Saeed bin Hasher Al Maktoum

File:Sheikh Said and Sheikh Juma Al Maktoum.jpg

Sheikh Juma bin Maktoum Al Maktoum (left) and Sheikh Saeed bin Maktoum Al Maktoum (right).

Sheikh Saeed bin Maktoum bin Hasher Al Maktoum (1878–1958) (Arabic: سعيد بن مكتوم آل مكتوم‎‎) was the Ruler of Dubai from 1912 until his death in 1958. He succeeded Sheikh Butti bin Suhail Al Maktoum (who ruled only six years, 1906-1912) and his own father, Sheikh Maktoum bin Hasher Al Maktoum (who ruled from 1894 to 1906). In 1929, he was briefly deposed and succeeded by Sheikh Mani bin Rashid, a distant relative. He was restored three days later and reigned until his death in 1958.

Although Dubai and other surrounding areas fell under an economic depression in the 1920s due to its great reliance on pearling, he managed, with the help of a progressive trade policy, to raise Dubai's economics and limit the reliance on pearling. He was succeeded by his eldest son Sheikh Rashid II bin Said Al Maktoum.

He has been reported as having Armenoid, Arabid, and Assyroid features.

Family and brothers

Saeed bin Maktoum was the son of another historical ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Maktoum bin Hasher, who ruled from 1894 to 1906. Saeed is one of three brothers, the two other ones constituting important lineages in today's Dubai ruling class :

• Sheikh Juma bin Maktoum Al Maktoum, born 1891, who had a large descendency that constitutes still today an important and powerful group in the ruling class of Dubai. Sheikh Juma's granddaughter Hind bint Maktoum bin Juma Al Maktoum is today Dubai's first lady, as first wife of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
• Sheikh Hasher bin Maktoum Al Maktoum, who also has a few descendents who are important businessmen in Dubai today.

Children

• Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed bin Maktoum Al Maktoum (*1912, d. 1990), who ruled Dubai from 1958 to 1990 and had several children, including current ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum. He also provided an important alliance with the neighboring Emirate of Abu Dhabi, since he married Sheikha Latifah bint Hamdan bin Zayed, the daughter of an assassinated ruler of Abu Dhabi (Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed, who had been assassinated in 1922 by his brother, Zayed II' father).
• Sheikh Khalifa bin Saeed bin Maktoum Al Maktoum, born 1922, who married Sheikha Sana bint Mana Al Maktoum, the daughter of Sheikh Mana who had challenged Saeed in 1938-39 during the Dubai Reform movement.
• Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed bin Maktoum Al Maktoum, born 1958, and thus begotten at the very high age of 80, the year of his death.
• Sheikha Moza bint Saeed bin Maktoum.
• Sheikha Shaikha bint Saeed bin Maktoum, who married her cousin Sheikh Maktoum bin Juma bin Maktoum Al Maktoum, and had numerous influential children.

Bibliography

• Graeme Wilson, Father of Dubai. Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum (Dubai : Media Prima, 1999), about his son Sheikh Rashid, containing a lot of information about his father Sheikh Saeed.
• Shaul Yanai, The Political Transformation of Gulf Tribal States. Elitism and the Social Contract in Kuwait, Bahrain and Dubai, 1918-1970s (Eastbourne : Sussex Academic Press, 2014), contains an important chapter on Sheikh Saeed's reign.

See also

• Al Maktoum

Preceded by Butti bin Sohail

Emir of Dubai 1912–1958

Succeeded by Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum