Sheikh Faisal bin Sultan Al Qassimi ( ar, الشيخ فيصل بن سلطان بن سالم القاسمي) is a member of the royal house of

Al Qasimi Al Qasimi ( ar, القواسم, spelled sometimes as Al Qassimi or Al Qassemi; plural: Al Qawasem ar, القواسم and, archaically, Joasmee) is an Arab dynasty in the Persian Gulf that rules Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah, today forming two of ...

who rule the Emirates of

Sharjah Sharjah (; ar, ٱلشَّارقَة ', Gulf Arabic: ''aš-Šārja'') is the third-most populous city in the United Arab Emirates, after Dubai and Abu Dhabi, forming part of the Dubai-Sharjah-Ajman metropolitan area. Sharjah is the capital ...

and

Ras Al Khaimah Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) ( ar, رَأْس ٱلْخَيْمَة, historically Julfar) is the largest city and capital of the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates. It is the sixth-largest city in UAE after Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, A ...

. He was the first Under Secretary of the Ministry of Defence and chief of staff in Abu Dhabi. Today, Sheikh Faisal is a chairman of the board of directors of a number of private companies including Faisal Holding LLC, GIBCA, Grand Stores, Hospitality Management Holdings LLC, and United Arab Bank. He has several companies and affiliates in key industrial sectors such as real estate, hospitality, tourism, trading, marketing, energy and resources, security printing and private equity.

Early life and education

Sheikh Faisal is the son of

Sultan bin Salim Al Qasimi Sheikh Sultan bin Salim Al Qasimi was Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah from 1921–1948. His long and turbulent rule was characterised by internecine family and tribal disputes and he was finally removed as Ruler in a 1948 coup. Accession Sultan bin Sal ...

(ruler of

from 19 July 1921 to February 1948) and grandson of

Salim bin Sultan Al Qasimi Sheikh Salim bin Sultan Al Qasimi was Ruler of Sharjah, a Trucial State and now one of the United Arab Emirates, from 1868–1883. His rule was unusually tumultuous and marked by intrigue, the secession of Sharjah's dependencies and constant co ...

(who ruled both

, from 14 April 1868 to 1869, and

, from 14 April 1868 to March 1883). Sheikh Faisal started his education in Ras Al Khaimah's Al Katateb School, and then went to Al Ahmadiya School of Dubai and Al Qassimia School of Sharjah. In 1954, Sheikh Faisal joined the

Trucial Oman Scouts The Trucial Oman Scouts was a paramilitary force that the British raised in 1951 as the Trucial Oman Levies, to serve in the Trucial States. In 1956, the Levies were renamed the Trucial Oman Scouts. In 1971, upon the formation of the United Arab ...

(TOS), and graduated in 1956 from the Officer Cadet School of Jordan. After graduating, he returned and served as a

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

in the TOS for four years. In 1960, he joined the

Mons Officer Cadet School Mons Officer Cadet School was a British military training establishment for officer cadets in Aldershot from 1942 to 1972, when it was closed and all officer training concentrated at Sandhurst. Until 1960, it was known as the Mons Officer Cade ...

Aldershot Aldershot () is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, southwest of London. The area is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Alde ...

, where he excelled and was promoted to Queen's Commission Officer. Following his education at

, he returned to the

Trucial States The Trucial States ( '), also known as the Trucial Coast ( '), the Trucial Sheikhdoms ( '), Trucial Arabia or Trucial Oman, was the name the British government gave to a group of tribal confederations in southeastern Arabia whose leaders had s ...

to serve once again as a

in the TOS. During 1962, Sheikh Faisal continued his training and education at the Army School of Education at Wilton Park in

Beaconsfield Beaconsfield ( ) is a market town and civil parish within the unitary authority of Buckinghamshire, England, west-northwest of central London and south-southeast of Aylesbury. Three other towns are within : Gerrards Cross, Amersham and High W ...

. After completing his courses, he attended the

Small Arms School Corps The Small Arms School Corps (SASC) is a small corps of the British Army, established in 1853 by Lord Hardinge. Its personnel provide advice and instruction to infantry weapon trainers throughout the army, in order to maintain proficiency in th ...

