UAE sheikhs and their wives. How does an ordinary Arab sheikh live? Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah of Jordan

Diet and fitness

January 2, 2011, 20:20

I became interested in this princess thanks to a BusbyBabes post about the Crown Prince of Dubai. It became interesting who this attractive woman in the photo, presented as the second wife of the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed.
It turned out that she is in fact an extremely controversial person, but very extraordinary. Princess Haya bint Al Hussein was born on May 3, 1974 in the family of King Hussein I of Jordan. Her mother, Queen Alia, tragically died in a helicopter crash in February 1977, leaving three small children orphans. Haya received an excellent European education: she studied in England, where she attended Badminton School for Girls in Bristol, Bryanston School in Dorset, and then St Hilda's College, Oxford University, from which she graduated summa cum laude in philosophy, politics and economics. Perhaps she would have remained one of the daughters of the late King of Jordan, if not for happy marriage: On April 10, 2004, Princess Haya married Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, prime minister UAE, the ruler of Dubai, whose fortune is estimated at 20 billion dollars.
Haya becomes his younger wife because the elder wife was and remains Sheikha Hind bint Maktoum bin Juma Al Maktoum (marriage to this wife has been going on since 1979). At the time of the marriage, Sheikh Mohammed also had four wives, whose descendants are recognized, but who do not have official titles. And his total number of wives is not published anywhere, but, as you know, he still has childless wives. On December 2, 2007, Princess Haya gave birth to her first child, Sheikha Al Jalila bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. The birth of her daughter coincided with the thirty-sixth anniversary of the unification of the UAE. If the first wife of the Sheikh of Dubai is not a public person at all, then Princess Haya is her complete opposite. We can say that she is the "face" of Dubai.
The princess is involved in humanitarian work: she founded Tikyet Um Ali, the first Arab organization fighting hunger in her native Jordan. She also heads Dubai's International Humanitarian City (as I understand it, this is a fund that helps overcome humanitarian problems in the Arab world). She was an ambassador for the World Food Program from 2005-2007, and then, in July 2007, she was appointed United Nations Messenger of Peace. She is a founding member of the Global Humanitarian Forum based in Geneva and serves on the boards of many other non-profit community organizations.
However, her image is not so sinless. There are many scandals associated with Princess Haya. So, the Princess took part in the summer Olympic Games 2000 in Sydney, Australia and represented Jordan in show jumping (one of the equestrian sports). (At the same games, by the way, she carried the flag of her country). And all would be well, but her appointment to the Olympic team was very controversial, as another athlete qualified and earned Jordan the right to participate in the Olympics in this sport, but was stripped of the place in favor of Haya. Which, by the way, took 70th place. Also, Princess Haya was elected President International Federation equestrian sport. But even here it is publicly and harshly criticized: members of this organization claim that it behaves dictatorially and violates democratic principles of organization and procedure in order to pursue its own interests. ("as a member of the ruling royal family, she is used to unquestioning obedience, but here she is the elected president of a democratic institution"). Well, it should also be mentioned that in Jordan she is the president of the anti-smoking society, but during her stay in Europe, the princess was photographed smoking. Which, of course, made it possible to say that she behaves inappropriately for the sheikh of a Muslim country. But the most common accusations are related to her marriage: on the one hand, Haya is a member of organizations that fight for the equality of women and against their humiliation. On the other hand, she "participates" in a polygamous marriage in a country where women are in no way equated with men. And, as it turned out, few people believe that the princess married for love, she is even called "Gold Digger". (conspiratorially: they even say that before marriage, the princess very favorably accepted the courtship of European admirers, which for arab princess some more "ay-yay-yay"). But I, for the first and last time in a post, let me express my personal opinion: I don’t know how the princess is, but the formidable sheikh of Dubai next to her looks happy and even, I’m not afraid to say this word, soft. P.S. since, from the official website of the princess, you can’t copy a letter, let alone a photo, I’m giving a link to a photo from her wedding with the sheikh - everything happened, it turns out, quietly and with a small crowd. A photo

Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum is the 35-year-old heir to the throne of the Emirate of Dubai. Sheikh Hamdan is a real eastern prince: he is fabulously handsome, owns a huge fortune and is fond of such typical royalty things like falconry, equestrianism and Formula 1 racing. His fortune is estimated at over 18 billion dollars.

Let's tell you about the life of a young billionaire.

