During his official visit to the United Arab Emirates in 2008, US President George W Bush met with the late Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of UAE. Photo: Reuters
During his official visit to the United Arab Emirates in 2008, US President George W Bush met with the late Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of UAE. Photo: Reuters
During his official visit to the United Arab Emirates in 2008, US President George W Bush met with the late Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of UAE. Photo: Reuters
During his official visit to the United Arab Emirates in 2008, US President George W Bush met with the late Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of UAE. Photo: Reuters

Timeframe: When George W Bush visited the UAE in 2008


Razmig Bedirian
  • English
  • Arabic

In January 2008, George W Bush, then president of the United States, travelled to the UAE in a visit that would become a cornerstone moment for relations between the two countries.

Bush was the first sitting US president to visit the Emirates. He arrived on Sunday, January 13 as part of a tour of the Middle East.

He was greeted by senior officials from the government including current UAE President Sheikh Mohamed, who was then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE armed forces, as well as Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, the current Vice President and Ruler of Dubai.

UAE Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, then President of the UAE, hosted Bush at Mushrif Palace. The national anthems of the UAE and US were played as the artillery fired a 21-gun salute.

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed, who was then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE armed forces, hosted Bush for dinner at a desert encampment. Reuters
UAE President Sheikh Mohamed, who was then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE armed forces, hosted Bush for dinner at a desert encampment. Reuters

Across his two-day visit, Bush saw different parts of the country and its heritage. He was shown an exhibition that showcased plans for the Saadiyat Cultural District, and was the guest of honour at a dinner at a desert encampment.

Bush also visited Dubai during the trip. Heavy rainfall had caused traffic in the city that month. Several main routes, including Sheikh Zayed Road, were closed off to the public to ensure the US president’s motorcade could travel freely. Bush also dined at the Burj Al Arab during the visit.

Bush and President Sheikh Mohamed recently recollected the visit during the UAE President’s official visit to the US in September. According to WAM, they spoke about how the visit “further strengthened the two nations’ robust partnership”.

“Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed reaffirmed that the shared commitment to promoting security, stability and peace, both in the region and globally, has been a central pillar of UAE-US cooperation over the past decades, and expressed his confidence that this collaboration will continue into the future,” the statement from WAM read.

Other must-tries

Tomato and walnut salad

A lesson in simple, seasonal eating. Wedges of tomato, chunks of cucumber, thinly sliced red onion, coriander or parsley leaves, and perhaps some fresh dill are drizzled with a crushed walnut and garlic dressing. Do consider yourself warned: if you eat this salad in Georgia during the summer months, the tomatoes will be so ripe and flavourful that every tomato you eat from that day forth will taste lacklustre in comparison.

Badrijani nigvzit

A delicious vegetarian snack or starter. It consists of thinly sliced, fried then cooled aubergine smothered with a thick and creamy walnut sauce and folded or rolled. Take note, even though it seems like you should be able to pick these morsels up with your hands, they’re not as durable as they look. A knife and fork is the way to go.

Pkhali

This healthy little dish (a nice antidote to the khachapuri) is usually made with steamed then chopped cabbage, spinach, beetroot or green beans, combined with walnuts, garlic and herbs to make a vegetable pâté or paste. The mix is then often formed into rounds, chilled in the fridge and topped with pomegranate seeds before being served.

Scorline

Iraq 1-0 UAE

Iraq Hussein 28’

Simran

Director Hansal Mehta

Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Soham Shah, Esha Tiwari Pandey

Three stars

Libya's Gold

UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves. 

The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.

Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.

