring to an end the civil strife in Lebanon, and in UNISOM TWO, the United Nations peacekeeping and reconstruction force in Somalia.
In early 1999, Sheikh Zayed was among the first world leaders to express support for the decision by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to launch its aerial campaign to force Serbia to halt its genocidal activities against the people of Kosovo. From late 1999 to 2001, the UAE contingent serving with the UN’s peacekeeping Kosovo Force (KFOR) was the largest from any of the non-NATO states, and the only one from an Arab or Muslim country.
In the Balkans, Iraq, Afghanistan and other countries, the policy adopted by the UAE clearly reflects the desire of Sheikh Zayed to share the good fortune of his country with those less fortunate. The country now plays a major role in the provision of relief and development assistance worldwide, through bodies like the Zayed Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation and the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development—established by Sheikh Zayed before the foundation of the UAE—as well as through institutions like the Red Crescent Society.
His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan died in 2004, in his late eighties, leaving behind a legacy as the Father of the nation. He was succeeded as the UAE's President and as Ruler of Abu Dhabi by his eldest son, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan in 2004.
In the dress I painted the life of His Highness Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan (the following text is 1:1 as on the original artwork - translated in
English)
THE LIFE OF HIS HIGHNESS SHEIKH
ZAYED BIN SULTAN AL NAHYAN
SHEIKH ZAYED WAS BORN IN THE EMIRATE OF ABU DHABI IN 1918 AT QASR AL- HOSN TO SHEIKH SULTAN BIN ZAYED,THE RULER OF ABU DHABI FROM 1922-1926. HE WAS THE YOUNGEST OF SHEIKH SULTAN'S FOUR SONS AND WAS NAMED AFTER HIS FAMOUS GRANDFATHER, KNOWN AS ‘ZAYED THE GREAT’, THE RULER OF THE EMIRATE FROM 1885-1909.
SHEIKH ZAYED HAD A STRONG PASSION FOR ANYTHING WITH WHICH A TRUEBORN ARAB IS IDENTIFIED SUCH AS FALCONRY, RIDING ARABIAN THOROUGHBRED CAMEL AND HORSES AND MASTERING ARCHERY.
IN 1946, SHEIKH ZAYED WAS APPOINTED AS REPRESENTATIVE OF HIS BROTHER,SHEIKH SHAKHBUT BIN SULTAN AL-NAHYAN,IN THE EASTERN REGION . DURING HIS TWENTY YEARS AS HIS BROTHER'S REPRESENTATIVE, SHEIKH ZAYED GAINED AN EXCELLENT REPUTATION. SHEIKH ZAYED BECAME A POPULAR AND RESPECTED LEADER. HE FREQUENTLY TRAVELLED TO EVEN THE REMOTEST PARTS OF THE REGION IN ORDER TO CONSULT WITH PEOPLE REGARDING THEIR NEEDS.
THE DISCOVERY OF OIL IN THE LATE 1950S TRANSFORMED THE ECONOMIC LANDSCAPE OF THE ABU DHABI. IN 1962 THE EMIRATE BEGAN EXPORTING OIL. THE AL- NAHYAN FAMILY UNANIMOUSLY ELECTED SHEIKH ZAYED AS THE NEW RULER OF THE EMIRATE ON AUGUST 6, 1966.
SHEIKH ZAYED CARRIED OUT MAJOR REFORMS,SUCH AS MODERN EDUCATION , HEALTHCARE, PUBLIC HOUSING, AND GENERAL URBAN DEVELOPMENT.
SHEIKH ZAYED’S PRIORITIES INCLUDED BUILDING NEW ROADS, CONSTRUCTION OF A BRIDGE TO LINK ABU DHABI ISLAND TO THE MAINLAND AND THE ESTABLISHMENT OF SCHOOLS, HOUSES, MEDICAL SERVICES, A SEAPORT AND AN AIRPORT. THOUSANDS OF LOCAL PEOPLE MOVED FROM BARASTI PALM FROND HOUSES INTO MODERN HOMES. MODERN ROADS WERE BUILT OVER THE DESERT SAND AND FRESH WATER SUPPLY AND ELECTRICITY WERE CONNECTED TO EVERY HOUSE. EDUCATION SHIFTED FROM THE RELIGIOUS SYSTEM OF ‘MUTAWIAH' TO A MODERN EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM. THE DESERT BEDOUINS BEGAN TO RECEIVE MEDICAL SERVICES FROM CLINICS FOR THE FIRST TIME.
