Age, Biography, and Wiki
Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum was born on July 15, 1949, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. He is the third son of Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the former ruler of Dubai. Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has been instrumental in transforming Dubai into a thriving business hub. He succeeded his brother Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum as the Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE in 2006.
| Occupation | Prime Ministers |
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| Date of Birth | 15 July 1949 |
| Age | 75 Years |
| Birth Place | Dubai, Trucial States |
| Horoscope | Cancer |
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Height, Weight & Measurements
There is limited publicly available information regarding Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum's height, weight, or specific body measurements.
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Dating & Relationship Status
Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum is married to Sheikh Hind bint Maktoum bin Juma Al Maktoum. He has several children, including Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who is the Crown Prince of Dubai.
On 5 March 2020, a British court ruled that on the balance of probabilities, Mohammed had abducted two of his daughters, Shamsa and Latifa, and had threatened his former wife, the Jordanian princess Haya bint Hussein. Allegedly, Shamsa and Latifa were forcibly medicated while held in Dubai under Mohammed's orders since 2000 and 2018, respectively. On 16 February 2021, BBC's Panorama broadcast a documentary featuring Latifa's video messages that she made secretly under enforced detention in Dubai on her father's orders.
Sheikh Mohammed is the third of four sons of Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, ruler of Dubai. The Al Maktoum family is Dubai's ruling family and descendants of the House of Al-Falasi, of which Mohammed is the tribal leader. His mother was Sheikha Latifa bint Hamdan Al Nahyan, daughter of former ruler of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan. He grew up in a house without electricity. A hundred people or more lived there, including guards and maids.
Upon Mohammed's return to Dubai from military training at age 20, his father, Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, appointed him as the head of the Dubai Police Force and the Dubai Defence Force (which later became a part of the Union Defence Force).
In January 1968, Mohammed was present when his father and Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan first met in the desert between Dubai and Abu Dhabi at Argoub El Sedira to agree to the formation of a union of emirates following British notification of intent to withdraw from the Trucial States. When the new country of the United Arab Emirates was founded on 2 December 1971, Mohammed became its first minister of defence at the age of 22.
In the 15th Asian Games in 2006, the sheikh's eldest son, Rashid bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, took the individual gold in endurance riding. Mohammed's sons Rashid, Ahmed, Majid, and Hamdan took the team gold in endurance riding, his niece Latifa took a bronze in show jumping, and his daughter Maitha led the UAE team in taekwondo. In 2013, when the UAE national football team won the Gulf Cup, Mohammed gave the team 50 million dirhams ($13.7 million). His wife awarded the team a further 25 million dirhams ($6.8 million), while their grandsons contributed 12 million dirhams ($3.3 million).
On 11 March 2018, a video was released of Sheikha Latifa after her failed attempt to flee the UAE and subsequent disappearance, in which she claimed she was fleeing from her family, made allegations of abuse, and said her father was responsible for a number of murders, including the murder of his deceased older brother's wife. The escape attempt was the focus of a documentary by Australian broadcaster Nine News as well as BBC Newsnight investigation.
In December 2018, former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson, after meeting Latifa in the presence of other family members, said that Latifa was now in the care of her family. Her statement was criticised by human rights groups, who said that Robinson would not have been able to tell in the meeting whether Latifa truly had psychological issues. A spokeswoman for "The Mary Robinson Foundation – Climate Justice" confirmed that Robinson was approached by Latifa's stepmother Princess Haya bint Hussein, an old friend of Robinson's, and was requested to go to Dubai by Princess Haya and that Haya paid the fare, less than two weeks after the BBC ran a documentary detailing Latifa's failed escape attempt in March. Robinson admits she was "horribly tricked" when photographs of the private lunch were made public and that both she and Haya had been told of details of Latifa's bipolar disorder, a condition which she does not have. Latifa's cousin Marcus Essabri reported that Latifa's photos with Mary Robinson seem to show Latifa medicated while held in Dubai under her father's orders.
