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Dubai bids farewell to Shaikh Maktoum

DUBAI - Dubai came to a halt on Thursday as the emirate bid farewell to its ruler Shaikh Maktoum bin Rashed Al Maktoum, who died on Wednesday of natural causes while on a visit to Australia. Arab leaders, dignitaries and many citizens attended the funeral of Shaikh Maktoum. Several thousand Emiratis, some crying, crowded around the Zabeel Mosque to pray for the soul of the late ruler, whose body lay inside the mosque.

Shaikh Maktoum, who was also the prime minister and vice president of the UAE, died on Wednesday in the east Australian resort of Gold Coast, where he had apparently gone to attend a sale of yearling race horses later this month. He was 62.

After about 10 minutes of prayers, his body was carried to an ambulance and taken to the Um Hureir cemetery for burial.

The mourners were led by the new ruler, Shaikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the younger brother of Shaikh Maktoum, and they included King Abdullah II of Jordan, the crown princes of Qatar and Morocco, Kuwait’s deputy prime minister, Shaikh Nawwaf Al Ahmed Al Sabah, and the Duke of Gloucester, who represented Queen Elizabeth II of Britain.

Shaikh Mohammed succeeded as ruler of Dubai automatically on Wednesday in accordance with the constitution.

The streets of the normally bustling city of Dubai were eerily quiet Thursday as the funeral was broadcast live on national television. The Dubai stock exchange and many shops and businesses were closed Thursday as a mark of respect.

Shaikh Maktoum had tended to leave the day-to-day government of Dubai to his younger brother, the crown prince, but he took an active interest in the Emirates’ foreign policy and often represented the country abroad.

His foremost interest was horse racing and he and his younger brother put Dubai on the world racing map. The annual Dubai World Cup is billed as the richest horse race in the world.

Shaikh Maktoum and his brother were founder-owners of Godolphin Racing, one of the world’s most successful stables, and his death brought tributes from British and US racing experts.