Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi

Mohammed's mother is Maryam bint Sheikh Ghanem bin Salim bin Abdullah bin Saeed bin Sabt bin Matar bin Sultan bin Faris bin Shahwan Al Shamsi. He has four brothers and two sisters: Khalid, Sheikh Saqr, Abdul Aziz, Abdullah, Shiekha and Naema.[3] He was raised by a Malayali nanny from Kerala and picked up the Malayalam language from her.

In 1948, at the age of nine years, he enrolled in Eslah As Qasimia School. After completing his elementary and secondary education between Sharjah, Kuwait City and Dubai, Al-Qasimi went on to study a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Engineering at Cairo University, graduating in 1971. He completed a PhD in History at Exeter University in 1985, and another in the Political Geography of the Gulf at Durham University in 1999.

Sultan succeeded his brother, Khalid bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, as Emir after his assassination on 25 January 1972. He was previously the minister of education for the Emirates.

In addition to those offices, he holds several educational posts. He became president of both the American University of Sharjah and the University of Sharjah in 1997 and was named a visiting professor at Exeter University, his alma mater, in 1998. He became a professor of modern history of the Gulf at the University of Sharjah in 1999. In 2008 he also became a visiting professor at Cairo University.

Sultan celebrated the 50th anniversary of his accession to the throne on 25 January 2022. He is the longest reigning Arab ruler, beating Qaboos bin Said's record of 49 and a half years.

With his first wife, Moza bint Salem Al Falasi, he had two children:

• Azza bint Sultan (b. 1973)
• Mohammed bin Sultan, the Crown Prince of Sharjah (1974–1999)

With his second wife, Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, he had four children:.[8]

• Bodour bint Sultan (b. 1978) is married to Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi and had three children:
  • Maryam bint Sultan Al Qasimi
  • Ahmed bin Sultan Al Qasimi
  • Alya bint Sultan Al Qasimi
• Noor bint Sultan (b. 1979)
• Hoor bint Sultan (b. 1980)
• Khalid bin Sultan (1980–2019)

His eldest son from his first marriage, Mohammed bin Sultan Al Qasimi (1974–1999), was the crown prince of the emirate and died after a heroin overdose at the Emir's residence in Wych Cross Place, near Forest Row, East Grinstead, on 3 April 1999 at the age of 24 years.[9][10][11]A state mourning period in Sharjah of seven days was observed and flags flew at half-mast. With reports of increasing drug abuse problems in the emirate, in May 2018 the emir announced the directive to establish the "Irada" drug addiction treatment and rehabilitation centre in Sharjah.[12][13][14]

His younger son Khalid bin Sultan Al Qasimi (1980–2019), owner of British clothing chain Qasimi, died in London aged 39. His death was, according to the coroner, 'drug related' as 'toxicology tests revealed Khalid had high levels of GHB and “recreational” amounts of cocaine in his system'.[15][16][17]

• Emirate of Sharjah
• Kalba

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sultan bin Mohamed al-Qassimi III..

• Official website
• Works by Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi at Open Library