In August 1922, Hamdan was killed by his younger brother, Sultan. Zayed's other two sons disagreed with the murder and were estranged, the town of Abu Dhabi becoming disorderly as factions emerged in the confusion following the murder. Later Hamdan’s brother avenged the murder of his brother and killed sultan , later becoming the ruler of Abu Dhabi.
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Sultan inherited the unstable interior that Hamdan had barely pacified, pitching him into a series of wars and outbreaks of peace which dogged his rule.
Hamdan's daughter, Latifa, fled to
Dubai on his murder and later married
Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum. She was the mother of the current ruler of Dubai,
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.