Emirati man dies aged 110

Saeed Salem Saeed Salmeen Al Kalbani from Al Digdagga in Ras Al Khaimah has died at the age of 110 and was buried on Tuesday.

At the funeral, his eldest son, Ahmed, told Al Ittihad, the Arabic-language sister paper of The National, that his father was born in 1903 according to his passport. He married three women and had eight children and 72 grandchildren.

Ahmed said his father enjoyed good health all his life and never suffered from any of the diseases common today, such as diabetes or high blood pressure. However, Al Kabani fell ill last weekend and was taken to Khalifa Hospital in Abu Dhabi for treatment, where he died.

Al Kalbani served in the military and held other civilian jobs between Kalba and Dibba on the east coast and in RAK.

His son added: "My father used to walk for long distances. He preferred walking to riding in cars. He only ate fresh food, especially dates, and avoided ready meals and frozen foods."

In 1958, Al Kabani built a mosque with palm fronds in Al Digdagga. He had memorised the Quran and served as an imam at the mosque, as a muazzin and he washed and shrouded the dead until four years ago.

He performed the Haj pilgrimage eight times and Umrah 15 times. He accompanied the late Sheikh Saqr bin Mohammed Al Qassimi to Haj in 1956.

newsdesk@thenational.ae