How does an ordinary Arab sheikh live? The richest sheikhs in Dubai.
Typically a "sheikh" is a man over 40 years of age, and the wives and daughters of sheikhs may also be referred to by this title. Muslims who earn the title of Sheikh are required to be well versed in the teachings of the Koran, diligently study Islam and live according to the canons outlined for them by the Prophet Muhammad himself.
A person can be a sheikh if he has completed his studies at a university of Islamic studies. This also includes lecturing to students. Since Islam is the second largest religion in the world, second only to Christianity, the title of Sheikh is respected and popular among the population of countries where more than 1 billion people practice this religion.
Oil reserves determine the number of wealthy families in the Middle East. Some sheikhs in this region are extremely wealthy and billionaires. In the majority Arab countries, the term "sheikh" is used by royal houses to designate wealthy members of the royal family.
Traditionally in the Arab world it is customary to hide the size of the sheikhs’ fortunes, but based on public information, it is possible to compile a list of the richest...
The richest sheikhs in the world Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani - net worth: $2 billion
The sheikh is the current ruler of Qatar, he became emir after his father, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, who abdicated the throne in 2013. Thus, Tamim bin Hamad became the youngest reigning monarch in the world.
Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani Sheikh Faisal bin Qasim al-Thani - net worth: $2.2 billion
This sheikh achieved success in spite of his family name, not because of it. His title has no relation to political position; he is a distant relative of the ruling Al Thani family in Qatar.
Faisal bin Qasim al-Thani Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum - net worth $4.5 billion
This sheikh is the Vice President of the UAE and is also the constitutional monarch of Dubai. The Crown Prince of Dubai has the world's third-largest yacht, is a keen horse racer and is considered the world's biggest betting spender.
Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani - net worth: $2.4 billion
The Sheikh was the Emir of Qatar from 1995 to 2013. During his reign, natural gas production amounted to about 85 million tons. And this made Qatar the richest country in the world by per capita income. He later abdicated the throne to allow his son to succeed the throne. Sheikh Hamad himself took the throne of his father, coming to power after a bloodless coup.
Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan - net worth $4.9 billion
Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE and half-brother of the country's president. The sheikh is chairman of Al Jazeera Sports Company, which owns handball, football, basketball and volleyball teams in Abu Dhabi.
Sheikh Mansour also owns the English football club Manchester City and is the chairman of the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Investment Company.
Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan - worth $18 billion
The Al Nahyan family has a total capital estimated at about $150 billion. Sheikh Khalifa is the current Emir of Abu Dhabi and President of the UAE. He officially became president in 2004, but has effectively served as president since 1990 due to his father's ill health. The Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, is named after him.
Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Sheikh Mohammed Hussein Ali Al Amoudi - net worth $14.3 billion
He is ranked 63rd on the list of the richest people in the world and lives in two countries: Saudi Arabia and Ethiopia. Sheikh is the second richest citizen Saudi Arabia and the richest black man.
He was awarded the title for his wealth and achievements and is not a member of any royal family. He is the largest foreign investor in Ethiopia and also in Sweden. Mohammed earned his wealth through oil, agricultural and mining assets.
Mohammed Hussein Ali Al Amoudi Family comes first in the UAE. An Arab woman is the keeper of the family hearth and is respected by Arab men. It is believed that the more children there are, the happier a family is.
ACQUAINTANCE
The decision to marry is made primarily by the groom's family. Women's rights in Muslim countries are equivalent to men's, so a potential bride has the right to refuse the proposal if she does not like the groom.
Arab women almost never marry Europeans - for marrying an infidel, she will simply be expelled from the country forever. Men from the UAE sometimes marry girls from Europe, but even here everything is structured in such a way that marriage does not benefit anyone except the man. For a woman, this marriage will not be a pass to obtain citizenship; children, if family life does not work out, will be taken away and left in the country.
True, a marriage with a rich Emirati is in many ways a pleasant thing while it lasts. After all, according to the law, even if the wife is the second, third or fourth, each has her own separate house, generous maintenance, and the share of attention should be equal to each of the “beloved” women.
Today, not every Arab can afford polygamy. Although Islam allows up to four wives, the main reason for such monogamy is the lack of funds to maintain a harem. Therefore, the classic UAE family, consisting of one husband, several wives and a harem, is the privilege of sheikhs and wealthy people.
WEDDING
If for European newlyweds a marriage contract is only now beginning to come into fashion, then for Arab countries such a contract is a mandatory element of the wedding. Instead of the bride, her two relatives sign the marriage contract.
