The richest sheikhs of the East . How does the heir to the throne of the Arab Emirates live?

What do we imagine when we hear the word “sheikh”? Luxury and fabulous wealth with shades of the East. In life... everything is like that.

Yes, there will be no words here about how difficult and difficult life is for poor sheikhs.

SHEIKH KHALIFA BIN ZAYED AL NAHYAN

His personal fortune is quite modest - only 18 billion US dollars. But the total fortune of his family is 150 billion, still the same US dollars, impressive right? But that's not all! The capitalization of the investment fund, whose curator is the sheikh, exceeds 875 billion. Now this is really extremely cool.

In addition to the fact that the sheikh is rich, he is also just the emir of Abu Dhabi and the president of the United Arab Emirates (the Burj Khalifa itself is named after him), like his father, who has already retired.

But a person is not happy with wealth alone (in fact, only with it) - the sheikh is loved in his country and is revered as an intelligent and far-sighted leader.

HAMDAN BIN MOHAMMED BIN RASHID AL-MAKTOUM

The young (34 years old) heir to the Emirate of Dubai also has 18 billion dollars in his account (well, he has something to strive for, right?), but that is not what makes him remarkable.

His social life is rich in the good sense of the word - the prince spends huge sums on donations and patronizes the autism center.

Hamdan also loves extreme sports and travel, he posts reports about all his adventures here.

SHEIKH MOHAMMED HUSSEIN ALI AL-AMOUDI

Mohammed, by the way, was not born a sheikh, but earned this title thanks to his merits. He is the second richest man in Saudi Arabia and lives in two countries - Saudi Arabia itself and Ethiopia, which is his homeland.

Of course, the basis of his wealth is oil (who would have thought, huh?), but in addition, the sheikh was engaged in growing almost everything (4.20) - from vegetables to coffee and tea (and coffee (beans, if you didn’t understand), by the way, he even supplies Starbucks, and tea to Lipton). Well, and so on to the little things - the sheikh owns hotels, hospitals, does business in Europe and simply enjoys life.

Well, how could it be otherwise?

SHEIKH MANSOUR BIN ZAYED AL-NAHYAN

The Prime Minister of the UAE and part-time half-brother of Sheikh Khalifa is also not a poor man. His capital is almost 5 billion US dollars. In addition to politics, of course, he is involved in oil (and you thought not?), but that is not what makes him interesting.

This smiling guy simply loves sports. He invests money in virtually all areas of sports in his country and he also owns Manchester City... yes, that same football team (not United, don’t confuse the guys). Someone thinks that this is self-indulgence and he doesn’t need a football team at all, but even if this is so, he can afford it - after all, with such and such finances.

SHEIKH MOHAMMED BIN RASHID AL-MAKTOUM

Remember I mentioned the father of the current UAE President? Well, actually, here he is. Of course, he is poorer than his son (net worth some 4.5 billion dollars), but for some reason I don’t think the sheikh is upset about this.

Mohammed, by the way, is also an entertainer - the idea of ​​​​the Burj Khalifa belongs to him. He also owns the Emirates airline, the tourism holding Jumeirah Group and many transnational projects. The sheikh also loves horse racing and betting. Which is not surprising - what else could he be interested in?

Today we will talk about the richest and wisest rulers of the East. Their fortune amounts to billions of dollars. What are they? They are called "sheikhs of the United Arab Emirates." What do they do in everyday life? How many wives do they have? We bring to your attention the most interesting information about Arab sheikhs, as well as the top 10 of their favorite activities. We hope that the information presented below will provide complete answers to all your questions about the life of the eastern rulers.

Magic stories or real life?

A large number of people believe that an Arab sheikh is a man who does nothing, but at the same time bathes in luxury and wealth, and he is surrounded by the most beautiful women on the planet. They live in the most beautiful palaces, in which there are a huge number of servants and assistants. Let's find out if this is really true? But first of all, let’s define the concept itself.

Sheikh - what does this word mean?

This concept has several meanings. Let's list them all. So, a sheikh is:

1. clan elder or leader;
2. a respectable and respected person;
3. leader of a nomadic tribe;
4. mentor;
5. major scientist;
6. may be part of the name.

Having analyzed all the variants of the meaning of the word, we come to the conclusion that an Arab sheikh is the ruler of the emirates, a respected and respectable person. An interesting fact is that this title is inherited or awarded to the most worthy Muslim. He must comply with the following rules: be a highly moral person; not to commit actions incompatible with the foundations of the Koran, and also to know well and be able to correctly interpret its contents.

Legends and myths?

The life of sheikhs has always aroused great interest among ordinary people. Perhaps this also happened because any information was carefully hidden from prying eyes. Sheikhs do not like to give interviews or talk about their private lives. That is why there are so many different legends about them. Let's remember the most common ones:

• The candies can be eaten directly with the wrappers, which are made of the highest standard gold.
• They spend not millions, but billions of dollars on their weddings.
• The main source of income is oil.
• These people don't do anything.

Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahyan

He was the first president of the United Arab Emirates. Thanks to the efforts of this man, global changes for the better began to occur in the country. He took up construction and landscaping. Agriculture, medicine, and education began to develop. He wisely ruled his state for more than thirty years. How did the Arab sheikh live? He cared about the prosperity of his country and his subjects.

The time when the Bedouins lived in poverty and hunger is irrevocably gone. The income from the sale of oil was so huge that it made it possible not only to improve the people's well-being, but also to make the sheikhs themselves billionaires.

• In UAE restaurants, visitors could try tea to which gold was added. Its price was 15 dollars, if translated into Russian rubles, it is approximately 800-900 rubles.
• Arab Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum (the current ruler) has the most expensive yacht in the world. Even a helicopter can land on its deck, and there are several swimming pools.
• Clothes for sheikhs are made only from the most expensive and exclusive materials.
• The most expensive passport in the world costs half a million dollars. It belongs to a sheikh named Khalif. The passport is made of leather, precious stones and gold. An interesting fact is that the dimensions of this document are one and a half meters by meter.
• One of the sheikhs named Raduzhny has a huge collection of unique cars, painted in different colors of the rainbow. Each of them corresponds to a specific day of the week.
• The license plates on the sheikhs' cars consist of two digits. The machines themselves are made of gold or platinum.
• Breeding Arabian horses is considered one of the most popular activities among sheikhs. Huge amounts of money are spent for these animals. They build luxurious stables, spacious and equipped with all the necessary items.
• The first ruler of the United Arab Emirates raised nineteen children who, today, occupy high government positions or are engaged in business.

Top 10 favorite activities

It's time to find out what Arab sheikhs like to do in their free time. We have compiled a list of the most popular entertainment for you.

• In tenth place are professional photography classes.
• Ninth - snorkeling or diving.
• Eighth - jumping from heights.
• Seventh - motorcycle racing.
• Sixth - mountaineering.
• Fifth - falconry.
• Fourth - skydiving.
• Third - equestrian competitions.
• The second is camel racing.
• The first is horse breeding.

Wise rulers of the East

They live in magnificent palaces. They are surrounded by good furniture, luxurious carpets and luxury items. Many personal items are made of pure gold: phones, laptops, etc. But at the same time, the Arab sheikh (photo below) is a highly educated and intelligent person who understands different areas of life: politics, science, economics, culture, etc. d. They send their children to study at the most prestigious institutions in the world.

Sheikhs not only take care of themselves and their loved ones, but also of their subjects. They spend huge sums of money on charity, building hospitals, schools and other necessary cultural and artistic institutions. But this is not all that sheikhs do for their subjects. An interesting fact is known that the President of the UAE paid off the loan debts of those citizens of his country who did not have the opportunity to do so.

Arab sheikhs and their wives

One of the most common opinions about the life of the rulers of the East is that they can take a large number of beautiful women as wives. Let's see if this is actually true. It is possible that some sheikhs maintain harems, but there is no official information about this.

The main religion of the East is Islam, according to which a sheikh, as well as rich and noble Muslims, can have four wives. Huge amounts of money are spent on weddings. For Arab Sheikh Mohammed ibn Rashid al-Maktoum, the festive celebration cost a fantastic amount - about sixty million dollars. This wedding is considered one of the most expensive in the world. Surely readers will be interested to know about the number of guests at this memorable event. This figure is also impressive - twenty thousand.

The sheikh gives each wife a built palace along with servants. In addition, huge amounts of money are spent on clothes and jewelry; when women go out, they shimmer and sparkle like Christmas tree decorations.

