Still the reason mysterious death 33-year-old Sheikh Rashid remains shrouded in mystery. Let us recall that the eldest son of the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Rashid bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, passed away at the age of 33. According to media reports, on September 19, 2015, Sheikh Rashid, who had a reputation as a handsome playboy with a brilliant future, died at home due to a sudden heart attack.

Despite the fact that the official version of his death is myocardial infarction, the United United Arab Emirates There have long been rumors that the young Sheikh Rashid abused drugs and because of his addiction, he repeatedly ended up in a rehabilitation center. In 2008, he was stripped of his legal title as Crown Prince of Dubai.

IN recent years, especially before his death, Sheikh Rashid somehow gradually and smoothly pulled away from social life and went into the shadows, while becoming one of the most mysterious influential figures in the emirate of Dubai. His father, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai, had only two wives and 24 children. Through his efforts, he transformed a dull and mediocre emirate into a dazzling modern metropolis and a global high-tech and tourism center.

There are many versions of the death of the 33-year-old Sheikh of Dubai. For example, the Iranian Fars news agency stated that Rashid did not die from suffering a “sudden heart attack,” as the official statement said, but during the fighting in Yemen. Iranian media unanimously claim that Sheikh Rashid bin Mohammed al-Maktoum and several other UAE soldiers were killed during artillery shelling by rebel forces in the Yemeni province of Marib. False information about the death of the Crown Prince of Dubai as a result of a heart attack was published in order to mislead residents of the United Arab Emirates, who are in favor of withdrawing troops from Yemen.

Another version of the prince’s death in the form of a diplomatic message was published on the Wikileaks website. It contains a fascinating description of events that actually took place in the palace and were carefully hidden from prying eyes. A certain diplomat from one of the Western countries shared information that Sheikh Rashid lost his title as Crown Prince of Dubai and all prospects of legitimate power due to the fact that he allegedly killed his father’s assistant in a state of passion. Although the assistant's name is not mentioned anywhere, analysts have suggested that the murder was committed as a result of a steroid-induced rage attack.

Another information leak provided by a diplomat from Saudi Arabia, suggests that drugs and mass sexual orgies are commonplace in the palace of the ruler of Dubai, as in the emirate of Dubai as a whole. However, access to such events is open only to wealthy Arabs.

If we weigh the pros and cons, analysts agree that the heart attack that ended the life of 33-year-old Sheikh Rashid is nothing more than a beautiful excuse that does not cast a shadow on the sheikh’s reputation.

Sheikh Hamdan Mohammed al-Maktoum has many advantages - a horse owner, a poet, an athlete, the heir to a royal family, and even a bachelor. Sheikh Hamdan's wife is still absent from his personal life, however, last summer information leaked to the media that he was going to marry Palestinian refugee Kalila Said, whom he met at one of the charity events. It is said that this marriage was approved even by the prince's parents, although at first they were disappointed with their son's choice.

In the photo - Sheikh Hamdan

Sheikh Hamdan is one of the many children of Sheikh Mohammed, Prime Minister and Vice President of the United Arab Emirates and head of the Emirate of Dubai. He was born thirty-three years ago and grew up in incredible luxury. Sheikh Hamdan received an excellent education, first at the private school named after Sheikh Rashid, created by English model, then at the Dubai Government School on the faculty public administration. Hamdan Mohammed al-Maktoum graduated from the Royal military academy Sandhurst in the UK, where the scions of English aristocrats study, specialized courses at the London School of Economics.

From childhood, the sheikh's father prepared his son to participate in political life native state, and now Hamdan is a regular participant in various congresses and summits. Sheikh Hamdan attends all these political events out of necessity, and privacy he prefers traveling, horse riding, and falconry. He is a very romantic person and even writes poetry under the pseudonym Fazzaa.

In general, almost nothing is known about the personal life of Sheikh Hamdan, and the image makers of the court are constantly working to create an impeccable image for him, and this can be judged by the numerous photographs in which he is depicted with relatives and looks very nice. Hamdan devotes a lot of time to charity - he manages the work of several foundations, and personally helps people in need.

To questions about whether he was going to end his bachelor life, the prince always answered that he had been engaged for a long time - future wife Sheikh Hamdan should become a maternal relative, however, due to latest events When he met Kalila Said, everything could change. In general, according to the laws of his country, a sheikh can have not one, but several wives - his father Sheikh Mohammed, for example, according to some information, has as many as five wives, and time will tell how many wives Sheikh Hamdan will have.

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 point what he and Khalifa are stepbrothers. Khalifa was born to his first wife, Hassa bint Mohammed ibn Khalifa. Sheikh Mohammed ibn Zayed was born to his third wife, Fatima bint Mubarak Al-Ketbi.

