A member of the generation that helped build modern Dubai has passed away
Dubai is mourning Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, a senior member of its ruling family and the youngest brother of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
Sheikh Ahmed died aged 76, with Dubai declaring ten days of official mourning and flags ordered to be flown at half-mast.
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But his story stretches considerably beyond membership of the Al Maktoum family.
Born in 1950, Sheikh Ahmed was the youngest son of Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the former Ruler of Dubai whose leadership was central to transforming the emirate into a modern commercial centre.
Sheikh Ahmed served as Deputy Chairman of Dubai Police and Public Security and previously held military responsibilities. He was also active in business and property development.
Perhaps his most visible legacy, however, is in sport.
He was closely associated with Al Wasl Sports Club from its formative years and became one of the important figures in the development of horse racing in Dubai. He founded Jebel Ali Racecourse in the early 1990s and became internationally known as a racehorse owner and breeder.
His sporting interests extended further. He established the Dubai International Marine Club and was associated with the development of the Victory Team, which helped put Dubai on the international offshore powerboat racing map.
Funeral prayers were held at Za’abeel Grand Mosque, led by his brother Sheikh Mohammed and attended by senior members of the ruling family.
Sheikh Ahmed belonged to a generation that witnessed an extraordinary transformation: from the early years of the United Arab Emirates to the emergence of Dubai as one of the world’s most recognisable commercial, aviation, tourism and sporting centres.
His life was intertwined with much of that journey.
For Dubai, his passing therefore represents more than the death of a member of its ruling family. It marks the passing of another figure from the generation that helped shape the emirate during some of the most consequential decades of its modern history.
Be that as it may, buildings and skylines may define modern Dubai to much of the world. The story behind them is also the story of a generation of people who helped build the institutions that made that transformation possible.
