Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Rashid. Prince from an oriental fairy tale

Officially, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Commander-in-Chief of the UAE Armed Forces.

In fact, the emir of Abu Dhabi, the president of the UAE.

Third son of Sheikh Zayed. interesting moment that he and Khalifa are stepbrothers. Khalifa was born to his first wife, Hassa bint Mohammed ibn Khalifa. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed was born to his third wife, Fatima bint Mubarak Al-Ketbi.

Sheikhini Fatima bint-Mubarak Al-Ketbi had only 6 sons: Mohammed, Hamdan, Hazza, Tanun, Mansur and Abdullah. They are called "Bani Fatima" or "sons of Fatima" and form the most powerful bloc in the Al Nahyan family.

The sons of Fatima have always been influential, some political scientists even assign them a leading role in the changes in Abu Dhabi that have taken place since 2004. They received full power only in 2014, when Sheikh Khalifa had a stroke. Now it is difficult to say whether the vector of their internal and foreign policy. Wait and see.

Mohammed bin Zayed went to school in Al Ain, then in Abu Dhabi. Entered Sandhurst Academy (UK) in 1979. Trained in military skills of piloting a helicopter, driving armored vehicles, parachuting. After returning from England, military training in Sharjah, became an officer in the UAE Armed Forces.

Was an officer in the Amiri Guards ( elite unit), a pilot in the UAE Air Force, eventually became the Commander-in-Chief of the UAE Armed Forces.

In 2003, he was proclaimed the second Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi. After the death of his father on November 2, 2004, he became crown prince. Since December 2004, Chairman of the Executive Council of Abu Dhabi, member of the Supreme Petroleum Council.

So far, world leaders and political scientists are eyeing Sheikh Mohammed. It is known that he believes that the UAE should play a much larger role in world politics. Loves falconry like the father. He is interested in poetry and writes poetry himself in the Nabati style.

Sheikha Fatima bint-Mubarak Al-Ketbi

The third wife of Sheikh Zayed, the mother of six of his sons, including Crown Prince Mohammed (the de facto ruler of Abu Dhabi and President of the UAE).

This woman played a big role in UAE politics during the reign of her husband Sheikh Zayed and remains very influential to this day. She is called the "Mother of the Nation".

The exact date of her birth is unknown. She was probably born in the mid-40s. In the 60s, she married Zaid Al-Nahyan, becoming his third wife.

In 1973, she founded the Abu Dhabi Women's Awakening Society, the first women's public organization in the UAE. In 1975, she created and headed the Main Women's Union of the UAE. The main sphere of interest of these organizations was education, because at that time girls in the UAE did not study at all. In 2004, Fatima facilitated the appointment of the first female minister.

Now she still heads the Main Women's Union, the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, the Family Development Foundation and several other organizations. And this despite the advanced age! Naturally, Fatima has a gigantic influence on the politics of Sheikh Mohammed and the affairs of Bani Fatima.

Dubai

The emirate of Dubai is ruled by the Al Muktum family.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Muktum

Ruling Emir (officially since January 4, 2006, actually since January 3, 1995), Prime Minister and Vice President of the UAE since February 11, 2006.

Sheikh Mohammed is called the "Architect of Modern Dubai". It's very versatile educated person and now the most famous leader in the UAE.

Mohammed became the third son of the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Rashid ibn Said Al Muktum. His mother Lafita was the daughter of the ruler of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Hamadan ibn Zayed Al Nahyan. As a child, Muhammad received both a secular and a traditional Islamic education. In 1966 (at the age of 18) he studied in the UK at the Mons Cadet Corps and in Italy as a pilot.

In 1968, Mohammed attended his father's meeting with Sheikh Zayed at Argoub el Sedira, where the rulers of Dubai and Abu Dhabi agreed on the imminent establishment of the UAE. After the formation of the UAE, he was the Minister of Defense and the head of the police in Dubai.

On October 7, 1990, Mohammed's father and ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Rashid ibn Said, died. Power passed to the eldest son - Sheikh Muktum ibn Rashid, who was very fond of equestrian sports, was an excellent athlete, but did not reach for politics and government.

On January 4, 1995, Muktum ibn Rashid appoints Mohammed as crown prince and, in fact, transfers power to him in the emirate of Dubai. On January 4, 2006, Muktum ibn Rashid died of a heart attack, Mohammed ibn Rashid becomes the official ruler of Dubai.

