How many wives do Arab sheikhs have? How does an ordinary Arab sheikh live? Where can you meet the sheikh?

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UAE Prince Hamdan (aka Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, but you are unlikely to remember that) - resembles a real eastern prince from the book “A Thousand and One Nights”. Judge for yourself - Hamdan is handsome, lives in a beautiful palace, owns a multi-billion dollar fortune and has a lot of money. interesting entertainment. For example, the eastern handsome man loves racing cars, rock climbing and horse riding. He rides on a white horse, of course.

By the way, the prince runs a fairly popular Instagram, where he, like mere mortals, posts photos with cats. True, instead of ordinary cats, he has real tiger cubs and lion cubs. Mimimi!

Emin Agalarov

ITAR-TASS

People like Emin Agalarov are said to be “born with a silver spoon in his mouth” - his father Aras Agalarov is the owner of the “construction empire” Crocus Group, and therefore numerous shopping centers and the entire Crocus complex in Moscow. More recently, Emin was married to the daughter of the President of Azerbaijan, Leyla Aliyeva, but the couple recently broke up and eligible bachelor free again!
Besides big business Agalarov is interested in music - it is possible that you have already been to his concert. Emin sings romantic love songs, which, however, does not prevent him from holding the position of vice president of Crocus Group and delving into all the company’s affairs. This dream man lives in two cities - Emin can be found in Moscow and Baku.

Sheikh Mansour

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Sheikh Mansour, whose full name sounds like Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan, one of the richest men in the world - he is a member of the royal ruling family Abu Dhabi, owner of the Manchester City football club and a fortune of $32 billion. In his spare time, the sheikh enjoys horse riding and even won a number of tournaments held in the Middle East on his Arabian horse.

Mansur is used to living in grand style, which is why he has not one wife, but two, but it’s not a fact that oriental man it will stop there.

Burak Ozcivit

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Turkish actor, star of the series “The Magnificent Century” Burak Ozcivit began his career in Europe as a model, but fame befell him in his native Turkey. After his starring role in the sensational TV series, Burak decided not to waste the money he earned on empty entertainment and opened own business- a chain of restaurants in Istanbul. A little later it turned out that becoming a restaurateur was his childhood dream - the artist’s father owned a small kebab shop in the city of Mersin, and Özçivit simply decided to continue the successful family business. Commendable!

By the way, handsome Burak, despite numerous gossip about his affairs, is still not married, so his fans have a chance.

Sheikh Majid bin Mohammed

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Sheikh Majid is the brother of UAE Prince Hamdan, whom we have already talked about. But unlike his older brother, Majid is not a very public person, and even on his Instagram he prefers to post not personal photos, but pictures from official ceremonies. However, nothing human is alien to the sheikh - like many of his “colleagues,” Majid is fond of racing and equestrian sports. For some time he lived in Great Britain, where he graduated from the military academy, but soon returned home to government affairs.

Free time Majid performs at various sporting events in Dubai and Abu Dhabi - not a single competition is complete without him. As for her personal life, absolutely nothing is known about her (by the way, as well as about the mother of the sheikh himself) - women in the royal family of the United Arab Emirates remain in absolute shadow.

Mehmet Akif

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Turkish heartthrob Mehmet Akif made it into our rating not because of his fabulous fortune (although he is clearly not in poverty), but because of his magnificent appearance. It is worth noting that Mehmet is not alien to truly masculine hobbies - before starting a modeling career, the son of a military man first served in the army. After returning from service, Akif took part in a Turkish modeling competition and won it, and then won a similar competition called “The Best Model of the World.”

Now Mehmet enjoys enormous success in Turkey - he acts in films and hosts a TV show. And another one good news— the sultry handsome man is not married, so we’re all going to Istanbul.

King Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck

Let's move from the Middle East to Asia for a while - there are handsome and wealthy men there too! For example, the King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuk, who, however, recently got married, but still cannot be excluded from our list.

Firstly, the king has an excellent education - he graduated from college in the USA and Great Britain. Secondly, Khesar is actively involved in charity work and helps those in need. And thirdly, the king found the courage to marry for love, and not for the sake of state affairs - his wife was a girl from an ordinary family, the daughter of a pilot. And this is admirable!

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. ELLE chose the richest sheikhs in the world.

Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan

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, 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.

Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum

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.

