winds. The winds often vary between southerly, south-easterly, westerly, northerly and northwesterly. Another characteristic of the Emirate's weather is the high rate of evaporation of water due to several factors, namely high temperature, wind speed, and low rainfall. The oasis city of Al Ain, about away, bordering Oman, regularly records the highest summer temperatures in the country; however, the dry desert air and cooler evenings make it a traditional retreat from the intense summer heat and year-round humidity of the capital city. Government The emirate's political form is an absolutist, hereditary monarchy. The law is based mainly on the sharia. Head of state was HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan until 2022. He was a son of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the first president of the United Arab Emirates. The Qasr al-Hosn was the palace-fort and seat of government of the rulers of Abu Dhabi from ca. 1760/1790 to 1966. Emir Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (formerly the crown prince) wields considerable influence as head of the Executive Council and as deputy supreme commander of the armed forces of the federation. The executive council is the government of the emirate. The crown prince is assisted in his duties by the Crown Prince's Court, or Diwan. The total number of members of the Executive Council has been slimmed down to 98 since the succession and it now consists largely of prominent members of the ruling family as well as a number of respected politicians. Under the executive council are various separate departments, which operate as ministries, such as the Education Council, Urban Planning Council, and the Regulation and Supervision Bureau. There are also a number of autonomous agencies, such as the environmental agency, Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority, authority for culture and heritage, and the health authority. Abu Dhabi Police is the primary law enforcement agency. On the federal level, all emirates maintain their hereditary rulers who, as a group, form the Federal Supreme Council of Rulers, headed by the president. Although the presidency is renewable every five years through a vote in the council, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan held the presidency from the formation of the UAE until his death in November 2004, and there is an implicit understanding that Abu Dhabi's ruler will always be elected president. Although no elected parliament exists, the traditional majlis is a form of popular consultation and political participation. The