The wedding celebration itself, after signing, can take place within a year - before that, the groom can see his future wife only in the presence of her relatives. For the bride, the groom's family pays a bride price, which can reach several hundred thousand dollars, so it is profitable to give birth to girls.
An Arab wedding is a truly grandiose spectacle. The table is bursting with treats, which are constantly renewed in order to show the guests their hospitality and abundance. Since Islam prohibits alcohol, there is nothing stronger than coffee on the holiday table. But this does not prohibit the wedding from taking place for up to seven days.
FAMILY WAY
The popular belief about discrimination against Arab women turns out to be somewhat exaggerated. In any Arab family, a woman must obey her husband, but she always takes part in solving important issues.
It is a myth that married women in the Emirates live like in prison. Yes, they are almost invisible on the street. Those that exist are in black.
In fact, a married woman can wear whatever she wants: a miniskirt, jeans, and shorts (they are generally great fashionistas there, they can spend hours in stores, choosing cutting-edge outfits and fabrics) - but on top she must wear a black a silk cape to the toes, and cover her face with a black scarf. Only fingers, feet and eyes are visible. And even then, black capes are rare.
Today on the streets you can see an Arab woman in jeans and a tunic, but the only thing they still adhere to is head covering. One thing you rarely see is a woman without a scarf on her head.
Older women cover their faces with a copper mask. Young people, of course, are more liberated, but all beauty is for the husband.
By the way, Emirati women receive quite a decent education, the best universities in the world are open to them, but scholarship remains unclaimed. Having gotten married, a girl can no longer work: either she is forbidden, or she does not want to, tired of frequent pregnancies and childbirth. Young people are more progressive in this regard. And many girls, having received an education in Europe, stay there to make a career. Arab families living outside the Muslim world rarely seriously adhere to age-old traditions.
Once upon a time, an Arab husband could tell his wife at any time: “Talaq, talaq, talaq” (“go away”) - and this meant that he was divorcing her, and she must immediately leave his house, taking with her only what she needed. what she was wearing. Therefore, women - just in case - carried all the gold given to them on themselves. Now, of course, this is an anachronism.
But women still carry kilograms of gold on themselves (for example, the sheikh’s daughter decorated herself with 16 kilograms of gold at her wedding. Newspapers described each piece of jewelry in detail and published photographs indicating the exact price). And men give gold instead of flowers. The more the gift weighs, the stronger the love. According to a local saying, a woman without gold is naked.
And for those who are worried about the “oppression” of Arab wives by their Muslim husbands, we can say: a woman in the UAE can file for divorce in two cases:
1) If there is a fact of infidelity on the part of the spouse. But this article is obviously “dead”, because... Polygamy is officially legal in the UAE. And if the hubby does sin, the wife prefers to remain silent. No one will marry such a “scandal” again, and a trail of gossip will follow her all her life. Again, during a divorce, children remain with their father.
2) If the husband does not provide enough for his wife. Well, he doesn’t take her to restaurants (true), doesn’t buy gold (true), builds her a house worse than the other wives’, etc. The court considers such requests very carefully and sometimes grants them. After all, a rich Emirati can afford several wives, but everyone should be treated equally. A clear schedule of visits is established, a separate villa is built for the new wife (not cheaper, but not more expensive than the previous one), money is distributed in equal proportions, and in general, the wives should be happy with everything. If something is wrong, this is not the wife’s problem, but the husband’s, who was unable to “resolve” the situation.
Kinship support in an Arab family is extremely powerful. For example, if a woman is widowed, her husband’s brother will consider it his duty to marry her and protect her.
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This title is accompanied by age, learning and nobility (although the latter is not necessary). And the sheikhs have very long and complex names (this is a joke). But still, when they talk about sheikhs, first of all they mean serious wealth. Therefore, there is a TOP of the richest sheikhs - and it is in front of you.
1 Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan – $18 billion.
The President and Emir of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Khalifa, has 18 billion US dollars at his own disposal. In fact, his family wealth is 10 times greater.
2 Sheikh Mohammed Hussein Ali al-Amoudi – $14.3 billion.
Mohammed Hussein Ali al-Amoudi is the second richest person in Saudi Arabia and the 78th richest person in the world. A businessman of Ethiopian origin, al-Amoudi is also the wealthiest black man in the world. That's how many titles there are.
3 Sheikh Abdul Aziz al-Ghurar – $7.5 billion.
Sheikh Abdul Aziz al-Ghurar is in 4th place as the wealthiest sheikh in the world. Sheikh Abdul received his wealth from his father, the founder of Mashreq Bank, the third largest bank in the UAE by assets. Through the Arab Business Angels Network corporation, al-Ghurar also owns Libya's largest oil refinery.
