On the ocassion of the Accession Day of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed we look back at the path of excellence he has taken to lead the nation

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum presented Sheikh Khalifa with the first copy of his new book.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai, marks the fifth anniversary of his accession on Tuesday.

On Januray 4, 2006, Sheikh Mohammed took over as the Rule rof Dubai when his brother the late Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum passed away.

On January 5, 2006, the Members of the Supreme Council elected Sheikh Mohammed as the Vice-President of the UAE.

President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan nominated him as the Prime Minister and asked him to form the new cabinet. On February 9, Sheikh Khalifa approved the Cabinet proposed and headed by Sheikh Mohammed.

Childhood and education

Sheikh Mohammed was born in 1949. He is the third of Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum’s four sons. Sheikh Maktoum, Sheikh Hamdan and Sheikh Ahmed are his brothers. Sheikh Mohammed enjoyed a happy and carefree early
childhood in the Al Maktoum family’s Al Shindagha home.

From an early age he was taught hunting, especially the noble Arabian sport of falconry. The Maktoum brothers were also taught the rudiments of horsemanship by their father.

From the age of four, he was privately tutored in Arabic and Islamic Studies. In 1955, he began his formal education at Al Ahmedia School, a small primary school in Deira.

In August 1966, Sheikh Mohammed flew to London accompanied by his cousin, Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Maktoum. They enrolled in the Bell School of Languages, in Cambridge, one of Europe’s best-regarded language schools.

Sheikh Mohammed attended Mons Officer Cadet School, in Aldershot, about 40 miles from London in the south of England. During the latter stages of the six-month course, he was promoted to Senior Under Officer of Kohema and was later awarded the Sword of Honour for achieving the highest mark of any Foreign and Commonwealth officer cadet in his intake.

His first position

On November 1, 1968, the late Sheikh Rashid appointed Sheikh Mohammed as Head of Dubai Police and Public Security, which was his first public position. After the declaration of the UAE Federation on December 2, 1971, Sheikh Maktoum, the new Prime Minister, appointed his brother Sheikh Mohammed as Minister of Defence and awarded him the rank of General. He was then the youngest Minister of Defence in the world. Sheikh Rashid relied heavily upon his sons as he sought to transform Dubai, and Sheikh Mohammed took on much responsibility.

Key acheivments and directives

Sheikh Mohammed embodies energetic and successful leadership. He is a man who has made promises and kept them; he has insisted on excellence and achieved nothing less; he has defined the role of leadership and fulfilled it.

Thanks to his vision, Sheikh Mohammed has competently authored the Dubai success story in record time and put the UAE on a unique path, which nations around the world compete to replicate.

Sheikh Mohammed has come up with several directives and laws aimed at providing a decent living to the nationals and residents in this country.

He turned his attention to people, inspecting projects and following up people’s concerns across the UAE. He inspected progress in all emirates, met residents and ordered changes that needed to be carried out. He undertook groundbreaking initiatives at an astonishing pace.

The past few years witnessed unique achievements for Sheikh Mohammed both locally and regionally.

With Dubai residents complaining of high rents, on January 1, 2007, Sheikh Mohammed ordered a seven per cent cap on rent increases. This decree followed an earlier one that set the cap at 15 per cent.

In Feburary 2007, he announced the Dubai Strategic Plan 2015, which aims to bolster Dubai’s leading position in the region and boost its role as an international economic and financial hub. The strategy will be used as a road map for development in the coming years.

On April 17, 2007, Sheikh Mohammed unveiled the UAE Government Strategy Plan with the aim of achieving sustainable development throughout the country, investing federal resources more efficiently and ensuring due diligence, accountability and transparency across federal bodies.

Regionally, his most outstanding achievement was the launch of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation, on May 19, 2007, with an endowment of $10 billion. The foundation’s aim is to promote human development by investing in education and the development of knowledge in the region by cultivating future leaders in both the private and public sectors, promoting scientific research, spreading knowledge, encouraging business leadership, empowering youth, renewing the concept of culture, preserving heritage and promoting platforms of understanding among various cultures.

Sheikh Mohammed launched Dubai Cares on September 20, 2007. The campaign, which raised an unprecedented Dh3.4 billion in its first two months, has become one of the biggest international humanitarian movements to focus on fighting poverty, spreading knowledge and providing education for children in the world’s poorest countries.

On September 3, 2008, Sheikh Mohammed unveiled the Noor Dubai initiative aiming to deliver preventative eye care to over one million people in developing countries. This move is part of a drive towards a world free from curable forms of blindness.

