House of Al Falasi

The House of Al Falasi (Arabic: بيت الفلاسي‎) is both a name of a tribe and a name of its Al Maktoum branch (ruling family of Dubai).

House of Al Falasi
بيت الفلاسي
Royal house
Coat of arms of Dubai
CountryUnited Arab Emirates
Founded1833 (1833)
FounderAl Maktoum
Titles
Style(s)His/Her Highness
Estate(s)Zabeel Palace
Nad Al Sheba Palace
Cadet branchesBani Yas
House of Al Falahi
Al Maktoum

History

The Al Maktoum family descends from the Al Bu Falasah (now known as Al-Falasi) section of the Bani Yas, a tribal federation that has been the dominant power throughout most of what is now the United Arab Emirates.[1] In 1833, a large group of the Al Bu Falasah section of the Bani Yas seceded to Dubai during the pearling season, under the leadership of Maktoum bin Butti bin Sohal, escaping the violence of Sheikh Khalifah of Abu Dhabi. Dubai was readily given up to them by its wali. The following autumn, the bulk of their relatives joined them and virtually all of the Al Bu Falasah were domiciled in Dubai from then on.[2]

Sheikh Maktoum bin Hasher Al Maktoum (Ruler from 1894-1906) convinced merchants from Lingeh in Iran to stay in the city by assuring zero taxation.[3] A more modern cosmopolitan city as well as a business friendly orientation was later established, which is what Dubai is now known for.[4] By the 1930s the population of Dubai nearly reached 20,000, a quarter of whom were expatriates.

In the 1950s the Dubai Creek began to silt up. The late Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum comminisioned the dredging of the waterway; resulting in an increased volume of cargo handling in Dubai, reinforcing Dubai's position as a re-export and tradinghub.[5]

Timeline of rulers of Dubai
Sheikh Mohammed, Current Ruler of Dubai
Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid
Sheikh Rashid II
Sheikh Saeed with his brother Sheikh Juma

Members of Al Falasi
Sheikh Saeed the Olympic athlete receiving a trophy from Her Majesty the Queen
Crown Prince of Dubai, Sheikh Hamdan

Family tree

Coat of arms

The coats of arms of the House of Al Falasi is simply described as إمارة دبي, i.e., Emirate of Dubai which is represented by a Falcon (The National bird of the UAE).

References
  1. "Bani Yas". Archived from the original on 14 March 2006.
  2. Heard-Bey, Frauke (2005). From Trucial States to United Arab Emirates : a society in transition. London: Motivate. p. 465. ISBN 1860631673. OCLC 64689681.
  3. Wilson, Graeme (1999). Father of Dubai. Media Prima. p. 31.
  4. "Dubai past and present".
  5. "Dubai's History".
  6. Arab Decision website information.
  7. "Jamal Mohammed Matar Al-Hai". 4-Traders. Surperformance. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
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