In December 2019, a UK family court ruled that, on the balance of probabilities, Mohammed may have committed the crime of "taunting" Haya after her adulterous affair with a bodyguard became known, which verbal "taunting," the court held, amounted to subjecting Haya to "a campaign of intimidation," reportedly including guns placed on her pillow. The findings were published in March 2021. In October 2021, the High Court ruled that Mohammed's agents used the Israeli Pegasus spyware to hack the phones of Princess Haya, her solicitors, a personal assistant and two members of her security team in the summer of 2020. The court ruled that the agents acted "with the express or implied authority" of the sheikh; he denied knowledge of the hacking. The judgment referred to the hacking as "serial breaches of (UK) domestic criminal law", "in violation of fundamental common law and ECHR rights", "interference with the process of this court and the mother's access to justice" and "abuse of power" by a head of state.
Mohammad has been married to at least eleven women. As of 2023, he is divorced from all his wives except his first wife, Sheikha Hind bint Maktoum Al Maktoum.
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Net Worth and Salary
As of 2025, estimates suggest that Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum's personal net worth is around $14 billion. The Al Maktoum family, led by him, is collectively valued at $18 billion. His annual salary as the Prime Minister and Vice President of the UAE is approximately ₹2,22,53,049.00 (Indian Rupees), which is roughly USD 2.7 million at the current exchange rate.
A billionaire, Mohammed generates most of his income from real estate and is described as "one of the world's most prominent real estate developers". There is a blurred line between the assets of the Government of Dubai and those of the ruling Al Maktoum family. Land which is owned by him is managed as an asset of the state. He oversaw the growth of Dubai into a global city, as well as the launch of a number of government-owned enterprises including Emirates Airline, DP World, and the Jumeirah Group. Some of these are held by Dubai Holding. Mohammed has overseen the development of certain projects in Dubai, such as the Palm Islands and the Burj Al Arab hotel, as well as Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world since 2010.
A 2006 UNICEF-sponsored program with the UAE government resulted in the repatriation of hundreds of children formerly enslaved as camel jockeys, and provided them with social services and compensation upon return to their home countries of Pakistan, Sudan, Mauritania, and Bangladesh. The UAE government set aside US$2.7 million in initial funding in 2005 with an additional $9 million for the second phase, and to enforce compliance, adopted a law officially banning the practice with penalties of jail time and a $27,200 fine. UNICEF endorsed the UAE's efforts and expressed the hopes that "the UAE's programme will serve as a model to other countries in the region, as a means of ending all forms of exploitation of children".
In October 2021, an investigation by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) revealed that over 330 prominent politicians and public officials across the world had ties with offshore companies. Amongst them were 35 current and former world leaders. The leaked 11.9 million files revealed that Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum also used offshore companies to manage and expand his wealth. In order to carry out his dealings, he registered three companies in the tax havens of the British Virgin Islands (BVI) and the Bahamas. Registered by an Emirati firm, Axiom Limited, the three companies were Tandem Investco Limited and Tandem DirectorCo Limited in BVI and Allied International Investments Limited in the Bahamas. Partly owned by the Dubai Holding, in which Mohammed owns major shares, Axiom Limited used the three companies to “expand its core business”.
Career, Business, and Investments
Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has been pivotal in driving Dubai's economic growth. His vision for Dubai includes transforming it into a global business center by investing in infrastructure, tourism, and innovative technologies. He has overseen major projects such as Dubai Internet City, Dubai Media City, and Dubai World Central. He is also a strong supporter of entrepreneurship and innovation, exemplified by initiatives like the Mohammed bin Rashid Establishment for Young Business Leaders.
Mohammed is an equestrian and is the founder of the Maktoum family-owned Godolphin stable and the owner of Darley, a thoroughbred breeding operation, operational in six countries. In 2012, he rode the horse Madji Du Pont 160 km to take the FEI World Endurance Championship.
Mohammed has overseen the creation and growth of a number of businesses and economic assets of Dubai, with a number held by two companies under his ownership, Dubai World and Dubai Holding. According to the laws of Dubai, the ruling family owns all undeveloped land in Dubai, which has allowed the family to prosper from real estate development. During Mohammed's rule, Dubai has seen enormous population growth, causing a real estate boom in Dubai. The boom was in part facilitated by Sheikh Mohammed's 2002 decree that foreigners would be allowed to purchase property in Dubai.
