Sheikh Sheikh (pronounced or ; ar, شيخ ' , mostly pronounced , plural ' )—also transliterated sheekh, sheyikh, shaykh, shayk, shekh, shaik and Shaikh, shak—is an honorific title in the Arabic language. It commonly designates a chief of a ...

Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (; born 14 November 1982) has been

Crown Prince of Dubai The House of Maktoum ( ar, آل مكتوم ') is the ruling royal family of the Emirate of Dubai, and one of the six ruling families of the United Arab Emirates. The family is a branch of the Bani Yas clan (a lineage the family shares with t ...

since 2008. He previously served as Deputy Ruler of

Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...

from 2006 to 2008. He is popularly known as Fazza ( ar, فزاع), the name under which he publishes his poetry, which means "the one who helps" in Arabic. As an

equestrian The word equestrian is a reference to equestrianism, or horseback riding, derived from Latin ' and ', "horse". Horseback riding (or Riding in British English) Examples of this are: *Equestrian sports *Equestrian order, one of the upper classes in ...

, Maktoum is a multiple world champion at the

World Equestrian Games The FEI World Equestrian Games are the major international championships for equestrianism, and are administered by the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI). The games have been held every four years, halfway between sets of consecutive ...

Early life and education

Hamdan bin Mohammed is the son of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and Sheikha

Hind bint Maktoum bin Juma Al Maktoum Sheikha Hind bint Maktoum bin Juma Al Maktoum ( ar, الشيخة هند بنت مكتوم بن ُجمعة آل مكتوم; born 12 February 1962) is the senior wife and consort of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai. They w ...

, the senior wife of Mohammed. He is the second son of their 12 children and the fourth of his father's children (He is the third son of his father). Hamdan's elder full brother was Sheikh Rashid bin Mohammed. Hamdan bin Mohammed was educated in Dubai at the

Rashid School For Boys Rashid School For Boys (RSB) is located in the Nad Al Sheba community of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. RSB follows a British curriculum. History Rashid School for Boys opened in 1986 under the guidance of Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum, p ...

and then at the

Dubai School of Government The Mohammed Bin Rashid School of Government, previously known as Dubai School of Government, is a research and teaching institution in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, which focuses on public policy in the Arab world. The school was established in ...

. He continued his studies in the United Kingdom, where he graduated from Sandhurst in 2001; he later attended the

London School of Economics , mottoeng = To understand the causes of things , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £240.8 million (2021) , budget = £391.1 millio ...

. In his interview with '' Vision'' he described how Sandhurst taught him the importance of self-discipline, commitment, virtue, responsibility, endurance, understanding, teamwork, friendship and the benefits of hard work.

Roles and positions

Hamdan bin Mohammed was appointed as the Chairman of the Dubai executive council in September 2006. On 1 February 2008, he was appointed

, while his brother Sheikh

Maktoum bin Mohammed Al Maktoum Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum ( ar, مكتوم بن محمد بن راشد آل مكتوم; born 24 November 1983) is the Minister of Finance of the United Arab Emirates, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Media Inc ...

acceded to Deputy Ruler of Dubai. As the new hereditary prince, Maktoum appointed new key personnel and financial advisors such as economist John Calverly and

hedge fund A hedge fund is a pooled investment fund that trades in relatively liquid assets and is able to make extensive use of more complex trading, portfolio-construction, and risk management techniques in an attempt to improve performance, such as sho ...

personality James T. Naeem, while Maktoum himself became head of HN Capital LLP. He is the head of the Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Establishment for young entrepreneurs; he sits on the Dubai sports council and the Dubai autism centre. He was part of the Dubai World Expo 2020 delegation when the emirate was awarded the rights to host the event. He went to the top floor of the

Burj Khalifa The Burj Khalifa (; ar, برج خليفة, , Khalifa Tower), known as the Burj Dubai prior to its inauguration in 2010, is a skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is known for being the world’s tallest building. With a total height ...

to wave the UAE flag a few days after the World Expo 2020 win. He is the founder of the

Hamdan International Photography Award Hamdan International Photography Award (HIPA) is an international photography award, founded in 2011 under the patronage of the crown prince of Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab ...

, which was launched in 2011. In June 2022, Sheikh Hamdan launched the "Dubai Global" initiative, which was meant to establish 50 commercial representative offices for Dubai in five continents across the world. The initiative was to support Dubai-based firms and to strengthen the city's position as a business hub.

Personal life

The Crown Prince's

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

account has more than 15 million followers, as of November 2022. He posts pictures that showcase his hobbies, which include animals, poetry, sports, photography and adventures. Hamdan Al Maktoum is a licensed

sky diver ''Sky Diver'' is an arcade video game designed by Owen Rubin, and released by Atari, Inc. in 1978. An Atari VCS port by Jim Huether was published in 1979. The game is a third-person view of a parachuting drop zone. ''Sky Diver'' is a two-player ...

and

scuba diver Scuba diving is a mode of underwater diving whereby divers use breathing equipment that is completely independent of a surface air supply. The name "scuba", an acronym for "Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus", was coined by Chris ...

. He dives in

Fujairah Fujairah City ( ar, الفجيرة) is the capital of the emirate of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates. It is the seventh-largest city in UAE, located on the Gulf of Oman (part of the Indian Ocean). It is the only Emirati capital city on the ...

. He is known for his romantic and patriotic poems in Arabic. He publishes his poems under the pen name of ''Fazza'' (فزاع). He rides for Godolphin Stables and has attended the

Royal Ascot Ascot Racecourse ("ascot" pronounced , often pronounced ) is a dual-purpose British racecourse, located in Ascot, Berkshire, England, which is used for thoroughbred horse racing. It hosts 13 of Britain's 36 annual Flat Group 1 horse races and ...

. Sheikh Hamdan won a gold medal at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2014 in

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

(FRA), team gold in 2012 and a bronze medal in 2010. He led a team of five UAE riders at Championships in Samorín on 17 September 2016. On 15 May 2019, Hamdan married Sheikha Shaikha bint Saeed bin Thani Al Maktoum. On the same day, his brothers, Maktoum and Ahmad, also got married. On 6 June 2019, he and his brothers celebrated the royal weddings together at the Dubai World Trade Centre. On 21 May 2021, it was announced that Sheikh Hamdan had welcomed twins, a son named Rashid and a daughter named Shaikha.

Honours

Knight Grand Cross of the

Order of Civil Merit The Order of Civil Merit ( es, Orden del Mérito Civil) was established by King Alfonso XIII of Spain in 1926. The order recognizes "the civic virtue of officers in the service of the Nation, as well as extraordinary service by Spanish and fore ...

(Kingdom of Spain, 23 May 2008)

References

External links

Official Website - ArabicOfficial Website - English
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maktoum, Hamdan bin Mohammed Al 20th-century Emirati poets 21st-century Emirati poets 1982 births Alumni of the London School of Economics Emirati businesspeople Emirati male equestrians Emirati princes Graduates of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst Grand Cross of the Order of Civil Merit Heads of universities in the United Arab Emirates Heirs apparent Living people Hamdan Mohammed bin Rashid School of Government alumni Asian Games gold medalists for the United Arab Emirates Medalists at the 2006 Asian Games Asian Games medalists in equestrian Equestrians at the 2006 Asian Games People from Dubai Rashid School for Boys alumni