Dubai: A stunning portrait of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, is revealed in a book by a royal photographer.
A dynamic statesman, poet and sportsman, Shaikh Mohammad is fondly referred to as the CEO of Dubai, in Shaikh Mohammad: Life and Times by Noor Ali Rashid.
The book portrays Shaikh Mohammad, the visionary leader, and reflects the thought processes behind many of his stunning achievements — not least the exponential growth of Dubai.
Royal photographer Noor Ali Rashid was often present at Shaikh Mohammad's side when history was made.
Grooming
The first chapter of the book is about the early years of Shaikh Mohammad from 1949 to 1968.
Shaikh Mohammad is the 10th ruler of Dubai.
Shaikh Rashid, his father, had been grooming him for power since he was little more than a boy. But who would have guessed to what heights Shaikh Mohammad, the third of Shaikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum's four sons, would rise when he was born on July 22, 1949?
Historians point to 1833 as the start of Dubai's modern history.
In that year, some 800 members the Al Maktoum family descended from the Al Bu Falasah section of the Bani Yas tribes seceded from Abu Dhabi and migrated to Dubai.
Like most settlements in the region at that time, it was just a small town, but the arrival of the Al Maktoum family changed that.
With their arrival they turned the area quickly into a commercial centre with pearl diving and Dubai then became a business centre.
Now Dubai attracts tourists and business people from all over the world.
Chapter two covers ‘a right royal apprenticeship' from 1968 until 1995.
Future
The book says Shaikh Mohammad's future was revealed to him at an early age as his father was preparing him to handle affairs of importance in his teenage years, and Shaikh Mohammad showed a particular inclination for the public role awaiting him.
In November 1968, only months after graduating from Aldershot, England, Shaikh Mohammad was appointed head of Dubai Police and Public Security. This was his first public position.
After the formation of the federation three years later, Shaikh Mohammad was appointed to the post of Minister of Defence. That appointment made history as he was the youngest minister of defence at that time.
Shaikh Mohammad was appointed Crown Prince of Dubai on January 4, 1995.
His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Prime Minister and Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. Born in 1949, Shaikh Mohammad is the third of four sons.
He was privately tutored before beginning his formal education, eventually attending the Bell School of Languages in Cambridge in 1966.
In 1995, Shaikh Mohammad was appointed Crown Prince of Dubai, with a chief objective of overseeing the transformation of this small patch of desert into the world's most luxurious resort and business destination. To that end, he helped develop the Palm Islands, the Burj Al Arab hotel, the Burj Dubai skyscraper, the Dubai World Cup and the Godolphin Stables. After the death of his elder brother Shaikh Maktoum Bin Rashid Al Maktoum in 2006, Shaikh Mohammad was named Ruler of Dubai and Prime Minister and Vice President of the UAE.
Shaikh Mohammad embodies energetic and successful leadership. He is a man who has made promises and kept them, he has insisted on excellence and achieved nothing less; he has defined the role of leadership and fulfilled it.
Since becoming the Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, groundbreaking initiatives have been rolled out at an astonishing rate. Regionally, his most outstanding achievement was the launch of the Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation on May 19, 2007, with an endowment of $10 billion. The foundation's aim is to promote human development by investing in education and the development of knowledge in the region by cultivating future leaders in the private and public sectors, promoting scientific research, spreading knowledge, encouraging business leadership, empowering youth, renewing the concept of culture, preserving heritage and promoting platforms of understanding among various cultures. Shaikh Mohammad launched Dubai Cares on September 20, 2007.
— Compiled from Gulf News archives
Leadership: Milestones of an illustrious journey
