Culture
The royal families of the Middle East have shaped the region's history, culture and skylines for centuries. Here are the eight monarchies and the seven ruling houses of the UAE, from Morocco's Alaouites to Oman's Al Said, with the palaces, forts and heritage sites you can visit on a luxury trip.
At a glance
Kings, amirs, sultans
Eight of the region's countries are monarchies, and their ruling families are living links to the tribes, trade routes and holy cities of the past. Morocco and Jordan are constitutional monarchies with elected parliaments; Saudi Arabia is a kingdom guided by its Basic Law; Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain combine hereditary rule with constitutions and elected or appointed councils; Oman is a sultanate; and the United Arab Emirates is a federation whose seven Rulers sit together on the Supreme Council.
Titles matter. Kings are His Majesty, as is the Sultan of Oman; the King of Saudi Arabia is styled The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques; the Amirs of Kuwait and Qatar and the Rulers of the emirates are His Highness. Our Middle East leaders table lists every current head of state and government with formal titles and dates.
Ruling families, one by one
Each family has its own page with history, notable figures and the royal heritage sites open to visitors.
Head of the family today: His Majesty King Mohammed VI. Ruling since the 1660s, the Alaouites are among the oldest reigning houses in the world. Sultan Mohammed III was one of the first rulers to recognize the young United States, in 1777, and the 1786 treaty of friendship remains America's oldest unbroken treaty. Read about the Alaouite dynasty.
Head of the family today: His Majesty King Abdullah II. The Hashemites trace their line to the Prophet Muhammad's great-grandfather Hashim and served for centuries as Sharifs of Mecca. Abdullah I founded the modern state in 1921, and the family remains custodian of the Islamic and Christian holy sites of Jerusalem. Read about the Hashemite family.
Head of the family today: The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. The story begins in Diriyah in 1727, celebrated each February 22 as Founding Day. King Abdulaziz proclaimed the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932, and the family today leads one of the boldest national transformations anywhere, Vision 2030. Read about the House of Saud.
Head of the family today: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. Leaders of Kuwait since around 1752, the Al Sabah guided the country to independence in 1961 and to one of the Gulf's first elected parliaments under the 1962 constitution. Read about the Al Sabah family.
Head of the family today: His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. Ruling Bahrain since 1783, the Al Khalifa presided over the first oil discovery on the Arab side of the Gulf in 1932 and, in 2004, the first Formula 1 race in the Middle East. Read about the Al Khalifa family.
Head of the family today: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed, honored every December 18 on National Day, founded the modern state. The family has made Doha a capital of museums, education and sport, crowned by the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Read about the Al Thani family.
Head of the family today: His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik. Oman's dynasty dates to 1744, making it one of the region's longest-reigning. In 1840 Sayyid Said bin Sultan sent the ship Sultanah to New York, the first Arab envoy to the United States. Read about the Al Said family.
Head of the family today: His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE and Ruler of Abu Dhabi. From the Liwa oases to Qasr Al Hosn, the Al Nahyan have led Abu Dhabi for more than two centuries. Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan, the UAE's founding President, remains the nation's guiding figure. Read about the Al Nahyan family.
Head of the family today: His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. Since 1833 the Al Maktoum have turned a creekside pearling town into a global city. The family is also known worldwide for Godolphin and the Dubai World Cup horse race. Read about the Al Maktoum family.
Head of the family today: His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi. Ruler since 1972 and a published historian, Sheikh Dr. Sultan has made Sharjah the cultural capital of the UAE, named UNESCO World Book Capital in 2019. Read about the Al Qasimi family of Sharjah.
Head of the family today: His Highness Sheikh Humaid bin Rashid Al Nuaimi. Ruler since 1981 of the smallest emirate, about 100 square miles, home to a historic fort museum and one of the last traditional dhow-building yards. Read about the Al Nuaimi family.
Head of the family today: His Highness Sheikh Saud bin Rashid Al Mualla. Leading Umm Al Quwain since the 1760s, a quiet emirate of mangroves and islands where an early Christian monastery was uncovered on Al Sinniyah Island. Read about the Al Mualla family.
Head of the family today: His Highness Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi. Heirs to the ancient port of Julfar, the family leads an emirate of mountains and beaches, home to Jebel Jais and the coming Wynn Al Marjan Island. Read about the Al Qasimi family of Ras Al Khaimah.
Head of the family today: His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi. Ruler since 1974 of the only emirate entirely on the Gulf of Oman, home to the Al Bidyah Mosque and one of the world's largest bunkering ports. Read about the Al Sharqi family.
Many of the region's finest sights began as royal seats. In Riyadh, the mud-brick palaces of At-Turaif in Diriyah are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Abu Dhabi's Qasr Al Hosn, the city's oldest stone building, is now a museum, and the Royal Palace in Rabat and the gates of Fes and Meknes show off Alaouite craftsmanship. In Amman, the Royal Automobile Museum tells Jordan's story through the late King Hussein's cars.
For more, explore our UNESCO World Heritage sites, the region's history timeline and the tradition of the majlis, where rulers have long received citizens and guests.
Several countries in the region were once kingdoms or empires, among them Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Tunisia and the Ottoman Empire. Their palaces, now museums, are some of the most beautiful places to visit. Read more on our page about the former monarchies of the Middle East.
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