Photos: Shaikh Mohammed 'cooks' on desert winter break

The hospitable Dubai Ruler loves to camp in the desert and prepare large scrumptious meals for his entourage.

With winter in full bloom, it's holiday season in the UAE and not just residents, but even royalty is taking a winter break ahead of the epic New Year's Eve celebrations planned throughout the country.
His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Dubai Ruler, along with his son Shaikh Hamdan (Dubai Crown Prince) and their entourage have travelled abroad for a brief vacation.
An avid photographer and Instagram user, Hamdan has been posting pictures of their break including a special 'story' that chronicled their journey from UAE to the undisclosed location.
An Instagram story is a 'Snapchat-like feature' that is not posted on the profile and is replaced with new stories that include photos and videos.
What was so special about this story?
Known for his warm and hospitable nature, the Ruler can be seen helping with the preparation of dishes cooked in large utensils for the entourage.

Here are a few screengrabs from the story showing the Ruler helping with the preparation of a traditional rice dish:

 

A photo posted by sultan41 (@sultan41) on Dec 21, 2016 at 8:13am PST

Hamdan has not disclosed their vacation location in his posts, but a post by one of the entourage members suggests that they might be in Algeria, which is usually very cold at this time of the year. Earlier this week the Algerian town of Ain Sefra, deep in the dry, hot Sahara desert was hit by a freak snowfall on December 19. It's the first time snow has fallen in the region in 37 years.

 

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A photo posted by ???? ?? ???? ?????? (@suhailbinghdayer) on Dec 21, 2016 at 8:21am PST

Also read: Shaikh Mohammed, Hamdan ride London Underground

Hamdan posted this picture of him and his father with a 'lifetime friend' this morning:

 

A lifetime #friend ?????? ???????????
A photo posted by Fazza (@faz3) on Dec 22, 2016 at 12:07am PST

A few more snaps from the break 

 

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A photo posted by Fazza (@faz3) on Dec 20, 2016 at 10:05am PST

Snowfall in the desert:

 

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A video posted by ???? ?? ???? ?????? (@suhailbinghdayer) on Dec 19, 2016 at 10:30pm PST

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