UAE%20SQUAD
%3Cp%3E%0D%3Cstrong%3EMen%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Saif%20Al%20Zaabi%2C%20Salem%20Al%20Marzooqi%2C%20Zayed%20Al%20Ansaari%2C%20Saud%20Abdulaziz%20Rahmatalla%2C%20Adel%20Shanbih%2C%20Ahmed%20Khamis%20Al%20Blooshi%2C%20Abdalla%20Al%20Naqbi%2C%20Khaled%20Al%20Hammadi%2C%20Mohammed%20Khamis%20Khalaf%2C%20Mohammad%20Fahad%2C%20Abdulla%20Al%20Arimi.%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EWomen%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Mozah%20Al%20Zeyoudi%2C%20Haifa%20Al%20Naqbi%2C%20Ayesha%20Al%20Mutaiwei.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Match info

Arsenal 0

Manchester City 2
Sterling (14'), Bernardo Silva (64')

Stamp%20duty%20timeline
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SEMI-FINAL

Monterrey 1 

Funes Mori (14)

Liverpool 2

Keita (11), Firmino (90 1)

The Saudi Cup race card

1 The Jockey Club Local Handicap (TB) 1,800m (Dirt) $500,000

2 The Riyadh Dirt Sprint (TB) 1,200m (D) $1.500,000

3 The 1351 Turf Sprint 1,351m (Turf) $1,000,000

4 The Saudi Derby (TB) 1600m (D) $800,000

5 The Neom Turf Cup (TB) 2,100m (T) $1,000,000

6 The Obaiya Arabian Classic (PB) 2,000m (D) $1,900,000

7 The Red Sea Turf Handicap (TB) 3,000m (T) $2,500,000

8 The Saudi Cup (TB) 1,800m (D) $20,000,000

Small Victories: The True Story of Faith No More by Adrian Harte
Jawbone Press

BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES

Saturday (UAE kick-off times)

Cologne v Union Berlin (5.30pm)

Fortuna Dusseldorf v Borussia Dortmund (5.30pm)

Hertha Berlin v Eintracht Frankfurt (5.30pm)

Paderborn v Werder Bremen (5.30pm)

Wolfsburg v Freiburg (5.30pm)

Bayern Munich v Borussia Monchengladbach (8.30pm)

Sunday

Mainz v Augsburg (5.30pm)

Schalke v Bayer Leverkusen (8pm)

SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20IPHONE%2014
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The bio:

Favourite film:

Declan: It was The Commitments but now it’s Bohemian Rhapsody.

Heidi: The Long Kiss Goodnight.

Favourite holiday destination:

Declan: Las Vegas but I also love getting home to Ireland and seeing everyone back home.

Heidi: Australia but my dream destination would be to go to Cuba.

Favourite pastime:

Declan: I love brunching and socializing. Just basically having the craic.

Heidi: Paddleboarding and swimming.

Personal motto:

Declan: Take chances.

Heidi: Live, love, laugh and have no regrets.

 

The biog

Favourite book: You Are the Placebo – Making your mind matter, by Dr Joe Dispenza

Hobby: Running and watching Welsh rugby

Travel destination: Cyprus in the summer

Life goals: To be an aspirational and passionate University educator, enjoy life, be healthy and be the best dad possible.

Roger Federer's record at Wimbledon

Roger Federer's record at Wimbledon

1999 - 1st round

2000 - 1st round

2001 - Quarter-finalist

2002 - 1st round

2003 - Winner

2004 - Winner

2005 - Winner

2006 - Winner

2007 - Winner

2008 - Finalist

2009 - Winner

2010 - Quarter-finalist

2011 - Quarter-finalist

2012 - Winner

2013 - 2nd round

2014 - Finalist

2015 - Finalist

2016 - Semi-finalist

Everton%20Fixtures
%3Cp%3EApril%2015%20-%20Chelsea%20(A)%3Cbr%3EApril%2021%20-%20N.%20Forest%20(H)%3Cbr%3EApril%2024%20-%20Liverpool%20(H)%3Cbr%3EApril%2027%20-%20Brentford%20(H)%3Cbr%3EMay%203%20-%20Luton%20Town%20(A)%3Cbr%3EMay%2011%20-%20Sheff%20Utd%20(H)%3Cbr%3EMay%2019%20-%20Arsenal%20(A)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The biog

Profession: Senior sports presenter and producer

Marital status: Single

Favourite book: Al Nabi by Jibran Khalil Jibran

Favourite food: Italian and Lebanese food

Favourite football player: Cristiano Ronaldo

Languages: Arabic, French, English, Portuguese and some Spanish

Website: www.liliane-tannoury.com

The National Archives, Abu Dhabi

Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.

Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en

Updated: August 28, 2025, 6:59 AM