THE UAE WAS FOUNDED ON DECEMBER 2, 1971, AND SHEIKH ZAYED WAS UNANIMOUSLY ELECTED BY THE RULERS OF THE EMIRATES AS THE FIRST PRESIDENT OF THE NEW STATE FOR FIVE YEARS. SHEIKH ZAYED WAS THE PRESIDENT, THE BUILDER AND THE CARING FATHER OF THE NATION. SHEIKH RASHID BIN SAEED AL MAKTOUM WAS ELECTED VICE -PRESIDENT.
SHEIKH ZAYED ORDERED THE PLANTING OF MORE THAN 140 MILLION TREES THROUGHOUT THE EMIRATE OF ABU DHABI. FURTHERMOR, HE FOUNDED A PROGRAM TO PROTECT NATIVE WILDLIFE,SUCH AS THE DORCAS GAZELLE AND THE ARABIAN ORYX. IN ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF HIS STRONG SUPPORT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION, SHEIKH ZAYED WAS THE FIRST HEAD OF STATE TO BE HONOURED,IN 1995,WITH THE GOLDEN PANDA AWARD BY THE WORLD WILDLIFE FUND .IN 2005, ONE YEAR AFTER HIS PASSING,THE UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT PROGRAM UNEP HONOURED SHEIKH ZAYED POSTHUMOUSLY AS AN OUTSTANDING AND INNOVATIVE LEADER WITH THE ‘CHAMPION OF THE EARTH' AWARD.
THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE COUNTRY'S INFRASTRUCTURE WAS ANOTHER PRESSING ISSUE FOR SHEIKH ZAYED.
THE 19TH OF RAMADAN 1425 A.H., CORRESPONDENT TO NOVEMBER 2ND,2004 A.D.IS SADLY AN UNFORGETTABLE DATE AS THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES LOST ITS LEADER,THE FOUNDER OF ITS FEDERATION.
ARAB AND FOREIGN COUNTRIES MOURNED THE DEATH OF SHEIK ZAYED, AND PEOPLE ALL OVER THE WORLD EXPRESSED THEIR SADNESS FOR HIS LOSS.
THE UAE PEOPLE FOUND SOLACE IN ZAYED’S SONS WHO GREW UP BY HIS SIDE, ABSORBING HIS KNOWLEDGE AS HE IS THE GREATEST TUTOR IN LEADERSHIP AND FAIR GOVERNANCE. SHEIKH KHALIFA BIN ZAYED WAS THE WORTHY SUCCESSOR TO THE BEST PREDECESSOR AS HE ASSUMED POWER WITH THE CONSENT AND BLESSINGS OF ALL UAE SHEIKHS AND PEOPLE.
THE GREAT SHEIKH ZAYED GRAND MOSQUE IN ABU DHABI WAS LAUNCHED BY SHEIKH ZAYED BIN SULTAN AL NAHYAN
THE GRAND MOSQUE WAS CONSTRUCTED BETWEEN 1996 AND 2007 SHEIKH ZAYED BIN SULTAN AL NAHYAN, WHO WANTED TO ESTABLISH A STRUCTURE THAT WOULD UNITE THE CULTURAL DIVERSITY OF THE ISLAMIC WORLD WITH THE HISTORICAL AND MODERN VALUES OF ARCHITECTURE AND ART. HIS FINAL RESTING PLACE IS LOCATED ON THE GROUNDS ADJACENT TO THE GRAND MOSQUE.
In the right arm I painted the 100 years anniversary of His Highness Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan (the following text is 1:1 as on the original artwork
translated in English)
2018 IS THE 100 YEARS
ANNIVERSARY OF HIS HIGHNESS
SHEIKH ZAYED BIN SULTAN AL NAHYAN