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When Sheikh Mohammed walked in the desert without food or water

Dubai - "My father taught me how to live in the desert with its animals, as well as living in the city with humans."

In the fourth chapter titled 'what my father taught me when I was young' from his latest book, Qissati, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, details his fondest memories from childhood. He recalls the many times he and his brothers got lost in the desert and walked for long distances without food or water. He also talks about the lessons he learnt from his father, Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum.
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"My father, horses and Dubai are my first memories of childhood. My father, horses and Dubai are the memories I will live with until the end.
"Horses' characteristics are pride, kindness and strength. These are the same characteristics of my father and of Dubai.
"From when I was four years old till I turned eight, my father taught me about the desert. He said we could live our whole life in the desert despite how cruel it might seem. It's a great space that scares a lot of people.
"At night in the desert, we used to make fire, and my father took me to watch what happened around us. A whole new world comes alive when we're asleep.
"To have food in the desert, you should have a strategy. He used to say: 'When you spend a night hungry, you will learn your lessons wisely the next morning.'
"My father was always keen about teaching me the geography of the land, and the signs in the sky. Stars are the compass of the desert. In cloudy nights, we depend on winds and the direction of the sunrise.
"Many times, my brothers, friends and I were lost in the desert during hunting trips, or our car broke down. I recall the many times we walked for long distances without food or water, and my older brothers, Sheikh Maktoum and Sheikh Hamdan, always had complete trust in me when we walked through the sand dunes. They knew what my father had taught me.
"My father taught me how to live in the desert with its animals, as well as living in the city with humans.
"Humans are harsh and the desert is beautiful."
In what he is calling his "incomplete biography", His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has broken his latest book, Qissati (My Story), into 50 chapters, narrating 50 stories in his 50 years of serving the nation. Khaleej Times got a signed copy of the book from the Dubai Ruler and everyday, we will be featuring excerpts from each of the 50 chapters.