His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum

This week Savannah and I spotted His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Ruler of Dubai at the Mall of the Emirates. It is a known fact that he travels around the city with little to no entourage. He also drives himself in a Mercedes SUV. It is also common knowledge that his license plate is simply "1"...other members of the royal families simply have single or double digit numbers on their license plates as well and drive the same type of SUV. Certainly not very conspicuous!

When we saw him at the mall, he was riding with a mall security guard in a mall golf cart. There were a few men also dressed in national dress (white dishdasha (robe) and red/white checked keffiyeh (head scarf) walking near the golf cart. Other mall goers were walking up to him, shaking his hand and talking his picture. (I tried to get a picture but was carrying Savannah and couldn't get the camera out in time.) (I also had to come home and do some internet searches to make sure that was really who I saw...even though his picture is all over the city.)

Definitely a different scene then if it had been an important US politician. There was no apparent secret service or armed police.