| Ruler of the Emirate of Dubai | |
|---|---|
| حاكم دبي | |
 | |
| Incumbent | |
.jpg) | |
| Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum since 04 January 2006 | |
| Details | |
| Style | His Highness |
| Heir apparent | Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum |
| First monarch | Maktoum bin Butti bin Suhail |
| Website | sheikhmohammed |
The Ruler of Dubai (Arabic: حاكم دبي) (otherwise known as the Emir of Dubai) is the position of the hereditary monarch and head of government of the Emirate of Dubai, one of the six ruling families of the UAE. The Ruler is also considered the head of the House of Maktoum, the royal family of Dubai. After the unification of the Emirate of Dubai within the United Arab Emirates, the Ruler of Dubai nominally assumes the position of Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and sits at the seat reserved for Dubai at the Federal Supreme Council.[1][2]
In 1833, a migrating offshoot of the ruling Bani Yas tribe of Abu Dhabi settled to the small fishing village of Bur Dubai where Sheikh Maktoum bin Butti bin Suhail become the sole Ruler of Dubai by 1836, establishing the Al Maktoum dynasty.[3] The relatively small Dubai relied on fishing, pearling, and foreign trade between the much larger Al Nahyan dynasty in Abu Dhabi and the Al Qasimi dynasty of Sharjah and establishing good relations with British forces which eventually culminated in the signing of an agreement with the British in 1892 to exclusively deal with the British Empire on all economic and foreign relation matters as part of the Trucial States.[4] Following the withdrawal of the United Kingdom in 1971, then-Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum joined with other ruling families of the former Trucial States to form the United Arab Emirates,[5] where the position of Ruler of Dubai has retained significant autonomy from the federal government of the UAE with control of the emirate's judiciary, executive and legislative.[6]
The Ruler of Dubai is the head of the Emirate, and head of the executive in the form of the Government of Dubai, which also runs a judiciary independent from the federal judiciary of the UAE appointed and overseen by the Ruler.[6] The Ruler of Dubai issues royal decrees to establish laws that do not contradict with the UAE Constitution, establish, merge, or dissolve Dubai Government departments, and appoint any key position across the Emirate of Dubai, including members of the Dubai judicial system and members of the Dubai Executive Council, the legislative arm of the Emirate of Dubai.[7]
As part of the complex relationship between the ruling Al Maktoum family and private companies directly or indirectly controlled by the Dubai Government, or members of the ruling family, the Ruler of Dubai has extensive authority and influence over major companies in the Emirate.[6]
The rulers of the Emirates of Dubai:[8]
| Name | Lifespan | Reign start | Reign end | Notes | Family | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Maktoum bin Butti bin Suhail
| Unknown – 1852 | 9 July 1833 | 1852 (death by smallpox) | Joint founder of the Al Maktoum clan and first ruler of Dubai, alongside Obeid bin Said bin Rashid | House of Al Falasi | |
Saeed bin Butti
| Unknown – 1859 | 1852 | 1859 (death by smallpox) | Brother of Maktoum bin Butti bin Suhail | House of Al Falasi | |
Hasher bin Maktoum bin Butti Al Maktoum
| Unknown – 1886 | 1859 | 22 November 1886 (death by natural causes) | Nephew of Saeed bin Butti | House of Al Falasi | |
Rashid bin Maktoum
| Unknown – 1894 | 22 November 1886 | 7 April 1894 (death by paralytic seizure) | Brother of Hasher bin Maktoum bin Butti Al Maktoum | House of Al Maktoum | |
Maktoum bin Hasher Al Maktoum
| Unknown – 1906 | 7 April 1894 | 16 February 1906 (death by heart disease) | Nephew of Rashid bin Maktoum | House of Al Maktoum | |
Butti bin Suhail Al Maktoum
| 1850 – 1912 | 16 February 1906 | November 1912 (death by natural causes) | Cousin of Maktoum bin Hasher Al Maktoum | House of Al Maktoum | |
Saeed bin Maktoum bin Hasher Al Maktoum
| 1878 – 9 September 1958 | November 1912 | September 1958 (death by natural causes) | Son of Maktoum bin Hasher Al Maktoum | House of Al Maktoum |  |
Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum
| 11 June 1912 – 7 October 1990 | September 1958 | 7 October 1990 (death by natural causes) | Son of Saeed bin Maktoum bin Hasher Al Maktoum and one of the founders of the United Arab Emirates in 1971 | House of Al Maktoum |  |
Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum
| 15 August 1943 – 4 January 2006 | 7 October 1990 | 4 January 2006 (death by heart attack) | Son of Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum | House of Al Maktoum |  |
Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
| 15 July 1949 – current | 4 January 2006 | Incumbent | Son of Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum. Current Ruler of Dubai, Vice President, Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the United Arab Emirates[9] | House of Al Maktoum | |
| Vice President |
| Butti bin Suhail | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Maktoumbin Butti (1) r. 1833-1852 | Saeed bin Butti (2) r. 1852-1859 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hasher bin Maktoum (3) r. 1859-1886 | Rashid bin Maktoum (4) r. 1886-1894 | Suhail bin Maktoum Al Maktoum | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Maktoum bin Hasher (5) r. 1894-1906 | Butti bin Suhail (6) r. 1906-1912 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Saeed bin Maktoum (7) r. 1912-1958 | Juma bin Maktoum Al Maktoum | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rashid bin Saeed (8) r. 1958-1990 (1) r. 1971-1990 r. 1979-1990 | Maktoum bin Juma Al Maktoum | Thani bin Juma Al Maktoum | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| House of Sharqi | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Maktoum bin Rashid (9) r. 1990-2006 (2) r. 1990-2006 r. 1971-1979, 1990-2006 |  Muhammadbin Rashid (10) r. 2006-present (3) r. 2006-present r. 2006-present | Hind bint Maktoum Al Maktoum | Fatima bint Thani Al Maktoum | Hamad bin Muhammad Fujairah (4) r. 1974/5–present | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hamdan bin Muhammad Al Maktoum | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||