He is a sheikh not by birthright, but by merit - he received the title for his achievements and wealth. Being second richest man Saudi Arabia, Ali al-Mudi lives in two countries - 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, among other things, coffee for Starbucks and tea for Lipton. Ali al-Moudi also owns a chain of hotels and a hospital. It is seriously tied not only to African and eastern countries: the sheikh is investing in the economy Western countries, in particular to Sweden. They also wrote that the arrival of the Swedish brand H&M in Ethiopia, where it is very cheap work force, took place thanks to Ali al-Amoudi. The personal life of a billionaire is simple - married, no children.

46-year-old smiling Sheikh Mansour is a member of the ruling family of the Emirates, he step-brother 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 trifle compared to Manchester City, yes, that same 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?

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.

5 enviable eastern bachelors Oil reserves determine the number of rich 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 fortunes of sheikhs, but based on public information, it is possible to compile a list of the richest... 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.

Sheikh Faisal bin Qasim al-Thani - net worth $2.2 billion

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum - net worth $4.5 billion

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 the spoils natural gas 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.

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 the chairman of Al Jazeera Sports Company, which owns handball, football, basketball and volleyball teams in Abu Dhabi. Sheikh Mansour also speaks English football club Manchester City and is Chairman of the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Investment Company.

Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan - net 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 actually served as president since 1990 due to poor condition father's health. Burj Khalifa is the most high building in the world - named after him.

Dubai, one of the key emirates in the UAE, is in mourning. Sheikh Rashid ibn Mohammed al-Maktoum, the eldest son of Mohammed ibn Rashid al-Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai, and also the second most influential person in the United States, has died United Arab Emirates, Prime Minister, Vice President and Minister of Defense of the country. Sheikh Rashid died of heart attack, not having lived a month and a half before his 34th birthday. His younger brother and Crown Prince Hamdan wrote: “Today I lost my best friend and childhood friend, dear brother Rashid. We will miss you." Lenta.ru tried to figure out what made the eldest son of the Dubai emir famous.

British standard

Little is known about Rashid’s childhood and youth: at that time there was no Instagram yet, and the Arab emirs and their heirs had not yet acquired the habit of posting scenes for everyone to see rich life with geotags.

Rashid is the eldest son of the emir from his eldest and main wife Hind bint Maktoum and, accordingly, the stepson of the emir's second wife, the Jordanian princess Haya bint al-Hussein. The children of Mohammed and Hind, according to the memoirs of brother Rashid Hamdan, were brought up in the spirit of traditional values.

In Dubai, the heir graduated from a school for boys named after Sheikh Rashid - education there was conducted according to the English model. After which his father sent Rashid to the UK - to the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, where Arab sheikhs traditionally send their children (the current emir of Qatar, the king of Bahrain, the sultans of Brunei and Oman graduated from it).

Disinherited

Rashid ibn Mohammed was preparing to become his father's successor: the emir introduced him to state affairs and entrusted him with control over various economic projects. But on February 1, 2008, everything suddenly changed: Rashid’s younger brother, Sheikh Mohammed’s second son, Hamdan, was appointed Crown Prince of Dubai. His younger brother Maktoum received the post of Deputy Ruler of Dubai. The emir's eldest son officially abdicated the throne, and moreover, there was no place for him among the leadership of the emirate.

This step, however, can only be called unexpected: diplomats and Arabic experts, long before the emir’s decree, noticed that Hamdan was increasingly appearing in front of cameras next to his father and that the emirate’s press was writing about him more and more often. What happened, why was Rashid out of work?

The publication of WikiLeaks documents brought some clarity to this issue. Among the released cables is a telegram from the US Consul General in Dubai, David Williams, in which he reports on the change in the order of succession and the reasons for it. Without disclosing his sources, Williams reported that Rashid killed one of the workers in the emir's palace, this angered the sheikh, and he revised the line of succession.

Solace in sports

The PR campaign in the emirate and around the world bore fruit: the new Crown Prince Hamdan quickly became a darling of the press. A diver and paratrooper, a falconer who keeps a menagerie of lions and white tigers, a snowboarder and a poet who writes under the pseudonym Fazza. An excellent rider, multiple winner of equestrian competitions, owner of expensive cars and yachts - Hamdan ibn Mohammed willingly demonstrates all this luxury on his Instagram account. Hamdan is known as a philanthropist and philanthropist, generously distributing donations to the disabled and sick children, and also as one of the most eligible bachelors in the world. Admiring fans gave him the nickname “Aladdin”.

