The Al Mualla () family is the ruling royal family of

Umm Al Quwain Umm Al Quwain (UAQ; Arabic: أم القيوين, pronounced: /ʔumː alqejˈwejn/, Gulf Arabic: �ʊm͜ː 'æl ge̞ˈwe̞n) is the capital and largest city of the Emirate of Umm Al Quwain in the United Arab Emirates. The city is situated on t ...

, one of the seven emirates that together comprise the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The family was traditionally at the head of the Al Ali tribe. The Al Ali (singular, Aliyi), were some 6,750 strong at the turn of the 19th century and were almost all settled either at Umm Al Quwain (1,000 families) or the inland town of Falaj Al Ali (later to be known as

Falaj Al Mualla Falaj Al Mualla is the inland oasis town of Emirate of Umm Al Quwain, Umm Al Quwain, one of the seven emirates which comprise the United Arab Emirates, United Arab Emirates (UAE). Originally called Falaj Al Ali, after the Al-Ali (tribe), Al Ali tr ...

). Some 200 settled Al Ali families lived in

Sharjah Sharjah (; ', Gulf Arabic: ''aš-Šārja'') is the List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, third-most populous city in the United Arab Emirates, after Dubai and Abu Dhabi. It is the capital of the Emirate of Sharjah and forms part of the D ...

and 150 in

Ras Al Khaimah Ras Al Khaimah (; ), often referred to its initials RAK, is the largest city and capital of the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah in the U.A.E. The city had a population of 191,753 in 2025, and is the sixth-most populous city in UAE after Dubai, Abu ...

, although there was also a small

Bedouin The Bedouin, Beduin, or Bedu ( ; , singular ) are pastorally nomadic Arab tribes who have historically inhabited the desert regions in the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, the Levant, and Mesopotamia (Iraq). The Bedouin originated in the Sy ...

section of some 140 families who roamed a ''dar'' between Jazirat Al Hamra and Falaj Al Ali. There was a

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

group of Al Ali, who referred to the Umm Al Quwain section as 'Al Mualla'. The tribe originated in

Nejd Najd is a historical region of the Arabian Peninsula that includes most of the central region of Saudi Arabia. It is roughly bounded by the Hejaz region to the west, the Nafud desert in al-Jawf to the north, ad-Dahna Desert in al-Ahsa to th ...

Founding Umm Al Quwain

The first known head of the Al Ali when they settled at Umm Al Quwain was Sheikh Rashid bin Majid Al Mualla. Sheikh Rashid was responsible for the construction of

Umm Al Quwain Fort Umm Al Quwain Fort, also known as the Al Ali Fort, is located in the city of Umm Al Quwain in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It was the seat of the rulers of Umm Al Quwain and the centre of government in the emirate until 1969. It was used as a ...

in the town in 1768, today home to Umm Al Quwain museum. The fort and its watchtower were built after the Al Ali tribe moved from the island of Sinniyah to the mainland after water supplies on the island were exhausted.

Rulers

The successive Al Mualla Rulers of Umm Al Quwain were: * 1768 – 1820: Sheikh Rashid bin Majid Al Mualla * 1820 – 1853: Sheikh Abdullah bin Rashid Al Mualla * 1853 – 1873: Sheikh Ali bin Abdullah Al Mualla * 1873 – 1904: Sheikh Ahmad bin Abdullah Al Mualla (b. 1844 – d. 1904) * 1904 – 1922: Sheikh Rashid bin Ahmad Al Mualla (b. 1876 – d. 1922) * 1922 – 1923: Sheikh Abdullah bin Rashid Al Mualla II * 1923 – 1929: Sheikh Hamad bin Ibrahim Al Mualla * 1929 – 1981: Sheikh

Ahmad bin Rashid Al Mualla Sheikh Sheikh ( , , , , ''shuyūkh'' ) is an honorific title in the Arabic language, literally meaning "elder (administrative title), elder". It commonly designates a tribal chief or a Muslim ulama, scholar. Though this title generally r ...

(b. 1904 – d. 1981) * 1981 – 2009: Sheikh Rashid bin Ahmad Al Mualla II (b. 1932 – d. 2009) * 2009 – present: Sheikh

Saud bin Rashid Al Mualla Sheikh Saud bin Rashid Al Mualla (; born 1 October 1952) is the ruler and head of state of the Emirate of Umm Al Quwain since 2009 and a member of the Federal Supreme Council of the United Arab Emirates. He is the son of Rashid bin Ahmad Al Mu ...

(b. 1952)

Deputy rulers

The successive Al Mualla Deputy Rulers of Umm Al Quwain were: * 20 April 2004 – present: Sheikh

Abdullah bin Rashid Al Mualla III Sheikh Abdulla Bin Rashid Al Mualla (Arabic: الشيخ عبدالله بن راشد المعلا; born 12 December 1971) is the deputy ruler of Umm Al Quwain emirate since April 2004, He is the son of late Sheikh Rashid bin Ahmad Al Mualla. ...

(b. 1971)

References

{{Rulers of Umm Al Quwain Middle Eastern royal families Tribes of the United Arab Emirates Arab dynasties