With the number of traffic deaths in Dubai rising, Sheikh Mohammed called for tough measures against reckless drivers.

To ensure the rights of expatriate workers, he ordered the setting up of a special labour court. He also ordered a series of organisational measures to regulate the affairs of the foreign workforce in the country.

Sheikh Mohammad also stressed the vital need to develop education. He issued a law setting up the Dubai Foundation for Women’s Development, which was tasked with developing and utilising the potential and capabilities of UAE women.

In another move, Sheikh Mohammed urged the Electoral College to participate actively in the first elections of the Federal National
Council, which have been described as a resounding success.

In an effort to encourage innovation, Sheikh Mohammed has announced a wide array of awards both in Dubai and the UAE, including the Arab Journalism Awards, the Dubai Government Excellence Programme, the Dubai Holy Quran Awards and the Young Business Leaders Awards. These awards have promoted a competitive climate for both the public and private sectors to strive for excellence.

Sheikh Mohammed also issued a directive mandating builders and developers in Dubai to comply with green building standards to ensure a healthy and environment-friendly city.

The past few years have witnessed significant progress in economic and social development: e-government was introduced; Dubai Metro was inaugurated and a significant number of investment companies were established.

These companies have formed global partnerships in the fields of industry, commerce, tourism and ports and real estate management.

A host of other cultural projects were also launched, including the Muhammad the Messenger Museum, the Universal Museums project and the Mohammed bin Rashid Gardens.

Sheikh Mohammed set out his comprehensive world view in his book ‘My Vision’, where he describes his philosophy and his political and economic vision.

He also offers a detailed account of how Dubai and the UAE have been guided to their present-day status as international centres, renowned for their high quality commercial and financial services, luxury tourism and their drive towards sustainable human and structural development.

Through generosity and dedication, Sheikh Mohammed has achieved notable success while shouldering the great responsibility of leading Dubai and the Federal Government.

The Mohammed Bin Rashid Gardens capture the spirit of Civic Design, creating new hope for the Middle East by restoring the soul of Arabian civilization to the heart of its cities.
A literal translation of the astrolabe’s ornate brass rete, the city’s parks and gardens form a lush green net that catches all the cultural and residential districts within its spreading strands.
www.civicart.com

Source:  www.youtube.com

HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Ruler of Dubai, and Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE, has unveiled ambitious plans for an entire city to be built in the desert.

Master Plan for a spectacular new city unveiled in Dubai.

Respectful of the region’s cultural heritage in both scale and form, this new metropolis has been specifically designed to meet the needs of the modern Arab world.

Extending over 800 million square feet, the project incorporates new homes, outstanding educational, financial and commercial facilities, iconic civic buildings and tourist landmarks. Threading them together is more landscaped parkland than can be found in London and New York combined.

Mohammed Bin Rashid Gardens

Set to become one of the world’s most spectacular urban developments, the Mohammed Bin Rashid Gardens will cost over $60bn to construct.

Dubai Properties will shortly begin work on the scheme, designed by the internationally renowned architect, Eric Kuhne of London-based CivicArts.

“His Highness Sheikh Mohammed should be applauded for his commitment to creating a new Dubai which will redefine the quality of civic life for all the citizens and guests of the Arabian Gulf. His vision can be compared to that of Shah Abbas I who created Nisf-e-Jahan; the elegant 16th century capital of Persia whose parks, gardens and libraries reflected the heavens,” says Eric Kuhne.

Arranged around the city are four centers, or ‘houses’ that will host world-class facilities in their respective fields:

The House of Humanity

Includes quarters for charitable organizations, including Sheik Mohammed’s own Humanitarian Establishment, along with museums encompassing the themes of human civilization.

The House of Commerce

The towers and office blocks of The House of Commerce will be occupied by large multi-national companies, insurance firms and both Islamic and international banks; all working in partnership with educational institutions specializing in financial sciences.

The House of Wisdom

Includes translation facilities, a grand library, knowledge garden, international universities, colleges of history and science and a mosque, together with offices for a number of international academic organizations.

The House of Nature

Is dedicated to the environment with family parks, zoological gardens, hotels, alternative medical and herbal clinics and premises for laboratories, institutions and colleges all specializing in conservation and the natural sciences.

The Mohammed bin Rashid Gardens, an ambitious AED 200bn parks project launched by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has received wide acclaimed across the UAE on account of the balance it promises to strike  between ecological integrity and real estate necessity.