The list of achievements of Muhammad ibn Rashid is huge. He diversified the economy of Dubai, now oil revenues account for only 4% of the emirate's GDP, Dubai has become a shopping mecca, second only to London, the largest trading and financial center.

With his support or on his initiative, the following have been created: Burj Al Arab, the Emirates airline, the Palm and World artificial islands, the world's largest artificial harbor Jebel Ali, the Dubai Internet City zone and hundreds of other projects.

He became famous for his raids on enterprises, where he personally checked whether employees were in their places, and fired those who were absent. Sheikh Mohammed ibn Rashid is famous for his intolerance of corruption, and hundreds of officials were imprisoned for his rule, convicted of taking bribes and using their position for personal gain.

Now (note: the article was written at the end of 2017) he is already 68 years old, but he is full of energy and successfully implements his plan for the development of Dubai until 2021. He recently took part in the Arab Strategic Forum, and you can’t say that he is 68.

Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum is the 35-year-old heir to the throne of the Emirate of Dubai. Sheikh Hamdan is a real eastern prince: he is fabulously handsome, owns a huge fortune and is fond of such typical royalty things like falconry, equestrianism and Formula 1 racing. His fortune is estimated at over 18 billion dollars.

Let's tell you about the life of a young billionaire.

1. Arab Sheikh Hamdan lives in incredible luxury from birth. He was born in the family of the Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates, the ruler of the Emirate of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. He also has 6 brothers and 9 sisters. In the United Arab Emirates, Hamdan is a very popular person due to his versatile image and seeming "proximity to the people."

2. In fact, Hamdan spent most of his life not in his native Arab Emirates, but in the UK, where he received an excellent education. At first he studied at an elite military school ground forces in Sandhurst, which is often chosen by English aristocrats for their beloved children. Then the sheikh moved to London, where he studied economics. After several years spent in Foggy Albion, Hamdan still had to return to his homeland - affairs of national importance were already awaiting him there.

4. In ordinary life, Sheikh Hamdan looks a little different - he loves Formula 1 baseball caps, sports t-shirts and shorts. Yes, and the prince is to some extent far from politics - he is quite romantic in nature, loves travel, falconry and horseback riding.

5. The prince is an excellent rider, takes equestrianism very seriously, has his own stable and once won the Arab Olympic Games due to his skill in the saddle.

6. The Sheikh of the United Arab Emirates is not at all like the British princes Harry or William, although he lived in England for several years. Very little is known about Hamdan's personal life, unlike his famous "colleagues", and what is known is only rumors and conjectures. One thing we know for sure - the image makers of the royal court are constantly working to ensure that the image of the sheikh is impeccable.

7. Judge for yourself - Sheikh Hamdan is constantly photographed with children, his numerous nephews and nieces, and at the same time looks like a completely charming and kind uncle. At the same time, the sheikh does not let anyone forget that he lives in luxury - on the net you can find a lot of pictures of Hamdan with tiger cubs (he can afford to have a pet tiger instead of a modest cat!), Falcons, Arabian horses, luxury cars, in interiors magnificent palace ... In a word, the sheikh is constantly in the halo of power and wealth.

8. Of course, one of the richest people in the world cannot help but do charity work - Hamdan oversees several foundations, and sometimes he comes to visit people in need of help.

9. About his personal life and relationships with women in the UAE, they speak only in a whisper. Answering a question about his possible marriage, the prince said that from birth he was engaged to a maternal relative, so there were no problems with choosing a bride - everything was decided long before he even entered a conscious age. Several times in the media appeared his photo with unknown woman, however, we will never see her face - the intended bride (or wife?) of Hamdana wears a black cloak, showing the world only her eyes. Everything else is for the husband.

10. However, the sheikh has the right to have as many wives as he wants, so it is rather difficult to talk about the romantic affections of the prince. For comparison, Hamdan's father, Sheikh Mohammed, is rumored to have about five wives. We say "about" because the exact number is really unknown - there are only eyewitness accounts and conjectures.

In a word, even girls from aristocratic families have no way to approach the mysterious eastern prince, since everything connected with his personality is confidential information, and the choice of wives by the influential Hamdan clan is unlikely to be left to his own discretion. This does not prevent the sheikh from having a lot of fans of his attractive appearance and various talents - after all, no one forbade watching and believing!

