Emirati recalls moment Sheikh Zayed raised the UAE flag

On December 2, 1971, the flag of the UAE rose for the first time at Union House in Dubai, marking the birth of a new nation.

- Arwa Almazrouei

More than five decades later, Khalifa Al Suwaidi still feels the emotion of that moment every time he sees the UAE flag flying.

Among the few who witnessed that historic moment up close was Khalifa Al Suwaidi, who accompanied the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan on his landmark journey from Abu Dhabi to Dubai and stood beside him as the UAE flag was raised for the first time.

It was a journey carried by the spirit of unity, he told Khaleej Times. He also shared a pivotal stop in Jebel Ali, where Sheikh Zayed spoke with his friends about the foundation of the state.

Al Suwaidi remembers the early hours of that morning with striking clarity. "We left Abu Dhabi very early... I was in the car right behind Sheikh Zayed," he recalled. "Despite the importance of the day, he was calm and thoughtful, as if he could already see the country before it was even declared."