1. Arab Sheikh Hamdan lives in incredible luxury from birth. He was born in the family of the Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates, the ruler of the Emirate of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. He also has 6 brothers and 9 sisters. In the United Arab Emirates, Hamdan is a very popular person due to his versatile image and seeming "proximity to the people."

2. In fact, Hamdan spent most of his life not in his native Arab Emirates, but in the UK, where he received an excellent education. At first he studied at an elite military school ground forces in Sandhurst, which is often chosen by English aristocrats for their beloved children. Then the sheikh moved to London, where he studied economics. After several years spent in Foggy Albion, Hamdan still had to return to his homeland - affairs of national importance were already awaiting him there.

4. In ordinary life, Sheikh Hamdan looks a little different - he loves Formula 1 baseball caps, sports t-shirts and shorts. Yes, and the prince is to some extent far from politics - he is quite romantic in nature, loves travel, falconry and horseback riding.

5. The prince is an excellent rider, takes equestrianism very seriously, has his own stable and once won the Arab Olympic Games due to his skill in the saddle.

6. The Sheikh of the United Arab Emirates is not at all like the British princes Harry or William, although he lived in England for several years. Very little is known about Hamdan's personal life, unlike his famous "colleagues", and what is known is only rumors and conjectures. One thing we know for sure - the image makers of the royal court are constantly working to ensure that the image of the sheikh is impeccable.

7. Judge for yourself - Sheikh Hamdan is constantly photographed with children, his numerous nephews and nieces, and at the same time looks like a completely charming and kind uncle. At the same time, the sheikh does not let anyone forget that he lives in luxury - on the net you can find a lot of pictures of Hamdan with tiger cubs (he can afford to have a pet tiger instead of a modest cat!), Falcons, Arabian horses, luxury cars, in interiors magnificent palace ... In a word, the sheikh is constantly in the halo of power and wealth.

8. Of course, one of the richest people in the world cannot help but do charity work - Hamdan oversees several foundations, and sometimes he comes to visit people in need of help.

9. About his personal life and relationships with women in the UAE, they speak only in a whisper. Answering a question about his possible marriage, the prince said that from birth he was engaged to a maternal relative, so there were no problems with choosing a bride - everything was decided long before he even entered a conscious age. Several times in the media appeared his photo with unknown woman, however, we will never see her face - the intended bride (or wife?) of Hamdana wears a black cloak, showing the world only her eyes. Everything else is for the husband.

10. However, the sheikh has the right to have as many wives as he wants, so it is rather difficult to talk about the romantic affections of the prince. For comparison, Hamdan's father, Sheikh Mohammed, is rumored to have about five wives. We say "about" because exact amount really unknown - there are only eyewitness accounts and conjectures.

In a word, even girls from aristocratic families have no way to approach the mysterious eastern prince, since everything connected with his personality is confidential information, and the choice of wives by the influential Hamdan clan is unlikely to be left to his own discretion. This does not prevent the sheikh from having a lot of fans of his attractive appearance and various talents - after all, no one forbade watching and believing!

11. The 32-year-old Sheikh currently serves as Chairman of the Dubai City Council and President of the Sports Committee of the Emirate of Dubai.

12. Like his father, Sheikh Hamdan writes poetry. The main motives of poetry are family, homeland, romantic relationships.

13. The prince is a skilled rider. He received a gold medal in horseback riding at the Asian Games.

14. Also, his highness is fond of breeding camels, which requires considerable expenses.

15. Prince in a private jet.

16. Snorkeling with the world's only swimming elephant.

17. Hamdan is working on charity projects, for example, protects the interests of people with disabilities.

18. Hamdan's pet.

19. Among the prince's hobbies are cars ...

20. ... jumping from a height ...

22. ...climbing...

23. ... falconry.

Princess Haya bint Al Hussein

Princess Haya was born into the family of King Hussein I of Jordan. She received a European education: she studied in England, where she attended Badminton School for Girls in Bristol, Bryanston School in Dorset, and then St Hilda's College at Oxford University, from which she graduated with honors in the field philosophy, politics and economics.

In 2004, Princess Haya married Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the prime minister of the United Arab Emirates and the ruler of Dubai, whose net worth is estimated at $20 billion. Khaya is his younger wife (the eldest is Sheikha Hind bint Maktoum bin Juma Al Maktoum).

At the time of his marriage to Haya, Sheikh Mohammed already had four wives, whose descendants are recognized, but who do not have official titles (the total number of wives of the Sheikh on this moment not published anywhere, but, as you know, he still has childless wives). To date, the couple has two children - a son and a daughter.