11. The 32-year-old Sheikh currently serves as Chairman of the Dubai City Council and President of the Sports Committee of the Emirate of Dubai.

12. Like his father, Sheikh Hamdan writes poetry. The main motives of poetry are family, homeland, romantic relationships.

13. The prince is a skilled rider. He received gold medal horseback riding at the Asian Games.

14. Also, his highness is fond of breeding camels, which requires considerable expenses.

15. Prince in a private jet.

16. Snorkeling with the world's only swimming elephant.

17. Hamdan works on charitable projects, such as protecting the interests of people with disabilities.

18. Hamdan's pet.

19. Among the prince's hobbies are cars ...

20. ... jumping from a height ...

22. ...climbing...

23. ... falconry.

April 30, 2013 in the Netherlands for the first time in the last 120 years, a king will appear on the throne - so far the kingdom has been ruled by women. 45-year-old Prince Willem-Alexander will inherit from his mother not only the throne and title, but also a considerable fortune. Now Queen Beatrix is ​​ranked seventh in the ranking of the richest monarchs on the planet, compiled at the end of 2012 by the British heraldic almanac Almanach de Gotha. The amount of her fortune, depending on the principles of calculation (including or excluding real estate owned by royal dynasties, family collections of antiques, etc.), fluctuates between $300 million and £10 billion.

1. Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain
Age: 85 years old
Year of beginning of the board: 1952
Wealth: £60bn ($94.8bn)
The traditional calculation of the British Queen's fortune does not take into account those unique objects that are perceived as state property, and gives a very modest amount of several hundred million dollars. Meanwhile, taking into account the cost of Buckingham Palace, Kensington Palace, St. James's Palace and Holyrood, windsor castle and other properties owned by the royal family, as well as the royal art collection, the British monarch ranks first in the list of the richest colleagues.

Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain visited the hospital. Queen Elizabeth at King's Lynn, Norfolk on February 5, 2013. The hospital installed a new magnetic resonance tomograph. © AFP PHOTO/POOL/PAUL ROGERS

2. King Saudi Arabia Abdullah ibn Abdulaziz Al Saud
Age: 87 years old
Year of beginning of the board: 2005
Wealth: £40bn ($63.2bn)
The basis of the state of the Saudi king is oil, the sale of which brings this state about $ 1 billion per day. In addition, Abdullah ibn Abdulaziz Al Saud owns a huge stable, which contains the best Arabian horses (the monarch is known as a passionate rider and founder of an equestrian club in Riyadh), and a good garage, most of which cars are exclusive or antique.

King of Saudi Arabia Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud meets with French President Francois Hollande at the Royal Palace in Jeddah on November 4, 2012. © AFP PHOTO/BERTRAND LANGLOIS

3. Emir of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Age: 64
Year of beginning of the board: 2004
Wealth: £30bn ($47.4bn)
Sheikh of Abu Dhabi and current president The UAE is also rich thanks to the oil produced in its country. This is not surprising: 80% oil reserves The United Arab Emirates are concentrated in the emirate of Abu Dhabi. In addition, Khalifa receives a good income from investing his own funds in various sectors of the world economy.

Emir of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan at the opening of a container terminal at Khalifa Port in Abu Dhabi on December 12, 2012. © REUTERS/WAM/Handout

4. King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand
Age: 84
Start of reign: 1946
Wealth: £28bn ($44.24bn)
The Thai monarch is not only one of the richest monarchs in the world, but also one of the most prudent: he spent a large part of his fortune on the development and implementation of more than 3,000 agricultural land development projects in the country. However, there is nothing surprising in this: the king “part-time” heads the Royal Thai Real Estate Agency, which owns colossal plots of land in the country. In addition, the royal collection of precious stones is widely known in the world, which seriously affects the size of the monarch's fortune.

King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand leaves Sirirai Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand on December 5, 2012. © REUTERS/Kerek Wongsa

5. Emir of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
Age: 62
Starting year of board: 2006
Wealth: £25bn ($39.5bn)
The Emir of Dubai currently also holds the post of Prime Minister of the UAE and, like the Saudi king, is known for his horses: his stable is considered one of the largest and most expensive in the world. And of course, a large part of his fortune is made up of oil reserves, which the Emirate of Dubai can boast of, as well as income from investments in various sectors of the world economy.

