UAE: Leaderships that defined the nation

UAE: Leaderships that defined the nation

Zaki Nusseibeh, the Cultural Adviser and interpreter to the UAE President and Chancellor of the UAE University, looks back in wonder about the inspirational leadership of Sheikh Zayed, whose legacy lives in the vision of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan

Published: Thu 26 May 2022, 9:42 PM Last updated: Thu 26 May 2022, 9:43 PM

Zaki Nusseibeh, 76, has been serving the Rulers of the UAE much before the young nation was formed on December 2, 1971.

Zaki reflected on his formative years and his tryst with the then Trucial States during an exclusive interview with Khaleej Times at his impressive study, which reflects his eclectic taste in books, music, and theology, in leafy Al Ain.

The early years

“I was born in Jerusalem in 1946, the Universal City that is a cosmopolitan cultural centre of the world. Yet soon after my birth, my family members were displaced, exiled by the geopolitical troubles of the 1940s,” said Zaki.

His tender years and early youth were spent in Europe.

“I spent my formative years in the United Kingdom at Rugby School and the University of Cambridge, and then went on to pursue higher studies in Europe.”

The intellectual grounding has stood him in good stead