No story of the UAE would be complete without Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Ruler of Sharjah.
He celebrates 50 years as ruler this year, presiding over huge changes, yet also providing stability and continuity for his people.
Sheikh Dr Sultan has ruled Sharjah since January 25, 1972, the longest of all the current UAE Rulers.
Yet his passions – education, culture, and a deep appreciation of history – keep his leadership as lively and relevant today as it was half a century ago.
Here we look at some key moments in his life:
Taught in Sharjah
Sheikh Dr Sultan was born on July 2, 1939. He was one of four brothers.
After beginning his education in Sharjah, he enrolled at an English private school as a teenager to learn English and for two years, between 1961 and 1963, taught the language and maths at Sharjah Industrial School.
Passion for heritage
From an early age, Sheikh Dr Sultan's passion for culture and heritage was evident.
Studying for a degree at Cairo University’s College of Agriculture, his studies were interrupted when, in 1970, he learned Sharjah’s historic old fort was being demolished.
Sheikh Dr Sultan rushed home to save what remains of the building, sparking his passion for heritage.
The restored Al Hisn Fort is now the centrepiece of the Heart of Sharjah project.
Sheikh Dr Sultan’s vision for the emirate extends even further.
The city now boasts an impressive collection of museums, including institutions dedicated to Islamic civilisation and archaeology, art, classic cars and even the conversion of the old British RAF base at Al Mahatta into an aviation museum.
First education minister
After graduating from university, Sheikh Dr Sultan is appointed to manage the office of Sharjah's Ruler, his brother Sheikh Khalid bin Mohammed Al Qasimi.
In December 1971, with the formation of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Dr Sultan is appointed the first Minister of Education.
Ruler of Sharjah
He becomes Ruler of Sharjah on January 25, 1972.
At 32, he became a member of the UAE Supreme Council.
Throughout his rule, Sheikh Dr Sultan has been an enthusiastic supporter of the UAE.
On the UAE's 40th anniversary, he said: “Decades have passed on our unity and we had what we wished, a strong and modern state, a proud people living in dignity and maintaining their identity.”
Published author
In 1985, he was awarded a doctorate by Exeter University, England, for a thesis that challenged the conventional narrative that Britain's East India Company had been forced to attack and subdue the people of the Northern Emirates on the grounds of their piracy.
This determination to defend the culture and story of his people, and the wider Arab Muslim world against western imperial powers, is a constant theme of his writing.
Later published as a book, The Myth of Arab Piracy in the Gulf, Sheikh Dr Sultan has also written a series of historical novels, including The White Shaikh, in 1996, set in 19th Century Dhofar and a two-part epic of the history of Sharjah, Tale of a City.
Sheikh Dr Sultan published the first part of his biography, My Early Life in 2009, recounting struggles before becoming Ruler of Sharjah.
Critically acclaimed, it was published in several languages, including English, Spanish, French and German, followed by a second volume, Taking The Reins, covering the first years as ruler.
Revitalising Sharjah
The Heart of Sharjah, an ambitious heritage project to revitalise the city’s historic centre, was announced in 2010.
Due for completion in 2025, it is the largest preservation scheme of its kind in the region and will restore old buildings and create new ones in traditional architecture to include art galleries, museums, cafes and restaurants, and the five-star Al Bait hotel.
Sheikh Dr Sultan opened the new Sharjah to Khor Fakkan motorway in April 2018, cutting the journey time to the east coast by half, to just 45 minutes.
The road is part of a multi-billion dirham initiative to improve life in the Khor Fakkan and Kalba exclaves of the emirate, with the redevelopment of Kalba’s corniche, restoration of the historic Saif bin Ghanim fishermen's mosque and conservation projects that include coastal mangroves and the pomegranate trees on Jabal Al Ruman mountain.
In 2021, he opened a 10,250-square-metre viewing area and rest house 600 metres above sea level in Khor Fakkan.
The Al Suhub Rest House includes a restaurant, cafe, children's play area, prayer rooms, bathrooms and viewing areas. About 8,700 trees were also planted.
Overseas support
The many initiatives Sheikh Dr Sultan has supported abroad include an Islamic centre in Estonia, a foundation for marginalised children in Malaysia, a library in Nairobi and a project to support theatre festivals in the Arab world.
He has been particularly generous in Egypt, supporting both a centre to train journalists and a new liver transplant wing at Mansoura University Hospital, to name but two of many projects he is involved with.
At the heart of this is Sheikh Dr Sultan’s belief in the power of arts and science to enlighten and inform society.
“Proper education is a safeguard against destructive ideas and misguided groups. A stable family background contributes effectively to nation-building,” he said.
Monster Hunter: World
Capcom
PlayStation 4, Xbox One
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
Stats at a glance:
Cost: 1.05 billion pounds (Dh 4.8 billion)
Number in service: 6
Complement 191 (space for up to 285)
Top speed: over 32 knots
Range: Over 7,000 nautical miles
Length 152.4 m
Displacement: 8,700 tonnes
Beam: 21.2 m
Draught: 7.4 m
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10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
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DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin
Director: Shawn Levy
Rating: 3/5
What is graphene?
Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged like honeycomb.
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were "playing about" with sticky tape and graphite - the material used as "lead" in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But as they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment had led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
At the time, many believed it was impossible for such thin crystalline materials to be stable. But examined under a microscope, the material remained stable, and when tested was found to have incredible properties.
It is many times times stronger than steel, yet incredibly lightweight and flexible. It is electrically and thermally conductive but also transparent. The world's first 2D material, it is one million times thinner than the diameter of a single human hair.
But the 'sticky tape' method would not work on an industrial scale. Since then, scientists have been working on manufacturing graphene, to make use of its incredible properties.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. Their discovery meant physicists could study a new class of two-dimensional materials with unique properties.
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The specs: 2017 Dodge Viper SRT
Price, base / as tested Dh460,000
Engine 8.4L V10
Transmission Six-speed manual
Power 645hp @ 6,200rpm
Torque 813Nm @ 5,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 16.8L / 100km
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Other must-tries
Tomato and walnut salad
A lesson in simple, seasonal eating. Wedges of tomato, chunks of cucumber, thinly sliced red onion, coriander or parsley leaves, and perhaps some fresh dill are drizzled with a crushed walnut and garlic dressing. Do consider yourself warned: if you eat this salad in Georgia during the summer months, the tomatoes will be so ripe and flavourful that every tomato you eat from that day forth will taste lacklustre in comparison.
Badrijani nigvzit
A delicious vegetarian snack or starter. It consists of thinly sliced, fried then cooled aubergine smothered with a thick and creamy walnut sauce and folded or rolled. Take note, even though it seems like you should be able to pick these morsels up with your hands, they’re not as durable as they look. A knife and fork is the way to go.
Pkhali
This healthy little dish (a nice antidote to the khachapuri) is usually made with steamed then chopped cabbage, spinach, beetroot or green beans, combined with walnuts, garlic and herbs to make a vegetable pâté or paste. The mix is then often formed into rounds, chilled in the fridge and topped with pomegranate seeds before being served.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