The Emir of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, attends the Dubai World Cup at the Meydan Racecourse in Dubai on March 31, 2012. © REUTERS/Caren Firouz

6. Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah
Age: 65 years old
Year of beginning of the board: 1967
Wealth: £24bn ($37.92bn)
The most famous property of the Sultan of Brunei (besides the oil produced in his country) is a collection of cars, which has from 3,000 to 6,000 cars, many of which were produced in extremely limited batches or even in a single copy. The Sultan's palace Istana Nurul Iman (Palace of Light) with an area of ​​over 200,000 square meters is also famous. m, which contains 1788 apartments and 257 bathrooms.

Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah (right) with his first wife Anak Saleh at the wedding of his daughter, 32-year-old Princess of Brunei Hafiza Sururul, who married Pengiran civil servant Haji Muhammad Ruzaini, 29, September 19, 2012. © STR/AFP/GettyImages

7. Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands
Age: 74
Year of beginning of the board: 1980
Wealth: £10bn ($15.8bn)
Traditionally, the fortune of the Queen of the Netherlands is estimated at $ 300 million - but this does not include the royal stake in Royal Dutch Shell (it is about 25%), as well as the value of the royal collections of art and jewelry. Taking into account all these riches, the total fortune of Beatrix, who recently announced her impending abdication, is 30 times larger and allows her to enter the top ten richest monarchs in the world.

Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands arrived at the Theater. Beatrix in Utrecht, the Netherlands on February 1, 2013. © ROBIN UTRECHT/AFP/Getty Images

8. Emir of Kuwait Sabah al-Ahmed al-Jaber al-Sabah
Age: 82
Starting year of board: 2006
Wealth: £9 billion ($14.22 billion)
Sheikh Sabah's annual “stipend”, which consists of his share of the proceeds from the sale of oil, is $188 million, and it is these payments that are the basis of the state of the Kuwaiti monarch. However, the emir is well aware that oil resources are exhaustible, and therefore he is already trying to prepare his country for life in the post-oil era, initiating economic reforms, which were based on simplifying the rules for land privatization and facilitating conditions for attracting foreign investment.

Emir of Qatar Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani at the Algerian airport. Houari Boumediene, January 7, 2013. © REUTERS/Louafi Larbi

9. Emir of Qatar Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani
Age: 60 years old
Year of beginning of the board: 1995
Wealth: £7bn ($11.06bn)
The current emir of Qatar came to power by overthrowing his father, who imprudently went on vacation to Switzerland. Among his Middle Eastern colleagues, Hamad enjoys a reputation as a progressive leader: under him, Qatar was the first country in the region to provide suffrage women. And the emir ensured the growth of his already considerable fortune by reforming the country's oil and gas industry, creating ideal conditions for attracting foreign investment from the world's largest mining companies.

10. Sultan of Oman Qaboos bin Said Albusaid
Age: 71
Year of beginning of the board: 1970
Wealth: £6bn ($9.48bn)
The creator of the Sultanate of Oman, which arose after the unification of the Sultanate of Muscat and the Imamate of Oman, is the owner of another "oil" fortune. In addition, a significant share of the wealth of Qaboos is the royal palace of Qasr al-Alam, built in 1972, overlooking the main harbor of Muscat, and several yachts (including the 155-meter Al-Said, named after the owner), consolidated into a division royal yachts of the Omani Navy.

Sultan Qaboos bin Said Albusaid of Oman at the opening of the meeting of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf in Doha, December 3, 2007. © REUTERS/Fadi Al-Assaad/Files

11. King of Bahrain Hamad ibn Isa al-Khalifa
Age: 62
Year of beginning of the board: 2002
Wealth: £3.5bn ($5.53bn)
Another passionate lover of Arabian horses in the ranking of the richest monarchs. Established by Hamad in 1977, the Amiri Stable was listed a year later World Organization Arabian horses and today is one of the largest and most expensive in the world. The basis of the state of the King of Bahrain is oil, like that of his other Middle Eastern colleagues, as well as income from international investments, which are handled by a special royal fund.

