Dubai has entered an official 10-day mourning period following the death of Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who passed away on Monday, September 21, at the age of 76. Flags across the emirate are flying at half-mast, and tributes have poured in from across the UAE’s leadership.
Sheikh Ahmed was the youngest son of the late Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Dubai’s founding ruler, and the younger brother of the current Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who is also the UAE’s Vice-President and Prime Minister. In an emotional tribute shared on social media, Sheikh Mohammed wrote: “You are absent from our eyes but not from our prayers and hearts, O Ahmed.”
A graduate of Britain’s Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Sheikh Ahmed built a decades-long career in Dubai’s security and military establishment, eventually becoming Commander-in-Chief of the Central Military Region and later Deputy Chairman of Dubai Police and Public Security. Beyond government service, he left a lasting mark on the emirate’s sporting and business life; serving roughly 60 years as President of Al Wasl Sports Club, developing the Jebel Ali Racecourse in 1990, and co-founding the Dubai International Marine Club. He also chaired A.R.M. Holding and held ties to the Dubai Real Estate Centre.
Condolences have come from across the Gulf’s ruling circles, including UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who praised Sheikh Ahmed’s “longstanding contributions to the development of the UAE since its founding,” and Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, who mourned the loss of his uncle.
The 10-day mourning period underscores the scale of Sheikh Ahmed’s role in shaping modern Dubai; a life that spanned the emirate’s military buildup, its rise as a global horse-racing and marine-sports hub, and its transformation into one of the world’s most prominent business centers.