Conclusion

Sheikhs of the United Arab Emirates are smart and educated people who like to surround themselves with expensive things. They do everything to ensure that their country prospers and the people living in it are satisfied and happy. Thus, many legends about the life of Arab sheikhs have no basis. They lead a modern lifestyle, and their areas of activity are very diverse. Today they rely on sports, tourism and science, investing their fortunes in them.

Officially, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Commander-in-Chief of the UAE Armed Forces.

In fact, the Emir of Abu Dhabi, the President of the UAE.

Third son of Sheikh Zayed. An interesting point is that he and Khalifa are half-brothers. Khalifa was born to his first wife, Hassa bint Mohammed ibn Khalifa. Sheikh Mohammed ibn Zayed was born to his third wife, Fatima bint Mubarak Al-Ketbi.

Sheikhin Fatima bint-Mubarak Al-Ketbi had only 6 sons: Muhammad, Hamdan, Hazza, Tanun, Mansur and Abdula. They are called “Bani Fatima” or “sons of Fatima”, they form the most influential bloc in the Al-Nahyan family.

Fatima's sons have always been influential; some political scientists even assign them a leading role in the changes in Abu Dhabi that have occurred since 2004. They received full power only in 2014, when Sheikh Khalifa suffered a stroke. Now it is difficult to say whether the vector of their domestic and foreign policies will change. Wait and see.

Mohammed ibn Zayed studied at school in Al Ain, then in Abu Dhabi. Entered Sandhurst Academy (UK) in 1979. Trained in military skills of helicopter piloting, driving armored vehicles, and parachute jumping. After returning from England, he underwent military training in Sharjah and became an officer in the UAE Armed Forces.

He was an officer in the Amiri Guards (an elite unit), a pilot in the UAE Air Force, and eventually became the Commander-in-Chief of the UAE Armed Forces.

In 2003, he was proclaimed the second Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi. After the death of his father on November 2, 2004, he became crown prince. Since December 2004, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, member of the Supreme Petroleum Council.

For now, world leaders and political scientists are keeping an eye on Sheikh Mohammed. He is known to believe that the UAE should play a much larger role in world politics. He loves falconry, like his father. He is interested in poetry and writes poetry himself in the Nabati style.

Sheikhin Fatima bint Mubarak Al-Ketbi

Third wife of Sheikh Zayed, mother of six of his sons, including Crown Prince Mohammed (de facto ruler of Abu Dhabi and President of the UAE).

This woman played a large role in UAE politics during the reign of her husband Sheikh Zayed, and remains very influential to this day. She is called “Mother of the Nation”.

The exact date of her birth is unknown. She was probably born in the mid-40s in . In the 60s she married Zaid Al-Nahyan, becoming his third wife.

In 1973, she founded the Abu Dhabi Women's Awakening Society, the first women's social organization in the UAE. In 1975, she created and headed the UAE Women's Main Union. The main area of ​​interest of these organizations was education, because at that time girls in the UAE did not study at all. In 2004, Fatima facilitated the appointment of the first female minister.

Now she still heads the Main Women's Union, the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, the Family Development Foundation and several other organizations. And this despite his advanced age! Naturally, Fatima has a gigantic influence on the policies of Sheikh Mohammed and the affairs of Bani Fatima.

Dubai

The Emirate of Dubai is ruled by the Al Muktoum family.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Muktum

Ruling Emir (officially since January 4, 2006, actually since January 3, 1995), Prime Minister and Vice President of the UAE since February 11, 2006.

Sheikh Mohammed is called “The Architect of Modern Dubai”. He is a very well-rounded man and is now the most famous leader in the UAE.

Mohammed became the third son of the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Rashid ibn Saeed Al-Muktum. His mother Lafita was the daughter of the ruler of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Hamadan ibn Zayed Al Nahyan. As a child, Muhammad received both secular and traditional Islamic education. In 1966 (at the age of 18) he studied in the UK at the Mons Cadet Corps and in Italy to become a pilot.

In 1968, Mohammed attended his father's meeting with Sheikh Zayed at Argub al-Sedira, where the rulers of Dubai and Abu Dhabi agreed on the imminent creation of the UAE. After the formation of the UAE, he was Minister of Defense and head of the Dubai Police.