Hythe Hythe, from Anglo-Saxon ''hȳð'', may refer to a landing-place, port or haven, either as an element in a toponym, such as Rotherhithe in London, or to: Places Australia * Hythe, Tasmania Canada *Hythe, Alberta, a village in Canada England * T ...

that same year. He finished his training at the

School of Infantry A School of Infantry provides training in weapons and infantry tactics to infantrymen of a nation's military forces. Schools of infantry include: Australia *Australian Army – School of Infantry, Lone Pine Barracks at Singleton, NSW. France ...

Warminster Warminster () is an ancient market town with a nearby garrison, and civil parish in south west Wiltshire, England, on the western edge of Salisbury Plain. The parish had a population of about 17,000 in 2011. The 11th-century Minster Church of S ...

Military career

In 1969, Sheikh Faisal left the TOS to join Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, then-ruler of Abu Dhabi. He was appointed the Chairman of the Ruler's Representative in the Eastern Region's diwan and Chief of the Court. Sheikh Zayed's representative in the Eastern region was his son Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed, current president of the

UAE The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...

. Sheikh Faisal moved to Abu Dhabi with Sheikh Khalifa after the latter was declared as Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces. After their arrival to Abu Dhabi in 1971, Sheikh Faisal was appointed the Under Secretary of the Ministry of Defence. A year later he was appointed the Chief of staff of the Abu Dhabi Defence Force (ADDF). He served briefly as the Chairman of the

Arab Organization for Industrialization The Arab Organization for Industrialization (AOI) ( ar, الهيئة العربية للتصنيع) is an Egypt-based Arab military organization established in 1975 by Egypt, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Qatar to supervise the collecti ...

(AOI) during 1973-1974 after

Ashraf Marwan Ashraf Marwan ( ar, أشرف مروان‎, 2 February 1944 – 27 June 2007) was an Egyptian billionaire, who worked as a spy for Israeli Mossad. Egyptian officials claim he was a double agent who also worked for them. From 1969, Marwan w ...

; hence, making him the first non-Egyptian to head the organization.

Decorations and medals

As an influential figure, Sheikh Faisal was decorated with several medals. He received the following orders and decorations during his career.

National honors

* : 1st Class Emirates Military Medal by former UAE president

Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan ( ar, زَايِد بِن سُلْطَان آل نَهْيَان, Zāyed bin Sulṭān Āl Nahyān; 6 May 1918 – 2 November 2004) was an Emirati politician, statesman, and philanthropist who served as ...

(2.12.1989)

Foreign honors

* : Jordanian Star 1st Class by the late

King Hussein Hussein bin Talal ( ar, الحسين بن طلال, ''Al-Ḥusayn ibn Ṭalāl''; 14 November 1935 – 7 February 1999) was King of Jordan from 11 August 1952 until his death in 1999. As a member of the Hashemite dynasty, the royal family o ...

(10.6.1974) * : 1st Class Medal of Merit by the former President of Egypt,

Anwar Sadat Muhammad Anwar el-Sadat, (25 December 1918 – 6 October 1981) was an Egyptian politician and military officer who served as the third president of Egypt, from 15 October 1970 until his assassination by fundamentalist army officers on 6 ...

(31 May 1972) * : Superior Order Staff General by the former King of Morocco,

King Hassan II Hassan II ( ar, الحسن الثاني, translit=al-Ḥasan aṯ-ṯhānī;), with the prefix "Mulay" before his enthronement 9 July 1929 – 23 July 1999) was the King of Morocco from 1961 until his death in 1999. He was a member of the 'Alaw ...

(12.8.1974) * :

Order of the Two Niles The Order of the Two Niles () is a state decoration of Sudan established on 16 November 1961 during Ibrahim Abboud's military government. The Order of the Two Niles – White and Blue Niles – is Sudan's second-highest honour after the Order ...

by former President of Sudan,

Gaafar Nimeiry Jaafar Muhammad an-Nimeiry (otherwise spelled in English as Jaafar Nimeiry, Gaafar Nimeiry or Ja'far Muhammad Numayri; ar, جعفر محمد النميري; 26 April 192830 May 2009) was a Sudanese politician who served as the president of Su ...

(25 May 1974)

References

{{reflist, 2 1940 births Living people House of Al Qasimi Emirati royalty Emirati businesspeople Emirati military personnel Graduates of the Mons Officer Cadet School Recipients of orders, decorations, and medals of Sudan