Sheikh Hamdan: Some of the coolest things he's done in Dubai

You can do a lot of them too…

It’s no secret that H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai is a fan of living life to the full. Our Crown Prince, affectionately known as Fazza, is a known adventurer and thrill-seeker, documenting much of his experiences on his social media pages.

Whilst he jets off all over the world in pursuit of new adventures, it’s no surprise that he loves to try out new things right here in his home city of Dubai. We’re taking a look back over some of the coolest things the Crown Prince has done in our beautiful city. 

Climbed to the top of Burj Khalifa

Have you ever wondered what the view would be like from the very top of Burj Khalifa? Not just from At The Top, but the tip of the spire, 828 metres into the sky. The Crown Prince did just that back in December 2020, taking to Instagram to share a video of his experience. The video begins in a narrow cylinder with a ladder up one side where Fazza can be seen harnessed up with a helmet, mid-way up the ladder.

Cycled alongside an ostrich

We say ‘cycled alongside an ostrich‘… Sheikh Hamdan and a couple of associates encountered the massive African birds whilst cycling. The group can be seen riding along a cycling track, before an ostrich darts across the path of the Crown Prince, and a second charges in front of another rider. Later in the video, as the two huge birds take the inside track, it looks as if the Crown Prince is racing against the majestic animals. Given that full-grown adult ostriches can reach speeds of up to 70 kilometres per hour, this is no mean feat.

Released turtles back into the sea

To mark ‘World Turtle Day’ on June 16, 2020, and Jumeirah Group’s Dubai Turtle Rehabilitation Project celebrated by releasing 45 rehabilitated Hawksbill turtles back into the wild. Additionally, 20 hatchlings were released from Emirates Marine Environmental Group’s Jebel Ali Reserve. Sheikh Hamdan got involved too. In photos and videos posted to his Instagram page, he can be seen putting turtles of lots of different sizes into the Arabian Gulf, with the iconic Burj Al Arab behind him.

Took part in the Dubai Run

Over 70,000 participants from all over the world took part in the Dubai Run as part of the Dubai Fitness Challenge 2019. Sheikh Hamdan himself was one of the participants on the day. In a post to his Instagram page, he remarked that the day ‘marks a milestone in our mission to make Dubai the most active city in the world’, and thanked people for taking part.

Visited some of our favourite restaurants

Dubai is known for its thriving restaurant scene, and why wouldn’t our Crown Prince want to experience it too? Just some of the restaurants with the royal stamp of approval include: Avli by Tashas; The Maine Land Brasseri, Sal at the Burj Al Arab, Shanghai Me and BB Social in DIFC. Greek seems to be a favourite cuisine, with both Sheikh Mohammed and Sheikh Hamdan popping up at Gaia in DIFC, Opso and Ammos. Sheikh Hamdan recently visited new Turkish restaurant CZN Burak on its opening day, December 25. 

Trained with football legend Cristiano Ronaldo

What happens when a footballing legend meets our active Crown Price? They train of course. It’s no secret that Juventus ace Cristiano Ronaldo and Sheikh Hamdan are buddies – they often meet up when the footballing star is in the city. Recently, Sheikh Hamdan and Ronaldo posted videos and photos to their own social media accounts of them working out together.

Went on a bike ride down Sheikh Zayed Road

Sheikh Hamdan himself launched the Dubai Fitness Challenge 30X30 initiative, which encourages Dubai residents to do 30 minutes of exercise per day for 30 days for a whole month. Part of this challenge was an epic bike ride down Sheikh Zayed Road. Fazza himself took part in the history-making moment in 2020.

Images: Social