On October 7, 1990, Muhammad's father and ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Rashid ibn Said, died. Power passed to the eldest son, Sheikh Muktum ibn Rashid, who was very fond of equestrian sports and was an excellent athlete, but was not drawn to politics and management.

On January 4, 1995, Muktum ibn Rashid appoints Mohammed as crown prince and, in fact, transfers power to him in the emirate of Dubai. On January 4, 2006, Muktum ibn Rashid died of a heart attack, Mohammed ibn Rashid became the official ruler of Dubai.

The list of achievements of Muhammad ibn Rashid is enormous. He diversified the economy of Dubai, now oil revenues account for only 4% of the emirate’s GDP, Dubai has become a shopping “mecca”, second only to London, the largest trading and financial center.

With his support or on his initiative, the following were created: Burj Al Arab, Emirates airline, the artificial islands of Palm and World, the world's largest artificial harbor of Jebel Ali, the Dubai Internet City zone and hundreds of other projects.

He became famous for his raids on enterprises, where he personally checked whether employees were in their places and fired those who were absent. Sheikh Mohammed ibn Rashid is famous for his intolerance of corruption; during his rule, hundreds of officials caught in bribes and using their positions for personal gain were sent to prison.

Now (note: the article was written at the end of 2017) he is already 68 years old, but he is full of energy and is successfully implementing his Dubai development plan until 2021. He recently took part in the Arab Strategic Forum, and you can't tell he's 68.

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UAE Prince Hamdan (aka Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, but you are unlikely to remember that) - resembles a real eastern prince from the book “A Thousand and One Nights”. Judge for yourself - Hamdan is handsome, lives in a beautiful palace, owns a multi-billion dollar fortune and has a lot of interesting entertainment. For example, the eastern handsome man loves racing cars, rock climbing and horse riding. He rides on a white horse, of course.

By the way, the prince runs a fairly popular Instagram, where he, like mere mortals, posts photos with cats. True, instead of ordinary cats, he has real tiger cubs and lion cubs. Mimimi!

Emin Agalarov

ITAR-TASS

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People like Emin Agalarov are said to be “born with a silver spoon in his mouth” - his father Aras Agalarov is the owner of the “construction empire” Crocus Group, and therefore numerous shopping centers and the entire Crocus complex in Moscow. More recently, Emin was married to the daughter of the President of Azerbaijan, Leyla Aliyeva, but recently the couple broke up and the enviable groom is free again!
In addition to big business, Agalarov is interested in music - it is possible that you have already been to his concert. Emin sings romantic love songs, which, however, does not prevent him from holding the position of vice president of Crocus Group and delving into all the company’s affairs. This dream man lives in two cities - Emin can be found in Moscow and Baku.

Sheikh Mansour

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Sheikh Mansour, whose full name is Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan, is one of the richest people in the world - he is a member of the royal ruling family of Abu Dhabi, owner of the Manchester City football club and a fortune of $32 billion. In his spare time, the sheikh enjoys horse riding and even won a number of tournaments held in the Middle East on his Arabian horse.

Mansur is used to living in grand style, which is why he has not one wife, but already two, but it’s not a fact that an oriental man will stop there.

Burak Ozcivit

instagram.com/burakozcivitt_/

Turkish actor, star of the series “The Magnificent Century” Burak Ozcivit began his career in Europe as a model, but fame befell him in his native Turkey. After his starring role in the sensational TV series, Burak decided not to spend the money he earned on empty entertainment and opened his own business - a chain of restaurants in Istanbul. A little later it turned out that becoming a restaurateur was his childhood dream - the artist’s father owned a small kebab shop in the city of Mersin, and Özçivit simply decided to continue the successful family business. Commendable!

By the way, handsome Burak, despite numerous gossip about his affairs, is still not married, so his fans have a chance.

Sheikh Majid bin Mohammed

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Sheikh Majid is the brother of UAE Prince Hamdan, whom we have already talked about. But unlike his older brother, Majid is not a very public person, and even on his Instagram he prefers to post not personal photos, but pictures from official ceremonies. However, nothing human is alien to the sheikh - like many of his “colleagues,” Majid is fond of racing and equestrian sports. For some time he lived in Great Britain, where he graduated from the military academy, but soon returned home to government affairs.