King of Bahrain Hamad ibn Isa al-Khalifa at a meeting of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Persian Gulf. Sakhir Palace, south of Manama, December 24, 2012. © REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed

12. Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein
Age: 67 years old
Year of beginning of the board: 1989
Wealth: £4bn ($6.32bn)
The main source of wealth for the current ruler of a small Alpine state is the LGT family bank. In addition to financial income, when calculating the fortune of Hans-Adam, several palaces of the 17th century in Vienna, a unique collection of works of art collected by the princely family over 400 years, and over 20,000 hectares of land were taken into account.

Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein at the Monaco Day celebration at the Prince's Palace in Monaco, November 19, 2012. © Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

13. Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg
Age: 56 years old
Year of beginning of the board: 2000
Wealth: £3bn ($4.74bn)
Unlike the Middle Eastern monarchs who built their fortunes on oil, their European counterparts cannot boast of such a highly profitable source of savings. So the Duke of Luxembourg Henri, nephew of the reigning King of Belgium Albert II, manages a fortune that consists of bank deposits, gold reserves and real estate, as well as shares of various industrial companies. It is noteworthy that Henri spends part of his income on defense wildlife, first of all - the unique Galapagos Islands.

Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg and Marie-Therese Mestre ( grand duchess Marie-Therese) enter the Cathedral of Notre Dame de Luxembourg before the wedding ceremony of Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg and the Belgian Countess Stephanie de Lannoy. October 20, 2012, Luxembourg. © Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

14. Prince Albert II of Monaco
Age: 53
Year of beginning of the board: 2005
Wealth: £2.5bn ($3.95bn)
The collection of works of art collected by the princely family is the basis of the state of the ruling prince of Monaco. In addition to her, he owns an expensive collection of antique cars and a collection of stamps and receives a substantial income from the activities of the casino in Monte Carlo.

Prince Albert II of Monaco at a party in West Hollywood, California on February 26, 2012. © Craig Barritt/Getty Images for TWC

15. Nizari Ismaili Imam Aga Khan IV
Age: 75 years old
Year of beginning of the board: 1957
Wealth: £2bn ($3.16bn)
Imam Aga Khan is the head of a huge Nizari Ismaili community (an offshoot of the Ismaili branch of Shiite Islam) living in India, Oman, Syria, Tajikistan and Zanzibar. Despite the fact that the Nizari do not have their own state, their current head is equated with the monarch: since 1957, he has the title of "His Highness", bestowed on him by Queen Elizabeth II. Aga Khan IV is the owner of a herd of 900 purebred Arabian horses, which, together with a stake in one of the British equestrian auction houses, provides him with an annual income of $ 300 million. Added to this are income from the management of several hotels and airlines, as well as investments in the tourism business in Sardinia (it was through the efforts of the Aga Khan that the Emerald Coast of the island turned into a zone of fashionable recreation since the 1960s) and shares of the largest industrial companies.

The Nizari Ismaili Imam Aga Khan IV visits the Prix de Diane horse riding, Chantilly, France, June 17, 2012. © THOMAS SAMSON/AFP/GettyImages

AT modern world Royal misalliances happen often, so we decided to recall the 5 most influential, but still free royal offspring of the Middle East. After all, no one knows who you can accidentally run into even in the crowd ...

In 2011, the grandiose wedding of Kate Middleton took place, the broadcast of which was watched by 162 million viewers, fascinated by the embodiment of the scenario of the fairy tale about Cinderella in reality. And the Duchess of Cambridge, in turn, seemed to repeat the scenario of Mary Donaldson, now the Crown Princess of Denmark, whose typical, inconspicuous life changed dramatically after a chance meeting in Sydney with Prince Frederick. 3 years after that chance meeting, she was destined to become his bride, and then his wife.

However, not only these two ladies proved that dreams of a royal wedding in literally these words have every right to exist. Even the most titled persons sometimes choose one of the commoners as their life partners. And the Middle Eastern princes and princesses, as we remember, were no exception. Take the story of the beautiful Rania, Queen of Jordan. But today it's not about her. After we counted all the blue-blooded European enviable suitors, the collective head of the editors came up with the idea to talk about princesses and princes from the Middle East, who also had not yet found their soul mates.