Against this background, his older brother Rashid looked rather pale (especially considering the difference in their capital - less than two billion dollars for Rashid versus 18 billion for Hamdan), and he does not have an Instagram account. Although it cannot be said that the press did not spoil him with their attention. Since 2005, he has consistently been included in the list of “20 Sexiest Arab Men” for five years in a row; in 2010, Esquire magazine recognized him as “one of the 20 most enviable royals,” and a year later, Forbes included him in the top 20 “most desirable.” persons of royal blood."

Having lost his right to the throne, Rashid ibn Mohammed focused on sports. The entire Al Maktoum family is famous for its love of horses, and Rashid is no exception. He owned the Zabeel Racing International racing corporation and won numerous competitions both in the UAE and abroad. In total he won 428 medals. The pinnacle of Rashid ibn Mohammed's sporting achievements was two gold medals at the Asian Games in Doha in 2006. From 2008 to 2010, Rashid was even the president of the UAE Olympic Committee, but left this post, as he explained, due to lack of time.

Scandal in a noble family

Arab sheikhs try not to make their internal affairs public, but sometimes, when the traditional values ​​of oil emirs collide with European realities, leaks occur. This is what happened with Rashid.

In 2011, a black employee from the staff of the British palace of Emir Olantunji Faleye appealed to the British court. He claimed that he was discriminated against on racial and religious grounds: members of the sheikh's family addressed him as "al-abd al-aswad" - "black slave", and repeatedly insulted Christianity (Faleye is an Anglican), calling him "bad, low and disgusting faith,” convincing his “black slave” to convert to Islam.

During the hearings, another service employee, Ejil Mohammed Ali, was summoned as a witness to the court, who, among other things, stated under oath that Sheikh Rashid was a drug addict who had recently completed a rehabilitation course.

However, it is unlikely that such scandals can shake the reputation royal house Dubai, which invests millions of dollars in its PR in the media and social networks. Judging by the number of responses on Rashid's Facebook page, many people, including from the poorest countries in the world, perceive the death of the eldest son of the Dubai emir as a personal tragedy.

January 2, 2011, 20:20

I became interested in this princess thanks to BusbyBabes' post about crown prince Dubai. I was wondering who this is attractive woman in the photo, presented as the second wife of the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed.
It turned out that she is actually an extremely contradictory, but very extraordinary person. Princess Haya bint Al Hussein was born on May 3, 1974, to King Hussein I of Jordan. Her mother, Queen Alia, tragically died in a helicopter crash in February 1977, leaving three young children orphaned. 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 at the University of Oxford, from which she graduated with an honors degree in philosophy, politics and economics. Perhaps she would have remained one of the daughters of the now deceased King of Jordan, if not for happy marriage: On April 10, 2004, Princess Haya married Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, prime minister UAE, ruler of Dubai, whose fortune is estimated at $20 billion.
Haya becomes his younger wife, because the eldest wife was and remains Sheikha Hind bint Maktoum bin Juma Al Maktoum (the marriage with this wife has lasted since 1979). At the time of his marriage, Sheikh Mohammed also had four wives, whose descendants are recognized, but who do not have official titles. And his total his wives are not published anywhere, but, as is known, he also 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 to overcome hunger in her native Jordan. She also heads Dubai's International Humanitarian City (as I understand, this is a foundation that helps overcome humanitarian problems in the Arab world). She was an Ambassador for the World Food Program in 2005-2007, and then, in July 2007, she was appointed Envoy She is one of the founders of the Global Humanitarian Forum based in Geneva and is a board member of many other non-profit public organizations.
However, her image is not so sinless. There are many scandals associated with Princess Haya. Thus, the Princess took part in the 2000 Summer Olympics 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 everything would be fine, but her appointment to the Olympic team was very controversial, since another athlete qualified and earned Jordan the right to participate in the Olympics in this sport, but was deprived of a place in favor of Haya. Which, by the way, took 70th place. Also, Princess Haya was elected president of the International Equestrian Federation. But even here it is publicly and harshly criticized: members of this organization claim that it behaves dictatorially and violates the democratic principles of the organization and procedures 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 an anti-smoking society, but during her stay in Europe, the princess was photographed smoking. Which, of course, allowed us to say that she was behaving inappropriately for a sheikha 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 is “participating” in a polygamous marriage in a country where women are in no way equal to 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 the marriage, the princess very favorably accepted the advances of European admirers, which is something else for an Arab princess). But I, first and foremost last time in the 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, dare I say it, soft. P.S. since you can’t copy a single letter from the princess’s official website, let alone a photo, I’m giving a link to a photo from her wedding with the sheikh - everything, it turns out, took place quietly and with a small crowd. Photo



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