Sheikhin Fatima bint-Mubarak Al-Ketbi had only 6 sons: Muhammad, Hamdan, Hazza, Tanun, Mansur and Abdula. They are called “Bani Fatima” or “sons of Fatima”, they form the most influential bloc in the Al-Nahyan family.

Fatima's sons have always been influential; some political scientists even assign them a leading role in the changes in Abu Dhabi that have occurred since 2004. Full power they received it only in 2014, when Sheikh Khalifa suffered a stroke. Now it’s difficult to say whether the vector of their internal and foreign policy. Let's wait and see.

Mohammed ibn Zayed studied at school in Al Ain, then in Abu Dhabi. Entered Sandhurst Academy (UK) in 1979. Trained in military skills of helicopter piloting, driving armored vehicles, and parachute jumping. After returning from England, he underwent military training in Sharjah and became an officer in the UAE Armed Forces.

Was an officer in the Amiri Guards ( elite unit), a UAE Air Force pilot, and 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 Abu Dhabi Executive Council, member of the Supreme Petroleum Council.

For now, world leaders and political scientists are keeping an eye on Sheikh Mohammed. He is known to believe that the UAE should play a much larger role in world politics. He loves falconry, like his father. He is interested in poetry and writes poetry himself in the Nabati style.

Sheikhin Fatima bint Mubarak Al-Ketbi

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

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

The exact date of her birth is unknown. She was probably born in the mid-40s in . 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 Main Union UAE women. The main area 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 his advanced age! Naturally, Fatima has a gigantic influence on the policies of Sheikh Mohammed and the affairs of Bani Fatima.

Dubai

The Emirate of Dubai is ruled by the Al Muktoum 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 is now the most famous leader in the UAE.

Mohammed became the third son of the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Rashid ibn Saeed 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 secular and traditional Islamic education. In 1966 (at the age of 18) he studied in Great Britain in cadet corps Mons and in Italy to become a pilot.

In 1968, Mohammed attended his father's meeting with Sheikh Zayed at Argub al-Sedira, where the rulers of Dubai and Abu Dhabi agreed on the imminent creation of the UAE. After the formation of the UAE, he was Minister of Defense and head of the Dubai Police.

On October 7, 1990, Muhammad'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 and was an excellent athlete, but was not drawn to politics and management.

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 became the official ruler of Dubai.

The list of achievements of Muhammad ibn Rashid is enormous. 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 were created: the Emirates airline, the artificial islands of Palm and World, the world's largest artificial harbor of 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; during his rule, hundreds of officials convicted of bribery and using their position for personal gain were sent to prison.

Now (note: the article was updated in the fall of 2019) he is already 70 years old, but he is full of energy and is successfully implementing his Dubai development plan until 2021. He recently took part in the Arab Strategic Forum, and you can't tell he's 70.

Dubai, one of the key emirates in the UAE, is in mourning. Sheikh Rashid ibn Mohammed al-Maktoum, the eldest son of Mohammed ibn Rashid al-Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai, and concurrently the second most influential person in the United Arab Emirates, prime minister, vice president and minister of defense of the country, has died. Sheikh Rashid died of a heart attack, less than a month and a half shy of his 34th birthday. His younger brother and Crown Prince Hamdan wrote: “Today I lost my best friend and a childhood friend, dear brother Rashida. We will miss you." Lenta.ru tried to figure out what made the eldest son of the Dubai emir famous.

British standard

Little is known about Rashid’s childhood and youth: at that time there was no Instagram yet, and the Arab emirs and their heirs had not yet acquired the habit of posting scenes for everyone to see rich life with geotags.

Rashid is the eldest son of the emir from his eldest and main wife Hind bint Maktoum and, accordingly, the stepson of the emir's second wife - Jordanian princess Haya bint al-Hussein. The children of Mohammed and Hind, according to the memoirs of brother Rashid Hamdan, were brought up in the spirit of traditional values.

In Dubai, the heir graduated from a school for boys named after Sheikh Rashid - education there was conducted according to the English model. After which his father sent Rashid to the UK - to the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, where they traditionally send their children Arab sheikhs(the current emir of Qatar, the king of Bahrain, and the sultans of Brunei and Oman graduated from it).

Disinherited

Rashid ibn Mohammed was preparing to become his father's successor: the emir introduced him to state affairs and entrusted him with control over various economic projects. But on February 1, 2008, everything suddenly changed: Rashid’s younger brother, the second son of Sheikh Mohammed, Hamdan, was appointed Crown Prince of Dubai. His younger brother Maktoum received the post of Deputy Ruler of Dubai. The emir's eldest son officially abdicated the throne, and moreover, there was no place for him among the leadership of the emirate.