If the first wife of the Sheikh of Dubai is not a public person at all, then Sheikha Haya is her complete opposite. She is - modern face Dubai. Haya is a founding member of the Geneva-based Global Humanitarian Forum and a member of the boards of many other non-profit community organizations. And also a source of constant scandals.

So, the princess took part in the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney and represented there ... Jordan in show jumping (one of the equestrian sports). And everything would be fine, but her very appointment to the Olympic team was controversial: she qualified and earned Jordan the right to participate in the Olympics in this sport, a completely different athlete. Which was then deprived of a place in favor of Haya. And Haya took 70th place.

However, the Sheikh cannot avoid questions in his personal life. Few people believe that the princess married for love, they even call her a gold digger and they say that before marriage, the princess very favorably accepted the courtship of European fans, which is unacceptable for an Arab princess.

Lubna Al Qasimi - Member ruling family emirate of Sharjah. As well as the Minister of Economy of the UAE. Among the merits of Lubna, international observers and analysts note: ensuring transparency in the management of the national economy, negotiating skills, clear planning of trade relations, and increasing the country's authority.

Sheikha Lubna is included in the first hundred outstanding women in the world. She studied in the USA and became the first woman to study abroad. In the States, she studied computer technology and received the profession of a programmer. Returning home in 1981, she worked in her specialty at the Dubai Seaport and did a lot to turn it into an international port. By the time of widespread information technologies Lubna was already a well-known specialist, had her own company and commercial website, and was also going to scientific work. But plans had to be adjusted ...

In her early 40s, Lubna Al Qasimi became the first female member of the Emirati government. Under her leadership (and in a favorable global environment), the annual per capita income in the UAE grew by more than 15%, exceeding $28,000 in 2005. However, Sheikh Lubna did not leave her own business either. Her company specializes in the production of women's perfumes. Part of the income from the sale of perfumes is automatically transferred by Lubnaya to the fund for the fight against cancer in her native emirate.

In the Emirates, a lot is different from what the whole world is used to. Here, for example, the “first lady” here is not called the wife of the UAE President Sheikh Khalifa, but one of the wives of the late founder of the Emirati state, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. Her name is Sheikha Fatma bint Mubarak al-Katabi. She is the half-mother of the current president, who is the first son of Sheikh Zayed from an earlier marriage.

The date of her birth is not mentioned in official sources anywhere. It is only known that she became the wife of Sheikh Zayed in the late 50s. In 1960, she gave birth to her first child, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, the current Crown Prince of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

Photos of the "first lady" are rare. More often, her image can be found in the form of a picture, as if created for a children's fairy tale with a happy ending.

Let's not break the tradition, and if the sheikha so wants, we will imagine her just like that - in the arms of her beloved and loving husband-ruler of the Emirates.

Another strong and influential woman in the UAE is Muna Isa Al Gur. One of the directors of Easa Saleh Al Gurg Group. Responsible for promotion and international development brands that are part of the company, including: UNITED COLORS OF Benetton, Siemens, Unilever, IDdesign. A young, beautiful, intelligent and progressive oriental woman.

Muna has also been appointed to the board of the Emirates Foundation, an independent charity set up by the government of Abu Dhabi to help small and medium-sized businesses in the UAE. As well as contributing to the development of youth initiatives and the maintenance of women's rights.

By no means the only woman of the East who leads an active social life. The wives and daughters of Arab sheikhs are well-read, diversified and intelligent. These beauties form new image Muslim woman - purposeful, educated and stylish.

Oksana Voevodina

Last year among the royals of the Muslim world appeared Russian name: Oksana Voevodina from Rostov became the wife of Tuanku Muhammad the Fifth Faris Peter - the king of Malaysia. The girl left her modeling career for the sake of marriage with the king and converted to Islam, taking a new name - Rihana. The girl admitted in an interview that in her youth she was a real wildcat: she loved parties, traveling and riding a motorcycle. But after the wedding, which took place in Moscow on November 22 and, by the way, was luxurious, but non-alcoholic and halal, Oksana put on a hijab and went with her husband to Germany to plan a pregnancy in one of the private clinics. Being the mother of royal heirs is not the only thing Malaysians expect from a young Russian beauty. Her husband is highly respected in the country, has a reputation for being a modest and progressive ruler, and Queen Rihana will have to live up to this role.