Mohammed Bin Rashid Gardens

The launch of this mega project directly follows the signing off of the finalization of the first phase of implementation of the Dubai Green Buildings mandate, which is expected to cut water consumption in Dubai by 40%.

Commenting on the Gardens Project, Dr Abdullah Al Amiri, Chairman of the Emirates Energy Awards, organized by the Dubai Quality Group, said, “The UAE has alway blazed a bright trail in maintaining ecological integrity, in keeping with the directives of HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.”

“Such initiatives conform to the global tendency towards preserving the environment, developing alternative energy resources and forestalling the eruption of wars, famines, droughts and other natural disasters that may result from the current climate change.”
“The Emirates Energy Awards, organized by Dubai Quality Group, plays an eminent role in enhancing ecological awareness among the people of the UAE. We are still receiving applications for the UAE Student Drawing Competition on Energy Efficiency, which was launched in cooperation with the UAE’s Ministry of Education”.

“The Gardens Projects serves to provide us with more stimuli to forge ahead with our national project, tailored to provide a balance between urban necessity and environmental integrity.”

He said that the winners of the drawing competition will be honoured at a ceremony to be organized in November 2008 under the auspices of HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai.

According to well-informed sources, the first steps of the Mohamed bin Rashid Gardens Project will hopefully be finalized within 6 months
The project focusses on increasing green areas, which will reach 73% of the total project area of 880 million ft², with a total cost of AED 200bn.

It will consist of four houses. The first, the “House of Wisdom”, will include translation houses, a central library, knowledge gardens, international organizations’ quarters, international universities, history and science colleges, a mosque and Sheikh Mohammad’s masjid.
The second is the “House of Humanity”, and will include buildings and quarters for the House of Giving for charity, Sheikh Mohammad’s Humanitarian and Charity Establishment, Unicef, the museum of light, the human civilization museum and charity foundations.

The “House of Nature” is one of the project’s main houses, which includes family parks, themed gardens, scientific labs that specialise in environmental issues, institutes, and colleges that specialise in the natural sciences, hotels, recreational clubs, an enormous zoo, flower gardens and alternative medical and herbal clinics.

The project’s fourth and final house, the House of Commerce, will include buildings, towers, trademark agents, higher education institutions in banking and the financial sciences, insurance companies, branches of large international companies and Islamic and international banks.

The Burj Khalifa in Dubai climbed higher than any other previous structure ever built. But architects won’t rest there. Here are eight building plans trying to capture the title as the next tallest tower.

The Burj Khalifa, currently the tallest tower in the world, officially opened in Dubai on Jan. 4 amid an impressive pyrotechnics display that highlighted the tower’s 2716.5-feet of aluminum and steel, and its 26,000 hand-cut glass panels. The Burj Khalifa blows away the next-nearest skyscraper, which is Taiwan’s 1670-foot Taipei 101, and the building has even surpassed ultra-tall, ground-cable-supported radio antennas.

Architects’ vertical leapfrogging, however, isn’t likely to stop at the Burj Khalifa. While the tower will be a tough one to beat, it is likely to remain at the pinnacle for only about another half-dozen years. Developers around the world have proposed numerous new skyscrapers. Some projects have leapt off the drawing boards, though plans for many record-breaking towers have been scuttled because of the global economic spasms of the past couple years. (The original name of the Burj Khalifa, the Burj Dubai, was changed at the last minute to recognize United Arab Emirates president Sheik Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan, who as emir of Abu Dhabi gave struggling Dubai a $10 billion bailout last month.)

So what buildings could be the next to rise up and steal the Burj Khalifa’s crown? Here are eight future contenders.

4.Nakheel Tower

Location /// Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Projected Height /// 3281 to 4593 ft

This cylindrical megatower has eight spires that come to a point at the building’s peak. Though an official target height has not been revealed, the Nakheel Tower is likely to crest 3280 feet. Its designers, the international firm Woods Bagot, aim for the Nakheel Tower to be the first true realization of a vertical city. Over 15,000 people will live, work and socialize in this spire with a ground footprint the size of a New York City square block. The placement of support columns is based on a radially symmetrical 16-point star pattern and is inspired by Arabic patternmaking. The pattern makes engineering sense because a symmetrical building bears the load evenly among its structural units, according to a 2009 case study on the Nakheel Tower published in the journal of the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. The trickiest part about designing the Nakheel Tower, according to the study, was dealing with so-called vortex shedding from winds, which can cause damaging vibrations. Instead of funneling wind around its metal and glass skin, the Nakheel Tower takes the uncommon approach of having large gaps in the midst of the building, with a double set of slots that let gales pass right through. Every 25 floors or so, big disk-like skybridges bind the towers together and serve as village squares for high-rise dwellers, as in 1 Dubai. Also as in 1 Dubai, the Nakheel Tower’s completion date has been held up because of unfavorable market conditions, though some early construction work did get underway before the stall. A completion date has not been announced and the project may never resume.