This step, however, can only be called unexpected: diplomats and Arabic experts, long before the emir’s decree, noticed that Hamdan was increasingly appearing in front of cameras next to his father and that the emirate’s press was writing about him more and more often. What happened, why was Rashid out of work?

The publication of WikiLeaks documents brought some clarity to this issue. Among the released cables is a telegram from the US Consul General in Dubai, David Williams, in which he reports on the change in the order of succession and the reasons for it. Without disclosing his sources, Williams reported that Rashid killed one of the workers in the emir's palace, this angered the sheikh, and he revised the line of succession.

Solace in sports

The PR campaign in the emirate and around the world bore fruit: the new Crown Prince Hamdan quickly became a darling of the press. A diver and paratrooper, a falconer who keeps a menagerie of lions and white tigers, a snowboarder and a poet who writes under the pseudonym Fazza. An excellent rider, multiple winner of equestrian competitions, owner of expensive cars and yachts - Hamdan ibn Mohammed willingly demonstrates all this luxury on his Instagram account. Hamdan is known as a philanthropist and philanthropist, generously distributing donations to the disabled and sick children, and also as one of the most eligible bachelors in the world. Admiring fans gave him the nickname “Aladdin”.

Against this background, his older brother Rashid looked rather pale (especially considering the difference in their capital - less than two billion dollars for Rashid versus 18 billion for Hamdan), and he does not have an Instagram account. Although it cannot be said that the press did not spoil him with their attention. Since 2005, he has consistently been included in the "20 Sexiest" list for five years in a row. Arab men", in 2010 Esquire magazine recognized him as "one of the 20 most enviable royals", and a year later Forbes included him in the twenty "most desirable royals."

Having lost his right to the throne, Rashid ibn Mohammed focused on sports. The entire Al Maktoum family is famous for its love of horses, and Rashid is no exception. He owned the Zabeel Racing International racing corporation and won numerous competitions both in the UAE and abroad. In total he won 428 medals. Vertex sporting achievements Rashid ibn Mohammed - two gold medals at the 2006 Doha Asian Games. From 2008 to 2010, Rashid was even the president of the UAE Olympic Committee, but left this post, as he explained, due to lack of time.

Scandal in a noble family

Arab sheikhs try not to make their internal affairs public, but sometimes, when the traditional values ​​of oil emirs collide with European realities, leaks occur. This is what happened with Rashid.

In 2011, a black employee from the staff of the British palace of Emir Olantunji Faleye appealed to the British court. He claimed that he was discriminated against on racial and religious grounds: members of the sheikh's family addressed him as "al-abd al-aswad" - "black slave", and repeatedly insulted Christianity (Faleye is an Anglican), calling him "bad, low and disgusting faith,” convincing his “black slave” to convert to Islam.

During the hearings, another service employee, Ejil Mohammed Ali, was summoned as a witness to the court, who, among other things, said under oath that Sheikh Rashid was a drug addict, most recently completed course rehabilitation.

However, it is unlikely that such scandals can shake the reputation of the Royal House of Dubai, which invests millions of dollars in its PR in the media and social networks. Judging by the number of responses on Rashid's Facebook page, many people, including from the poorest countries in the world, perceive the death of the eldest son of the Dubai emir as a personal tragedy.

Being one of 13 children, and not the eldest, on February 1, 2008 Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum was nevertheless announced Crown Prince of Dubai. The devilishly attractive prince instantly became the object of media attention, and his personal Instagram has not thousands, but millions of subscribers. So who is he, the chosen one of fate?

Hamdan is 34 years old today, and his life is definitely not boring and far from idle. In addition to the official positions that a newly-crowned crown prince is entitled to (chairman of the Executive Council of the City of Dubai, head of the hedge fund HN Capital LLP, head of the Young Entrepreneurs Support League and president of the university), Hamdan has many hobbies to which he devotes his free time.

The Crown Prince manages to practice falconry, cycling, attends horse racing, diving, skydiving, and even writes poetry under the pseudonym Fazza. And at home, on his magnificent estate, not only his family, but also exotic pets, among which there are camels, white tigers and lions. Hamdan also owns several thoroughbred stallions that regularly win races.

Of course, the Crown Prince is no stranger to the desire for luxury - he often travels around incredible beautiful places planet, stops only in the most best hotels, and also travels on his own yacht or in one of his many expensive cars. Not only is the prince fabulously rich, he is also very attractive and is still unmarried, which makes him one of the most eligible bachelors planets. Moreover, Hamdan is known for his excellent education and desire to help those in need - the prince devotes a lot of time to charity, helping sick children, the disabled and sponsoring hospitals.