UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed’s India visit highlights deep strategic ties and offers a glimpse into the wealth and influence of the Al Nahyan dynasty.
UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan arrives in India, marking another milestone in the growing India–UAE strategic partnership (Photo: X)
The arrival in India of Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the President of the United Arab Emirates, assumes importance beyond the realm of foreign policy. This itself is an indication of the growth that the India-UAE relationship has undergone to the point where a partnership of trust, economic vision and geopolitical considerations has been forged. Internationally known by the nickname 'MBZ,' Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan is not just an influential leader but the representative of the world's most powerful royal family.
This is the third official visit by the leader of Abu Dhabi to India, and this goes to show the strong relations between Delhi and Abu Dhabi. The relationship between the two states is further depicted by the fact that the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership has been covering areas such as energy, defense, trade, technology and investment. The fact that the trade between the two nations has been in excess of USD 85 billion in the last years and the UAE has turned out to be one of the main investors in India adds further significance to this visit.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan at his residence at Lok Kalyan Marg
— IANS (@ians_india) January 19, 2026
He presented traditional Indian gifts, including a hand-carved Gujarati wooden jhula, a Pashmina shawl in an ornate silver box, and Kashmiri… pic.twitter.com/qiU5SxdsyM
Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan was born in 1961 and is currently the leader of Abu Dhabi and President of the UAE. As the leader of Abu Dhabi's ruling family, Al Nahyan controls a country that holds almost 6% of worldwide oil reserves. Known as a “quiet strategist,” MBZ is a strong player in controlling UAE foreign affairs, its military development, and economic development. Within his family, he is the eldest of 18 brothers and 11 sisters and strikes a balance between his family's royal background and a more modern perspective.
Sheikh Mohammed’s own net worth could be put at USD 30 billion approximately Rs. 2.5 lakh crore and he thus finds himself in the list of the wealthiest leaders in the world. Yet his power and reach in terms of wealth transcends his personal wealth. The Nahyan royal dynasty’s worth has been estimated at over USD 300 billion approximately Rs. 24.9 lakh crore and it thus emerges in the list of the wealthiest royal dynasties in the world, according to a report by Bloomberg. Through its entity named Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, its intervention in overseas sovereign wealth funds can easily exceed over USD 1 trillion or about Rs. 83 lakh crore
The Presidential Palace in the UAE is known as Qasr Al Watan and it is a symbol of the repute of the family in terms of political influence and cultural ambitions. The palace covers almost 380,000 square meters of land and it is bigger than many governmental complexes around the world. Its white granite and limestone structure with a 37-meter wide dome and a chandelier with 350,000 crystals is a symbol of extravagance and skillfulness in architecture at the same time. The structure is estimated at around USD 475 million.
Although MBZ does not personally flaunt a flashy lifestyle, the Nahyan family as a whole is known for its incredible car collections. His brother, for instance, Sheikh Hamad bin Hamdan Al Nahyan is set a Guinness World Record for possessing the world's greatest collection of 4x4 vehicles over 700 cars. When it comes to the Nahyan family's car collections, the garages are filled with the world's most unusual vehicles created by humans, such as the Bugatti Veyron models among many others.
The aviation resources owned by the family are also quite impressive. The presidential plane is composed of eight planes, including Boeing 787-9 and Airbus A320 planes. Sheikh Mohammed also owns heavily luxurious planes like Boeing 747, which is estimated at nearly USD 480 million. These planes contain private suites, meeting rooms and recreational facilities that allow Sheikh Mohammed and his guests to travel across the globe without having any security and comfort concerns.
