Maktum Family, al-
MAKTUM FAMILY, AL-
Head of Al Bu Falasa tribe and a member of the Banu Yas federation, the ruling family of the Dubai emirate.
The founder, Maktum ibn Buti, seceded from Abu Dhabi in 1833 and established himself independently in Dubai. The rulers of the family were well known for their skill in diplomacy and their interest in trade. The most prominent of them were Rashid ibn Maktum (1886–1894) and Maktum ibn Hashr (1894–1906), during whose reign the Dubai port flourished, particularly in 1902, after the British-Indian Steam Navigation Company made it a port of call. As a result of his encouragement, the rich immigrant merchants from the Lingeh port on the Persian coast came to reside in Dubai. In 1938, because of a reform movement in the emirate, the Dubai municipality was established during the rule of Saʿid ibn Maktum (1912–1958). His son Rashid created and ruled (1958–1990) modern Dubai, becoming vice-president of the United Arab Emirates when it was formed in 1971 and prime minister in 1979.
see also dubai; united arab emirates.
Bibliography
Heard-Bey, Frauke. From Trucial States to United Arab Emirates: A Society in Transition. London and New York: Long-man, 1982.
Reich, Bernard, ed. Political Leaders of the Contemporary Middle East and North Africa: A Biographical Dictionary. New York: Greenwood Press, 1990.
m. morsy abdullah