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai (34)

The beloved heir to the throne of the emirate of Dubai has many talents. He was originally educated at the Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England, and subsequently attended classes at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

The 34-year-old enviable prince rides horses, scuba dives and is almost a professional skydiver. In addition, he even publishes poems of his own composition, permeated with patriotic and romantic moods.

In general, his skills and achievements can be listed indefinitely, and he immediately talks about them on his Instagram. There you can also find photo evidence of how much the Crown Prince loves sports and an active lifestyle in general, which cannot but be disposable.

Hussein bin Abdullah, Crown Prince of Jordan (22)

He is the eldest child of the couple of King Abdullah II and Queen Rania, by the way, one of the most beautiful monarchs of our time. The prince is a graduate of Georgetown University in Washington, where he received a degree in international history».

Interestingly, last year Prince Hussein was honored to chair a meeting of the UN Security Council, thus becoming the youngest participant in the process in its history. So, Prince Hussein follows in the footsteps of his father, continuing the undertakings of the parent, actively participating in the policy of empowering youth.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani of the State of Qatar (28)

The 28-year-old heir to the throne is the 5th son of Sheikh Emir and his second wife, Sheikha Moza, one of the most famous women East. In 2013, he received his master's degree from Harvard University. In addition to Arabic, the young man is fluent in English and French.

In addition, Sheikh Mohammed Hamad is the former captain of the Qatar equestrian team. He was also chairman of the competition to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Sheikha Maita bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Princess of Dubai (36)

Maita is the half-sister of the Crown Prince, who leads our list of free royal offspring of the East. But her fiancé will have to work hard to match her. And the point here is not at all social status bride. In addition to her important title, Sheikha is also the Honorary President of the Taekwondo and Karate Federation of the United Arab Emirates, President of the Women's Committee of the West Asian Karate Federation. She even led the UAE women's team in this sport, which took first place from 2003 to 2006. In addition, Sheikha Maita became the first Arab athlete to carry the flag of her country on Olympic Games in Pekin. In 2008, Forbes magazine included the girl in the list of the 20 most famous representatives of royal dynasties.

Today I want to introduce you to a real patriot
his country Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, his achievements
and plans for the future.

Sheikh Mohammed was appointed Crown Prince of Dubai on 3 January 1995 by Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum

A day later, Sheikh Mohammed, by the will of the President of the United Arab Emirates, was nominated for the positions of Vice President and Prime Minister of the country.

What is done
In August 1966, Sheikh Mohammed traveled to London to enroll at the Bell Language School in Cambridge.

Returning to Dubai after his training, Sheikh Mohammed was appointed as the head of the Dubai Police, as well as the head of the Dubai Defense Force, which later became part of the UAE military.

Emirates Airline
In March 1985, Sheikh Mohammed challenged Maurice Flanagan, then head of Dubai's national tourism committee, to launch a new airline called Emirates Airline.

The first flight of the airline took place in October 1985.

According to Flanagan, apart from an initial $10 million, the state has not allocated a single dirham to the development of Emirates Airline;

For reference:
Emirates Airlines
Fleet size - 213 (+295 ordered)
Destinations - 120

Aeroflot
Fleet size - 167 (251 with subsidiaries)
Destinations - 122 (232 with subsidiaries)

american airlines
Fleet size - 964
Destinations - 273

Charity
In September 2007, Sheikh Mohammed launched the Dubai Cares campaign to raise money to pay for the education of 1 million children in poor countries.

The amount donated by the public in the first campaign in 2007 exceeded 1.65 billion dirhams (approximately US$450 million);

Sheikh Mohammed personally increased this amount to 3.5 billion dirhams (approximately 1 billion US dollars)

Construction
The project of the archipelago of artificial islands, which is one of the most interesting sights of the UAE, has ended.

In addition to these islands, in January 2008, another archipelago was completed off the coast of the Emirates called "Mir", imitating the outlines of the continents of planet Earth.

When all scheduled for this moment the islands of Dubai will be built, the territory of the emirate will increase by more than 500 square kilometers

dubai metro
opening date
September 9, 2009
Daily passenger traffic ~300,000

Eating and drinking is prohibited on the Dubai Metro, both on trains and at stations. The fine for this is 100 dirhams. It is forbidden to chew gum (a fine of 50 dirhams), as well as sleeping, smoking, transporting animals, bicycles and alcoholic beverages.

