An official mourning period for the late Sheikh Khalifa is about to come to an end and buildings around the UAE will raise the country’s flag again.
The President of the United Arab Emirates died aged 73 on Friday, 13 May.
The country went on to observe 40 days of official mourning with flags at half mast and three days of closure of ministries, government offices, and the private sector.
Flags on public buildings will be raised at 9am on Wednesday (22 June, 2022) as the period of mourning ends.
Remembering Sheikh Khalifa
Sheikh Khalifa had been the president of the UAE, the Ruler of Abu Dhabi and the supreme commander of the UAE Armed Forces since 2004.
Born in 1948, Sheikh Khalifa was the second President of the UAE and the 16th Ruler of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.
Sheikh Khalifa was the eldest son of Sheikh Zayed, who is credited as being the Founding Father of the UAE.
The tallest tower in the world, the Burj Khalifa, was named in his honour.
Read more about how the famous superstructure was built here.
The late UAE president also lent his name to a 160-year-old French theatre.
Château de Fontainebleau’s Imperial Theatre was renamed The Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Theatre in recognition of Abu Dhabi’s contribution to the restoration. The theatre was restored and reopened in 2019.
