HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashed

HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum was born in 1949 and is the current Prime Minister, as well as the Vice President of the United Arab Emirates. Following the death of Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum, HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum was appointed Ruler of Dubai on January 4th, 2006.

With private tutoring at the age of four in Arabic and Islamic studies, the third of Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum’s children, he began formal education at the age of six, and attended the Bell Educational Trust’s English Language School in the United Kingdom in 1966.

HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and his sixteen children are well known in the UAE for their passion for traditional Arabic poetry. Along with poetry, HH Sheikh Mohammed and his children devote their time to arts, foreign aid projects, and horse and camel racing. His children are as ambitious as Sheikh Mohammed, and have his strength of character. During the 2006 Asian Games, Sheikh Mohammed’s son, Rashid, took the individual gold in Endurance, his sons Rashid, Ahmed, Majid, and Hamdan took the team gold in Endurance, his daughter Latifa took a bronze in Jumping, and daughter Maitha led the UAE team in Karate.

Charities play a large role in Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid’s life. In 2007, he announced his plans to set up an educational foundation in the Middle East, donating $10 billion USD; this was the largest charitable donation in history. His goal was to improve the standard of education and research in the UAE, develop leadership programs for the youth of the region, as well as stimulate job creation.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum is infamous for his Thoroughbred horses. Beginning in 1981, Sheikh Mohammed has been racing and breeding Thoroughbred horses. In England, his horses have won plenty of Group One races, such as the British Classic Races, the Irish Derby Stakes, and the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. In the United States, Sheikh Mohammed’s horses won the 2006 Preakness Stakes. As a result of his enthusiastic nature for horses, Sheikh Mohammed hosts the Dubai World Cup, which is known to be the World’s richest series of horse races.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has overseen many development projects in Dubai, including but not confined to, the creation of the Palm Islands and the Burj Al Arab Hotel. As a primary promoter of Burj Dubai, he is taking part in the construction of what will be the tallest building in the world when completed.

Within the past few years of ruling Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has accomplished the most significant progress in economic and social development of Dubai, in record time. E-government was introduced; Dubai Metro was established, as well as a large number of investment companies were created. These companies have formed global partnerships in the fields of industry, commerce, tourism and ports and real estate management.