| HH The Emir Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum راشد بن سعيد آل مكتوم |
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|---|---|
| 2nd Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates | |
| In office 25 April 1979 – 7 October 1990 |
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| President | Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan |
| Deputy | Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Nahyan Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum |
| Preceded by | Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum |
| Succeeded by | Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum |
| Ruler of Dubai | |
| In office 1958 – 7 October 1990 |
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| Preceded by | Saeed bin Maktoum Al Maktoum |
| Succeeded by | Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1912 Dubai, Trucial States |
| Died | 7 October 1990 (aged 78) Dubai, United Arab Emirates |
| Nationality | Emirati |
| Children | Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum |
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
| Father | Saeed bin Maktoum Al Maktoum |
HH The Emir Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum (1912 - October 7, 1990) (Arabic: راشد بن سعيد آل مكتوم) was the Vice-President and Prime Minister of United Arab Emirates and Emir of Dubai. He ruled for 32 years from 1958 until his death in 1990.
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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." [1] reflected his concern that Dubai's oil, which was discovered in 1966 and which began production in 1971, would run out within a generation. 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:
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 Sheikhdoms in 1946, and he establish a close relationship with Qatar. Sheikh Rashid's daughter married the then Emir of Qatar in 1961, and the Emir provided US$700 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 entrepot.
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.
Sheikh Rashid had four sons:
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 October 7, 1990 until his death on January 4, 2006. Another of Sheikh Rashid's sons, Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, took over these positions following Sheikh Maktoum's death.
| Preceded by Sheikh Said II ibn Maktum |
Emir of Dubai 1958—1990 |
Succeeded by Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum |
| Preceded by Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum |
Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates 1979—1990 |
Succeeded by Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum |
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