Mohammed established Dubai World by decree, leading to the company's launch on 2 July 2006, as a holding company consolidating a number of assets including logistics company, DP World, property developer Nakheel Properties, and investment company Istithmar World. With more than 50,000 employees in over 100 cities around the globe, the Group has real estate, logistics and other business investments in the United States, the United Kingdom, and South Africa. The company is owned by the government of Dubai.
Sheikh Mohammed's personal corporate portfolio is the Dubai Holding Group, which is involved in a variety of investments. Dubai Holding benefits from its association with the ruling family of Dubai, and is given free land by the Dubai government.
Through the 1970s, as well as his role as head of Dubai Defence Force and UAE Minister of Defence, Mohammed oversaw Dubai's energy resources and was in charge of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority. It was in this latter role, in March 1985, that he founded Emirates Airline, tasking then-head of Dnata, Maurice Flanagan, with launching a new airline to be called Emirates after a dispute with Gulf Air over Dubai's 'Open Skies' policy. The launch budget of the airline was $10 million (the amount Flanagan said he needed to launch an airline) and its inaugural flight took place on 25 October 1985. Sheikh Mohammed appointed his uncle Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum as chairman of the new company. A further $75 million in facilities and materials was provided, but Emirates has always maintained that it has received no further subsidies throughout the company's meteoric growth to become one of the world's leading airlines.
The Burj Al Arab was inaugurated in December 1999. The hotel, constructed from a design by WS Atkins in response to a brief from Mohammed to create "a truly iconic" building, styles itself as "the world's most luxurious hotel". It was constructed on an island offshore from the Jumeirah Beach Hotel, the first property managed by Jumeirah, the hotel management company launched by Mohammed in 1997 and headed by ex-Trust House Forte executive Gerald Lawless. While work began on both hotels at the same time, the island to house the Burj Al Arab required three years to build before construction began above ground. Jumeirah's international expansion, driven after it became part of Dubai Holding in 2004, encompasses 22 hotels in ten countries.
In June 2017, two new initiatives were added to the Mohammed Bin Rashid Global Initiatives, within the "Empowering Communities" sector, namely the International Institute for Tolerance and the Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Award for Tolerance. In this respect, Sheikh Mohammed issued Law No. (9) of 2017 on the Establishment of the International Institute for Tolerance and Decree No. (23) of 2017 on the Formation of a Board of Trustees and Decree No. (28) of 2017 on the Appointment of a Managing Director for the International Institute for Tolerance. In this respect, Law No. (9) of 2017 includes the launch of the Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Award for Tolerance, administered in accordance with the provisions and statute of said Law. Hence, the establishment of the International Institute for Tolerance aims at instilling a spirit of tolerance across the community, building a cohesive society, strengthening the UAE's standing and position as a model of tolerance, as well as renouncing extremism and all forms of discrimination among people on the basis of religion, sex, race, color or language, in addition to honoring all entities and institutions contributing to the promotion of tolerance and open, interfaith dialogue.
In 2021, investigative reporting into the Pegasus spyware found that Latifa's name was added to a list of names that were potential targets of the spyware just days before she was seized by commandos of an unknown country, off the coast of India, while she was aboard a yacht in an attempt to flee Dubai. A brief statement issued on Latifa's behalf by law firm Taylor Wessing stated that she was free to travel and requested privacy. In the same year the #FreeLatifa campaign ended after Latifa had been photographed in public places such as Dubai, Spain and Iceland.
Sheikh Mohammed owns the yacht named Dubai, built by the German company Blohm + Voss and designed by English designer Andrew Winch, who owns Winch Design. The yacht is 162 m long, and was the world's third largest yacht as of 2014, with the capacity for up to 115 people including crew. Another of his yachts is the 40 m Alloya, built by Sanlorenzo in 2013.
Sheikh Mohammed owns real estate in the United Kingdom worth more than 100 million British pounds, as well as properties in Rome through a company registered in Luxembourg. According to a 2021 analysis by The Guardian and Transparency International, Sheikh Mohammed is one of the largest landowners in the UK, owning more than 100,000 acres. The exact number of properties is not known, as most of the properties connected to him are owned through offshore companies in the tax havens of Guernsey and Jersey. When asked about these holdings, Sheikh Mohammed's lawyer rejected that the properties were bought through offshore companies or that the holdings were intended to avoid UK taxes.