The fine for inappropriate use of the stopcock is 2,000 dirhams (545 USD).

The Dubai Metro is the third in the Middle East.

Metro trains operate in a fully automatic mode without drivers, maximum speed composition - 110 km / h

Burj Khalifa: the tallest building above ground in the history of human construction
Construction: September 21, 2004 - January 4, 2010
Height: - 828 m (Ostankino TV tower - 540.1 m)
Number of floors: 163
Area inside the building: 344,000 m?

The total cost of construction was 20 billion US dollars

Meydan hippodrome
The hippodrome is the largest in the world both in terms of capacity (60 thousand people) and in terms of the length of the grass race track (2.4 km).

The race track hosts the most expensive prize pool of $26.25 million.

The first place prize in 2013 was $10 million.

Meydan is one of the longest buildings in the world, the length of the stands is 1.7 kilometers. Also on the territory of the hippodrome one of the largest LED screens in the world measuring 110 by 10 meters is installed.

In the United Arab Emirates, there is a ban on betting on horse racing. Prize funds are formed from the money allocated by the emirs of the UAE, sponsors of the competitions and received from the sale of tickets.

Personal life
Sheikh Mohammed married his eldest wife, Sheikha Hind bint Maktoum bin Yuma Al Maktoum in 1979.

Among his younger wives, the most famous is Princess Haya bint al-Hussein, daughter of King Hussein and half-sister of King Abdullah II - respectively, the previous and current kings of Jordan, whom he married on April 10, 2004.

In 2007, Princess Haya gave birth to a girl, Al Jalil, to Sheikh Mohammed, and in January 2012, a son, Zayed.

Sheikh has 9 sons and 14 daughters.

personal fortune
The personal fortune of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum for 2016 is estimated at more than $4 billion.

Sports interests
Sheikh Mohammed is a significant figure in the world of equestrian sports, a major horse breeder and equestrian athlete.

In 2012, at the age of 63, Sheikh Mohammed became the winner of the world horse riding endurance race, overcoming a race track of 160 km, he overtook 152 opponents representing 38 countries of the world, and reached the finish line seven hours after the start of the race.

Sheikh Mohammed also won gold in individual endurance events at the 15th Asian Games in 2006.

Sheikh is very popular in Dubai locals highly appreciate his efforts.
The number of posters with images of the Sheikh is not inferior to Ilyich in his best years.

What will happen tomorrow?
Expo 2020 is a world exhibition that will be held in Dubai (UAE). The venue for the exhibition was determined by voting on general assembly Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) November 27, 2013 in Paris. The exhibition will run from October 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021 in Dubai, UAE

By 2020, Dubai will look like this:

"I have no idea who coined the word - impossible, but this man definitely wants an easy life" © Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
And now let's remember the phrase of our rulers .... the one from which everyone has a good mood :))))))

But what about the oil needle?
From the photographs below, it is not difficult to guess where the petrodollars were spent.

Upon marriage, UAE citizens are provided with cottages and land free of charge.

70,000 dirhams is a state subsidy that is received by citizens of the Emirates entering into marriage.

AED 10,200 ($2,780) is the minimum basic pension for a UAE resident.

The size of the pension of a UAE resident increases by 2% with each year of work after reaching 20 years of service.

And they also have 2 pensions - a widow or other heir receives her own and the deceased husband's.

Skeptics:

Dubai - does not care at all about the collapse in prices for black gold, the local currency has not fallen against the dollar, and the authorities are not thinking of cutting the budget. Why? Exactly 20 years ago, 83% of the income of the "oasis in the desert" was oil money, but now their share in GDP ... is only 6% in Dubai and 29% in the whole UAE.

Per last years The Emirates spent $35 billion to get rid of oil dependence.

For comparison: Russia receives about half of all earnings from the export of energy resources

The rate of "green" in the Emirates has not changed for 20 years

Now Dubai is one of the main tourist destinations in the world. Last year, the tiny emirate, according to the latest data, was visited by 20 million people - the same number as Russia with our huge number of attractions.

Morality...
Here is the success story of a man with capital letter who turned his people from Bedouins into rich people, I think that the rulers of Mother Russia should take an example from such a person who personifies real example that if you want you can live a little better.

P.S. First post, don't judge too harshly :)