Special coins issued to honour Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid
The gold coin weighs up to 40g with a 40mm diameter, featuring the two royals on one side and the national emblem surrounded by the words Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates in both Arabic and English on the other side.
The silver coin weighs 50g with a diameter of 50mm with similar imaging – the two leaders and the national emblem surrounded by the words Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates in Arabic and English. This one also includes the words Commemorative Coin in Arabic.
The coins are actually commercially available – the gold coin will only be available for purchase via the Central Bank's headquarters in Abu Dhabi, while the silver coin can be bought on the bank's website. The history
Both Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid have played pivotal roles in creating the union that is the United Arab Emirates today. We all know the unification was signed on December 2, 1971 after the departure of the British colony, and leading up to it, Sheikh Zayed, Ruler of Abu Dhabi at the time, was the one who set off the spark with a meeting in March 1971 with Sheikh Rashid, Ruler of Dubai at the time, among the key figures who attended.
Credit: Al Ittihad
Although, the seeds of this campaign were sowed much earlier, in 1968, when the then independent states of Abu Dhabi and Dubai signed a union agreement amongst them in February of that year – this transformation was many years in the making.
Credit: dubaiasitusedtobe.net
On December 1, 1971, Britain's official deadline of the withdrawal from the area expired and Sheikh Zayed signed the termination of the special treaty relations between the British government and the leaders of the Trucial States in place since 1820, thereby officialising the transfer of power from the Persian Gulf Residency, the Middle Eastern leg of the British Empire, to the new UAE.
Credit: Al Ittihad
This was proclaimed on December 2, 1971, which is now the National Day of the country. According to a report by The National, the unification was conceived and discussed on a farm in the area of Al Khawaneej in Dubai; Sheikh Zayed became the first president and Sheikh Rashid the first vice president of this young nation.
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