Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum (1912 – 7 October 1990) (Arabic: راشد بن سعيد آل مكتوم‎) was the vice-president and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates and Emir of Dubai. He ruled for 32 years from 1958 until his death in 1990.^[1]

Development of Dubai

Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum was responsible for the transformation of Dubai from a small cluster of settlements near the Dubai Creek to a modern port city and commercial hub. His famous line, "My grandfather rode a camel, my father rode a camel, I drive a Mercedes, my son drives a Land Rover, his son will drive a Land Rover, but his son will ride a camel,^[2]" reflected his concern that Dubai's oil, which was discovered in 1966 and which began production in 1971, would run out within a few generations. He therefore worked to develop the economy of Dubai so that it could survive after the end of oil production, and was a driving force behind a number of major infrastructure projects to promote Dubai as a regional hub for trade:

1. Port Rashid (opened in 1972)
2. Al Shindagha Tunnel (opened in 1975)
3. Jebel Ali Port (opened in 1979)
4. Dubai World Trade Centre (built in 1978)
5. The second major dredging and widening of the Dubai Creek (early 1970s)^[3]
6. Dubai Drydocks (opened in 1983)

Relationship with Other Emirates of the Persian Gulf

Dubai remained in a stand-off with Abu Dhabi at the time Sheikh Rashid became Ruler of Dubai following the armed border dispute between the two emirates in 1946, and he establish a close relationship with Qatar. Sheikh Rashid's daughter married the Emir of Qatar in 1961, and the Emir provided US$700,000,000 in the financing of Port Rashid as a wedding present. In 1966, India devalued the rupee, and Qatar and Dubai adopted the Gulf rupee as a common currency, whilst Abu Dhabi adopted the Bahraini dinar.

The Emir of Kuwait assisted in the financing of the Dredging of the Creek, which resulted in Dubai's prominence as an entrepôt.

Sheikh Rashid brought Dubai to join Abu Dhabi and other northern Emirates to create the United Arab Emirates in 1971, and in 1973, Dubai joined the other emirates to adopt a uniform currency, the UAE dirham.

Jebel Ali port was established in 1979, and the customs free zone Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZ) was built around the port in 1985. By the late 1990s JAFZ developed into a commercial free zone.

Children

Sheikh Rashid had four sons:

1. Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum (1943–2006)
2. Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum (born 1945)
3. Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (born 1949)
4. Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (born 1950)

Both his predecessor (as Prime Minister) and his successor was his son, Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who was the Prime Minister of United Arab Emirates 1971 to 1979 and who was the Emir of Dubai from 7 October 1990, until his death on 4 January 2006. Another of Sheikh Rashid's sons, Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, took over these positions following Sheikh Maktoum's death.

His daughter was married to Qatari ruler, Ahmad bin Ali Al Thani.^[4]

References

External links

• Shaikh Mohammad: A role model for world leaders