4 Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan – $4.9 billion.
Sheikh Mansour is primarily known as the owner of the Manchester City football club. But in fact, in his country he performs very important duties, heads the Presidential Administration and serves as deputy prime minister. He is also chairman of Al Jazeera Sports, which owns four sports clubs in Abu Dhabi.
The pioneer of the construction of palm islands in the Persian Gulf, Sheikh Mohammed, gave one of the islands to Michael Schumacher in 2006. Why not give it if you are a royal person, you almost single-handedly own Dubai Holding and can afford to spend 100 million dollars on your wedding.
6 Sultan Mohammed Bin Saud al-Kabir – $3.9 billion.
Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed Bin Saud al-Kabir, the 12th son of King Abdulaziz, comfortably ranked 6th in our TOP of the richest sheikhs, was once accused of smuggling rare breeds of falcons from Russia. That's it, the rich too...
7 Sheikh Hamad ibn Khalifa al-Thani – $2.4 billion.
Sheikh Hamad ruled Qatar for just under 20 years. During his years in power, the country became one of the richest territories on earth. Interestingly, al-Thani came to rule as a result of a small revolution, overthrowing his father.
8 Sheikh Faisal ibn Qassim al-Thani – $2.2 billion.
The term self-made man is quite applicable to Sheikh Faisal. He is distantly related to Qatar's ruling family, but his family was wisely removed from government, like many of the al-Thani branches, to avoid further coups. Therefore, he owes his fortune only to himself and his successes in the construction and hotel business.
9 Sheikh Tamim ibn Hamad al-Thani – $2 billion.
The son and current ruling monarch of Qatar is in 9th place in our top ten richest sheikhs in the world. He took over from his father at the age of 33, becoming the youngest king in the world. The young sheikh received his education in Great Britain, from where he brought his serious passion for sports to his country. Since his reign, Qatar has also made huge investments in British companies.
10 Sheikh Sabah IV al-Ahmed al-Jaber al-Sabah – $0.4 billion.
The ruling emir of Kuwait and the fourth son of Sheikh Ahmed al-Sabah is in 10th place in our TOP. But there is still more to come, because after his accession to the throne, the costs of maintaining the royal family were legislatively increased by 6 times. So, maybe he or his heir will still push aside their higher comrades.
What do we imagine when we hear the word “sheikh”? Luxury and fabulous wealth with shades of the East. In life... everything is like that.
Yes, there will be no words here about how difficult and difficult life is for poor sheikhs.
SHEIKH KHALIFA BIN ZAYED AL NAHYAN
His personal fortune is quite modest - only 18 billion US dollars. But the total fortune of his family is 150 billion, still the same US dollars, impressive right? But that's not all! The capitalization of the investment fund, whose curator is the sheikh, exceeds 875 billion. Now this is really extremely cool.
In addition to the fact that the Sheikh is rich, he is also just the Emir of Abu Dhabi and the President of the United United Arab Emirates(the Burj Khalifa itself is named after him), like his father, who has already retired.
But a person is not happy with wealth alone (in fact, only with it) - the sheikh is loved in his country and is revered as an intelligent and far-sighted leader.
HAMDAN BIN MOHAMMED BIN RASHID AL-MAKTOUM
The young (34 years old) heir to the Emirate of Dubai also has 18 billion dollars in his account (well, he has something to strive for, right?), but that is not what makes him remarkable.
His social life is rich in the good sense of the word - the prince spends huge sums on donations and patronizes the autism center. 
Hamdan also loves extreme sports and travel, he posts reports about all his adventures here.
SHEIKH MOHAMMED HUSSEIN ALI AL-AMOUDI
Mohammed, by the way, was not born a sheikh, but earned this title thanks to his merits. He is the second richest man in Saudi Arabia and lives in two countries - Saudi Arabia itself and Ethiopia, which is his homeland.
Of course, the basis of his wealth is oil (who would have thought, huh?), but in addition, the sheikh was engaged in growing almost everything (4.20) - from vegetables to coffee and tea (and coffee (beans, if you didn’t understand), by the way, he even supplies Starbucks, and tea to Lipton). Well, and so on to the little things - the sheikh owns hotels, hospitals, does business in Europe and simply enjoys life.
Well, how could it be otherwise?
SHEIKH MANSOUR BIN ZAYED AL-NAHYAN
The Prime Minister of the UAE and part-time half-brother of Sheikh Khalifa is also not a poor man. His capital is almost 5 billion US dollars. In addition to politics, of course, he is involved in oil (and you thought not?), but that is not what makes him interesting.