Vice President, Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, has launched AED200 billion Mohammed Bin Rashid Garden City project initiative to preserve environment and stretch landscape.

Mohammed Bin Rashid Gardens

The Mohammed Bin Rashid Gardens represent the most innovative approach to urban form to be found anywhere in the Middle East. Celebrating the intricate geometry of Arabian art and science its 56 million square feet of verdant parks and gardens divide an 880 million square foot city into a network of sustainable neighbourhoods, each containing the molecule of daily life.

The project will include four houses:
Bait Al Hikma, will include translation unit, central library, knowledge garden and offices for international organisations, universities and mosque.

The second house, will be humanitarian house, which will include the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Humanitarian Establishment, UNICEF, light museum, humanitarian civilisation museum and charity offices.

The third house, is allocated for nature. It will include extensive integrated family parks, specialised environment laboratories, colleges specialised in environment, hotels and entertainment clubs, as well as gardens for flowers and alternative medicine clinics.

The fourth house, is allocated for commerce. It will include towers and centres for trade mark agents, higher banking and financial institutions, insurance companies, major world companies, Islamic and international banks.

Al Gergawi said the coming up project “reflects vision of Sheikh Mohammed on clean environment free from pollution to safeguard health of coming generations”, adding that it is also in line with previous resolution of constructing green buildings friendly to environment.

Hashim Al Dabal, executive chairman of Dubai Properties, said the company will commence work upon instructions and blessing from Sheikh Mohammed and in coordination with competent corporations to prepare infrastructure for the project, which is set to be a conspicuous landmark in the UAE.

The Mohamed bin Rashid Gardens, an ambitious Dhs 200bn parks project launched by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has received wide acclaimed across the UAE on account of the balance it promises to strike between ecological integrity and real estate necessity.

Dr Abdullah Al Amiri, Chairman of the Emirates Energy Awards.

The launch of this mega project directly follows the signing off of the finalization of the first phase of implementation of the Dubai Green Buildings mandate, which is expected to cut water consumption in Dubai by 40%.

Commenting on the Gardens Project, Dr Abdullah Al Amiri, Chairman of the Emirates Energy Awards, organized by the Dubai Quality Group, said, “The UAE has alway blazed a bright trail in maintaining ecological integrity, in keeping with the directives of HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.”

“Such initiatives conform to the global tendency towards preserving the environment, developing alternative energy resources and forestalling the eruption of wars, famines, droughts and other natural disasters that may result from the current climate change.”

“The Emirates Energy Awards, organized by Dubai Quality Group, plays an eminent role in enhancing ecological awareness among the people of the UAE. We are still receiving applications for the UAE Student Drawing Competition on Energy Efficiency, which was launched in cooperation with the UAE’s Ministry of Education.”

“The Gardens Projects serves to provide us with more stimuli to forge ahead with our national project, tailored to provide a balance between urban necessity and environmental integrity.”

He said that the winners of the drawing competition will be honoured at a ceremony to be organized in November 2008 under the auspices of HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai.

According to well-informed sources, the first steps of the Mohamed bin Rashid Gardens Project will hopefully be finalized within 6 months
The project focusses on increasing green areas, which will reach 73% of the total project area of 880 million ft², with a total cost of Dhs200bn.

It will consist of four houses. The first, the “House of Wisdom”, will include translation houses, a central library, knowledge gardens, international organizations’ quarters, international universities, history and science colleges, a mosque and Sheikh Mohammad’s masjid.
The second is the “House of Humanity”, and will include buildings and quarters for the House of Giving for charity, Sheikh Mohammad’s Humanitarian and Charity Establishment, Unicef, the museum of light, the human civilization museum and charity foundations.

The “House of Nature” is one of the project’s main houses, which includes family parks, themed gardens, scientific labs that specialise in environmental issues, institutes, and colleges that specialise in the natural sciences, hotels, recreational clubs, an enormous zoo, flower gardens and alternative medical and herbal clinics.

The project’s fourth and final house, the House of Commerce, will include buildings, towers, trademark agents, higher education institutions in banking and the financial sciences, insurance companies, branches of large international companies and Islamic and international banks.