UAE mourns loss of Dr Abdullah Taryam

Dubai: The UAE is mourning the loss of one of its sons who contributed to the establishment of the union and made a great impact in many of its fields such as education, law and media.

Dr Abdullah Omran Taryam, Chairman of Dar Al Khaleej Press, Printing and Publishing House passed away on Thursday morning from a stroke at the age of 66.

He is survived by his wife and four children Khalid, Ameera, Aisha and Omran.

He was honoured as Media Personality of the Year for 2009 by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

Born in Sharjah in 1948, Taryam finished his schooling in Sharjah and Kuwait. He then continued his higher education at Cairo University, where he received his BA in history in 1966. He later pursued his PhD in modern history from the University of Exeter in the UK in 1986.

Taryam started his career as a high school teacher in Al Oroba School for two years.

Wanting to play a role in his country’s development, Taryam was part of the negotiation team responsible in laying the foundation of the UAE’s union.

During his life time, Taryam became the Minister of Justice in the first cabinet formed after the federation in 1971 until 1972, making him one of the youngest minsters in the history of the UAE.

From his position as the Minster of Justice, Taryam issued many key resolutions and laws that played a great role in the development of the country. In 1972, he was appointed the Minister of Education, where he served until 1979. He was one of the main contributors to the creation of the foundation on which schools and universities were established in the UAE.

He and his older brother, the late Taryam Omran Taryam established Al Khaleej newspaper, the first newspaper in the UAE, in 1970. The newspaper has since grown to become Dar Al Khaleej Press, Printing and Publishing House, which issues six different publications.

Taryam took the leadership of the group after the death of his older brother in 2002, when he became Chairman of Dar Al Khaleej of the publishing house.

He was also the Chairman of the Gulf Research Centre that produced annual reports and various books that look into Arab and Gulf issues.

He has various publications that include books on the establishment of the UAE, education, and development, as well as numerous intellectual and political articles.