The ruler of one of the small, least known emirates of the United Arab Emirates has died. Sheikh Rashid bin Ahmed Al-Mualla, ruler of the emirate of Umm Al-Quwain, died yesterday, the official WAM news agency reported. The sheikh, who was in his seventies, had headed the small emirate – one of seven members of the United Arab Emirates – since 1981. The UAE began a week of official mourning, during which flags will fly at half-mast. Government departments are to close for three days, from Friday through Sunday.
The late Sheikh Rashid was the tenth in the line of the Rulers of the Emirate of Umm al-Qaiwain, which was established as a separate Emirate in 1775 by Sheikh Majid al-Mualla.
He was born in around 1932 to his father, Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid al-Mualla, having become Ruler of Umm al-Qaiwain in 1929, and was educated locally.
Sheikh Rashid had been ill for several years and his son Crown Prince Sheikh Saud has been running the affairs of the emirate. He will become official ruler of the emirate which covers only 750 sq km. The UAE’s two most powerful emirates are Abu Dhabi, home to over 90 percent of the country’s oil and the major contributor to the federal budget, and Dubai, the Gulf’s tourism hub.
Umm Al Quwain is the second smallest Emirate in size, but it is much the smallest in population. It is a coastal town, tucked between Ajman and Ras Al Khaimah. Fishing has always been, and still is, the most important economic activity.
Parts of article taken from Kuwaiti Times and WAM
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