Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum (; 11 June 1912 – 7 October 1990) was an Emirati royal, politician and one of the Founding Fathers of the United Arab Emirates.

Rashid bin Saeed was the first vice president and second prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, and was the ruler of Dubai from 1958–1990. His son, Maktoum, was the UAE's first prime minister. He was vice president of the UAE from the nation's independence and foundation in 1971 until his death.

Sheikh Rashid was the first Emirati vice president to serve concurrently as prime minister, when he became prime minister on 30 April 1979. After his death the office of prime minister was de facto tied to the office of vice president.

He was responsible for the transformation of Dubai from a small settlement around Dubai Creek to a modern port city, regional commercial hub and entrepôt.

Accession

Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum acceded as Ruler of Dubai following his father's death on 10 September 1958. Rashid had already been effectively managing the affairs of the emirate since the late 1930s having refused, in the face of considerable pressure from the British, to force his father to abdicate.

As de facto ruler of Dubai, he had already started to implement a widespread program of reforms and improvements despite limited revenues. He would also revisit sites during the evening riding his horse, Saqlawi. whereas Abu Dhabi adopted the Bahraini dinar.

Dubai Police was founded in 1956, under a British commander, Major P. Lorimer, with its headquarters in Naif, in Deira. That force was later taken over by Jack Briggs, who moved from the Trucial Oman Scouts to take up the post at Rashid’s invitation. Raising credit against his anticipated revenues, he ordered the construction of a four-berth deep sea container terminal, named Port Rashid. This long-held dream (he had originally commissioned a plan for such a terminal in 1965) was to result in the award of the £9 million contract in June 1967, again under Halcrow.

Sheikh Rashid and Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the ruler of Abu Dhabi, both travelled to London to press the government to reconsider the move – or at least to put in place an arrangement where the rulers could pay for British military assistance. This resulted in British Defence Secretary Denis Healey telling the BBC's Panorama that he disliked the idea of being ‘a sort of white slaver for Arab sheikhs’. Healey was forced to apologise for the comment.

Jebel Ali

British construction consultancy Halcrow's man in Dubai, Nevil Allen, received a 5am call in 1971 asking him to meet Sheikh Rashid at Ras Hasa, a hill overlooking the coastal area of Jebel Ali. He found Rashid bin Saeed there, along with a number of advisors including finance head Bill Duff. He opened Dubai Dry Docks in 1983, with the ability to cater to vessels of up to one million tons. The first flights to Dubai airport flew in 1961 and in May 1965, an asphalt runway was constructed, allowing jetliners to land.

Death

Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum died, after almost a decade of illness, on 7 October 1990.

Both his predecessor and successor as Prime Minister of the UAE was his son, Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid was the prime minister of United Arab Emirates from 1971 to 1979, and acceded as ruler of Dubai on his father's death on 7 October 1990.

Family

Sheikh Rashid's father was Sheikh Saeed bin Maktoum Al Maktoum, while his mother was Sheikha Hessa bint Al Mur bin Hureiz Al Falasi.

thumb|Left to right: Sheikh Rashid, [[Adi Bitar, and Sheikh Rashid's sons Mohammed and Maktoum, both future rulers of Dubai, in 1968]]

Sheikh Rashid Al Maktoum married only once. His wife, Sheikha Latifa bint Hamdan Al Nahyan, was the daughter of Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who ruled Abu Dhabi for the decade between 1912–22. Following the murder of her father, Sheikha Latifa fled, along with other family members, to Dubai.

Rashid and Latifa had nine children, four sons and five daughters:

  1. Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum (1943–2006), who succeeded his father as ruler of Dubai (ruled 1990–2006)
  2. Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum (1945–2021)
  3. Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (born 1949), who succeeded his elder brother as ruler of Dubai (ruling 2006-)
  4. Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (born 1951)
  5. Maryam bint Rashid Al Maktoum married the Qatari emir, Ahmad bin Ali Al Thani, deposed in 1972.
  6. Fatima bint Rashid Al Maktoum.
  7. Hassa bint Rashid Al Maktoum married Ahmed bin Maktoum bin Juma Al Maktoum. Their children are Latifa bint Ahmed Al Maktoum and Rashid bin Ahmed Al Maktoum.
  8. Maitha bint Rashid Al Maktoum.
  9. Shaikha bint Rashid Al Maktoum married Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Mohammed Al Saud. They have 3 sons: Rashid, Saud, and Mohammed.

Sheikh Rashid was half-brother—46 years older—to Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the chairman of the airline Emirates.

See also

  • Timeline of Dubai

References

  • Shaikh Mohammad: A role model for world leaders