This smiling guy simply loves sports. He invests money in virtually all areas of sports in his country and he also owns Manchester City... yes, that same football team (not United, don’t confuse the guys). Someone thinks that this is self-indulgence and he doesn’t need a football team at all, but even if this is so, he can afford it - after all, with such and such finances.
SHEIKH MOHAMMED BIN RASHID AL-MAKTOUM
Remember I mentioned the father of the current UAE President? Well, actually, here he is. Of course, he is poorer than his son (net worth some 4.5 billion dollars), but for some reason I don’t think the sheikh is upset about this.
Mohammed, by the way, is also an entertainer - the idea of the Burj Khalifa belongs to him. He also owns the Emirates airline, the tourism holding Jumeirah Group and many transnational projects. The sheikh also loves horse racing and betting. Which is not surprising - what else could he be interested in?
The word "sheikh" brings to mind oriental tales, and the life of real sheikhs, in fact, is that same fairy tale in which untold wealth is combined with beauty, family ties, ancient traditions and advanced technologies. In this issue you will find the richest sheikhs in the world.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan
$18 billion
It’s hard to imagine, but 18 billion is nothing compared to other capital that Al Nahyan is involved with. For example, the total fortune of his family is estimated at 150 billion dollars, and the capitalization of the investment fund, whose curator is the sheikh, exceeds 875 billion.
Al Nahyan - in every sense big man, he is the Emir of Abu Dhabi and the President of the United Arab Emirates. He became head of state 13 years ago, but has ruled the UAE since 1990, since his father retired. The sheikh is valued very highly in his native country, literally: the world's most skyscraper, the Burj Khalifa, is named in his honor.
David Cameron and Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Elizabeth II, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Prince Philip.
Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum
$18 billion
The 34-year-old heir to the throne of the Emirate of Dubai, Sheikh Hamdan, is a socialite no worse than Prince Harry. He is rich, travels a lot, and runs Instagram. And he also knows how to do good. Patronage of the autism center, large donations to charity - this is also Hamdan.
The third important aspect of the life of the heir to the throne is extreme entertainment. The sheikh's Instagram is constantly updated with reports of jumps from heights, demonstrations of himself in the pilot's seat of a jet plane or a Formula 1 car. But Hamdan’s talent manifested itself most clearly in equestrian sports: the prince won gold at the Asian Olympic Games. 
Sheikh Mohammed Hussein Ali al-Amoudi
$4.1 billion
He is a sheikh not by birthright, but by merit - he received the title for his achievements and wealth. As the second richest man in Saudi Arabia, Ali al-Amoudi splits his time between Arabia and Ethiopia, where he was born and raised. He made money in oil, building oil refineries in West Africa, and also in growing everything from vegetables and fruits to coffee. The sheikh's businesses supply coffee to Starbucks and tea to Lipton, among other things.
Ali al-Amoudi also owns a chain of hotels and a hospital. It is seriously tied not only to African, eastern countries: Sheikh invests in the economy Western countries, in particular to Sweden. They also wrote that the arrival of the Swedish brand H&M in Ethiopia, where labor is very cheap, took place thanks to Ali al-Amoudi. WITH personal life For a billionaire, everything is simple - married, no children. 
Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan
$4.9 billion
The smiling Sheikh Mansour, 46, is a member of the Emirates' ruling family and the half-brother of the president, Sheikh Khalifa. It is not surprising that he found a job in government - Mansur holds the post of prime minister of the country. In addition to government affairs, the sheikh is involved in the oil industry - he manages the International Petroleum Investment Company of Abu Dhabi. He also loves sports very much and does not spare money on it: the company, the head of which is Mansur, contains local teams for handball, football, volleyball and so on.
But this is all a small thing compared to Manchester City, yes, that very legendary British football team. Mansur is her owner. Some say that this is a toy for the sheikh, others say that he is extremely serious. One thing is clear: Mansur does not skimp on expenses. After all, why worry about money for a man who becomes half a billion richer every time oil prices rise one dollar? 
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
$4.5 billion
A person who has set the goal of turning the Emirates into an investment, social, cultural paradise can be satisfied with what he has already done for this. The Emirates airline, the Jumeirah Group tourism holding, and many transnational projects are the work of Sheikh Mohammed. And, in fact, the Burj Khalifa hotel is also the sheikh’s idea.
In addition to work, he knows a lot about entertainment - he is fond of horse racing, makes huge bets, and owns an incredible size yacht "Dubai". Apparently, the ability to take everything from life was inherited by his son, Sheikh Hamdan, whom we talked about at the very beginning. Well, the fact that Hamdan is four times richer than his father is not important. One family after all. 
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum and Elizabeth II.