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Dubai: Crown Prince of Dubai Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum was born in Dubai on November 14, 1982 and attended Rashid School for Boys where he received his high school diploma before going on to the Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst, England, from which he graduated in 2001.
He has also attended specialised courses at the London School of Economics and the Dubai School of Government.
Shaikh Hamdan used to accompany his father wherever he went, and is said to have learnt his noble values and farsightedness from him.
His habit of making surprise visits to government departments is also a strategy often used by his father to ensure good governance and efficiency in government offices in Dubai, as well as keeping abreast with progress in government departments.
He is known to work to enhance the status of Dubai as one of the most distinctive cities of the world.
Key positions
He holds various governmental positions, the most prominent of which is his role as the chairman of the Dubai Executive Council, a position he has held since September 2006.
His leadership has made significant contributions to the Executive Council, which was highlighted particularly by the Dubai Strategic Plan 2015 that was launched in February 2007.
The document lays out a comprehensive plan for the development of the emirate until 2015 and he is mandated to ensure proper implementation of government projects within the agreed timeline.
Other positions held by Shaikh Hamdan are Chairman of the Board of the Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Establishment for Young Leaders, Chairman of Dubai Bank, Chairman of board of Dubai Union Properties, Chairman of Dubai Autism Centre, Chairman of Dubai Sports Council (DSC), President of Al Ahli Club and First Deputy President of the Dubai Club.
Another goal is to create a "barrier free society" for people with special needs.
In September 2006 he launched Takamul - an initiative that seeks to integrate people with special needs into the larger society.
In an effort to make Dubai's roads safer, he approved an unprecedented point-based traffic control system in November 2006 which was meant to penalise errant motorists by confiscating their driving licences for six months and impounding their car for a month.
Some of his most talked about qualities are perhaps his passion for poetry and sport.
The Crown Prince goes by the poetic pseudonym Fazza', a term that refers to an Arab knight of high ethics, and his poetry has been turned into song by some of the most prominent Gulf Arab singers such as Mohammad Abdu, Abdul Majid Abdullah and Rashid Al Majid of Saudi Arabia.
Dedicated to poetry
Shaikh Hamdan has a large following and fan base in the region, which has led to numerous websites dedicated to him and his poetry. Poetry reading sessions by him have attracted hundreds of men and women, young and old, from all over the Gulf.
In one of his poems, Shaikh Hamdan writes, "My title is my poetry and my name is in its meaning".
Shaikh Hamdan is an enthusiastic athlete and an avid horseman. His hobbies are playing football as well as horse riding.
He has played for Ramadan Football Tournament and his team clinched the title in 2002. He has also taken part in many endurance races around the world, as early as at the age of 15.
He has won the title of overall National Endurance Championship for the 1997-1998 session and also won gold in the European Open individual held in Compeigne, France in 2005, as well as a gold medal in the Asian games.
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