Social Network
Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum is active on social media platforms, particularly on Twitter, where he engages with both local and international audiences. He uses these platforms to share updates on Dubai's development and his vision for the future.
Mohammed had raced horses as a child (he would share his breakfast with his horse on the way to school) but he attended his first formal race at Newmarket in 1967 with his brother Hamdan, watching Royal Palace win the 2,000 guineas. Becoming an owner in his own right, ten years later he won his first race with Hatta at Brighton. And five years after that, Mohammed and Hamdan had three studs and 100 horses under training.
By 1992, Mohammed had started 'wintering' his horses in Dubai, frequently against the advice of trainers and pundits in the UK. The results were a string of high-profile wins, and by 1994 he founded Godolphin. In 1995, his hands-on approach to racing resulted in a major split with leading trainer Henry Cecil after a disagreement over racing a horse Mohammed insisted was injured. Cecil took the argument public and Mohammed removed all his horses from Cecil's stable.
In February 2021, video footage obtained by the BBC showed Latifa saying she has been "a hostage" for over a year "with no access to medical help" in "solitary confinement" without access to medical or legal help in a "villa jail" with windows and doors barred shut, and guarded by police. The governments of Dubai and the UAE have not responded to requests for comment from the BBC. Despite her family's insistence that she has been enjoying time with them at home the past two years, Latifa says in the series of videos released by her advocates that she is "a hostage" and fears for her life. "Every day, I'm worried about my safety in my life. I don't really know if I'm going to survive this situation. The police threaten me that they would take me outside and shoot me if I didn't cooperate with them," she said. "They also threatened me that I would be in prison my whole life and I'll never see the sun again."
In June 2019, Princess Haya fled Dubai along with her two children, a son and a daughter, and was in Germany seeking political asylum. A subsequent poem composed by Mohammed (an occasional couplet-writer) and posted on Instagram alluded to betrayal in love.
Education
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum received his initial education in Dubai. He later attended the Al Ahliyya School in Dubai before moving to the United Kingdom for further studies. In the UK, he attended the Monastery School in Aldershot, and later underwent officer training at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. He graduated from Sandhurst in 1968.
From the age of four, Mohammed was privately tutored in Arabic and Islamic Studies. In 1955, he began formal education at Al Ahmedia School. At the age of 10, he moved to Al Shaab School, and two years later, attended Dubai Secondary School. In 1966, with his cousin Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Maktoum, he attended the Bell Educational Trust's English Language School in the United Kingdom. He subsequently studied at the Mons Officer Cadet School in Aldershot, passing out with the sword of honour as the top Commonwealth student. He also travelled to Italy to train as a pilot.
Mohammed founded the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre in 2015, which announced it would be launching a spacecraft to Mars to study the planet’s atmosphere; He stated that the planet was chosen for its "epic challenge," saying it would benefit the Emirati economy. He announced that the mission would be called Hope after a public vote, as the name would "send a message of optimism to millions of young Arabs," since "Arab civilisation once played a great role in contributing to human knowledge, and [would] play that role again."
The Mohammed bin Rashid School of Government (previously the Dubai School of Government) is an academic and research institution in the area of public policy and administration.
At the age of 63, Mohammed won the 2012 World Endurance Championship over a 160 km course. Both his thoroughbreds and endurance horses have failed drug tests – although his trainers (including Mahmood Al Zarooni) have accepted the blame. His endurance racing stable has also been involved in other scandals, including both fatal injuries, and ringers. In 2015, the FEI suspended the United Arab Emirates following a series of scandals.
In September 2006, Mohammed was accused of encouraging the abduction and enslavement of thousands of boys for use as jockeys in camel races. A class-action suit was filed against him in the US state of Florida. In 2006, American lawyers representing the UAE raised a motion to dismiss the lawsuit on the grounds that none of the involved parties resided in the US, arguing that the UN program best served the interests of the children. In July 2007, Judge Cecilia Altonaga accepted the motion and dismissed the suit.
