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HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum

HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum — Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai. His vision, decrees and announcements, explained for the people who live and work in Dubai.

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HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Ruler of Dubai
RULER OF DUBAI

HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum

Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE · Ruler of Dubai since 4 January 2006

Born on 15 July 1949 in Al Shindagha, he became Head of Dubai Police at nineteen and, in the federation year of 1971, the UAE's first Minister of Defence. He is the builder of modern Dubai: Emirates, launched in 1985, the Palm Jumeirah, DIFC, the Dubai Metro and the Burj Khalifa all rose under his leadership. He is the author of "My Vision", and his motto runs through everything in this library: "In the race of excellence... there is no finish line."

Born 1949 · Al ShindaghaRuler since 2006Emirates · Palm Jumeirah · Burj KhalifaAuthor of My Vision

Start Here: Five Essential Reads

The profile, the capstone — his vision in his own words — and the three stories that built the modern city: Emirates, the Palm and the tallest tower on Earth.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum: The Vision That Built Modern DubaiThe ProfileWhat Sheikh Mohammed Thinks About Dubai: His Vision in His Own WordsThe Capstone1985: How Sheikh Mohammed Created Emirates From Two Leased PlanesEmirates, 1985The Palm Jumeirah: How Dubai Drew a Palm Tree on the SeaThe Palm JumeirahBurj Khalifa: Why Dubai Built the Tallest Tower on EarthBurj Khalifa

The Latest Stories

Newest first — the life, the projects and the vision, from Shindagha to D33.

All 51 stories: Browse the full archive.

Quick Answers

When did Sheikh Mohammed become Ruler of Dubai?

Sheikh Mohammed became Ruler of Dubai on 4 January 2006, on the death of his brother Sheikh Maktoum, and Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE in February 2006. He had been Crown Prince of Dubai since 1995 — and his public service began far earlier: Head of Dubai Police from 1968 and, in the federation year of 1971, the UAE's first Minister of Defence. The profile that opens this library tells the full story.

What is Sheikh Mohammed credited with building?

The modern city itself. Emirates rose in 1985 from two leased planes; Jebel Ali's free zone grew into one of the world's largest; Dubai Internet City and DIFC brought technology and finance; the Palm Jumeirah redrew the coastline; the Dubai Metro opened in 2009; and the Burj Khalifa — 828 metres, the world's tallest building — opened on 4 January 2010. The Museum of the Future, opened in 2022, carries his words in calligraphy across its facade.

What is Sheikh Mohammed's motto?

His motto, quoted in full, is: "In the race of excellence... there is no finish line." It is the idea at the heart of his 2006 book "My Vision: Challenges in the Race for Excellence": excellence is not a destination a city reaches and rests at, but a race that is never finished — the standard behind the vision he sets out in his own words elsewhere in this library.

What is "My Vision"?

"My Vision: Challenges in the Race for Excellence" is Sheikh Mohammed's 2006 book — his own account of how he leads and how Dubai was built: a government run to serve people the way the private sector serves customers, departments measured in public, and development treated as a race for excellence with no finish line. The capstone of this library gathers his vision in his own words.

What is the D33 agenda?

The Dubai Economic Agenda — D33 — launched in January 2023, is Sheikh Mohammed's plan to double the size of Dubai's economy over the decade that follows. It sits alongside the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan he launched in 2021, which maps how the city itself will grow. His wider forward plans are gathered under Dubai Leadership.

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