Majid spends his free time at various sporting events in Dubai and Abu Dhabi - not a single competition is complete without him. As for her personal life, absolutely nothing is known about her (by the way, as well as about the mother of the sheikh himself) - women in the royal family of the United Arab Emirates remain in absolute shadow.

Mehmet Akif

twitter.com/alakurt_m/

Turkish heartthrob Mehmet Akif made it into our rating not because of his fabulous fortune (although he is clearly not in poverty), but because of his magnificent appearance. It is worth noting that Mehmet is not alien to truly masculine hobbies - before starting a modeling career, the son of a military man first served in the army. After returning from service, Akif took part in a Turkish modeling competition and won it, and then won a similar competition called “The Best Model of the World.”

Now Mehmet enjoys enormous success in Turkey - he acts in films and hosts a TV show. And one more good news - the sultry handsome man is not married, so we are all going to Istanbul.

King Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck

Let's move from the Middle East to Asia for a while - there are handsome and wealthy men there too! For example, the King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuk, who, however, recently got married, but still cannot be excluded from our list.

Firstly, the king has an excellent education - he graduated from college in the USA and Great Britain. Secondly, Khesar is actively involved in charity work and helps those in need. And thirdly, the king found the courage to marry for love, and not for the sake of state affairs - his wife was a girl from an ordinary family, the daughter of a pilot. And this is admirable!

Based on Khaleej Times/ The combined wealth of the 12 UAE billionaires, who are among the world's richest people, grew from US$34.1 billion to US$36.2 billion in 2015. In total, the wealth of the top 20 richest on the planet decreased by US$70 billion.

Microsoft founder Bill Gates, with a net worth of US$75 billion, ranks first on the list of the world's richest people for the third year in a row. The list of UAE billionaires is topped by Majid Al Futtaim, ranking 270th in the global rankings with a fortune estimated at US$5 billion.

Among the UAE billionaires, 5 are Emirati citizens and 7 are Indians doing business in the Emirates.

The second richest person in the UAE with a fortune of US$4.9 billion is Abdullah bin Ahmad al-Ghurair and his family. Indian-born Mickey Jagtiani, ranked 338th on the global list, is ranked 3rd in the UAE with an estimated net worth of US$4.4 billion. Jagtiani is the owner of Dubai-based LandmarkGroup, the largest retailer in the Middle East.

The next UAE super-rich to be included in the Forbes list is Yusufali MA, whose net worth is US$4.2 billion, up from US$2.5 billion last year. Owner of the retail LuluGroup, it ranks 358th in the world. Last year his position was 737th.

Real estate tycoon Hussain Sajwani of DAMAC is the 5th UAE billionaire, followed in 6th place by Abdullah Al Futtaim (ranked 549th in the world), with an estimated net worth of US$3.1 billion.

Ravi Pillai, with a net worth of US$2.9 billion, ranked 595th in the world (he was ranked 782nd last year), is the 7th richest person in the UAE. Saif Al Ghurair is ranked 810th in the world, 8th in the UAE, with a net worth of US$2.2 billion, according to Forbes.

Sunny Varkey, who heads the Gems-VarkeyEducationgroup - the largest chain of private schools in the world, is ranked 9th in the UAE and 959th in the world, with a net worth of US$1.9 billion. Rounding out the top ten richest people in the UAE BR Shetty, with a net worth of US$1.8 billion, specializes in healthcare and foreign exchange transfers. Azad Moopen, founder of AsterDMHealthcare, ranks 11th with a net worth of US$1.5 billion, followed by jewelry chain owner Joy Alukkas in 12th place with an estimated net worth of US$1.1 billion.

According to Forbes magazine's annual list of billionaires, India ranks 4th in the number of billionaires - 84, of which four are in the top 100 richest people in the world: Mukesh Ambani (US$19.3 billion), Dilip Shanghvi (US$16, 7 billion), Aziz Premji (US$15 billion) and Shiv Nadar (US$11.1 billion).

The US continues to be home to the most billionaires, with 540, up from 536 last year. 489 billionaires live in Europe.

The Forbes list is dominated by men. Of the 1,810 billionaires, only 190 are women. In 2015, this figure was 197.

The hardest hit in 2015 was Carlos Slim, the Mexican telecommunications tycoon, whose fortune dropped from US$77.1 billion to US$50 billion over the year.