Mohammad Al Gaz

Mohammed Al Gaz
محمد عبدالله القاز
Al Gaz between the Father of Dubai, Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed, and his heir, Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid.
Deputy Chairman of the Central Bank
In office January 1, 1980 – Jebruary 1, 1993
President	Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan
Preceded by	Position Established
Succeeded by	Khalid Juma Al Majid
Personal details
Religion	Islam

H.E. Mohammad Abdallah Al Gaz (c. 1930-2016) (Arabic: معالي محمد عبدالله القاز الفلاسي ‎‎), was an influential financier, developer, diplomat, central banker and philanthropist in the early years of the United Arab Emirates. A scion of the House of Al-Falasi, Al Gaz rose to prominence in the 1950s as a member of Dubai's first generation of market-making investors and developers through his partnership with H.E. Juma Al Majid, himself recently ranked among the 100 Richest Arabs.

In 2012, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan presented Al Gaz with the Spirit of the Union Award for his contributions toward the early development of the UAE.

Emerging as an enterprising trader in textiles and commodities between markets in the Middle East, Al Gaz entered the historic Switzerland-Dubai-India gold trade in the 1950s after recruiting and partnering with his then-grocer and friend, Juma Al Majid. Partnerships such as those between the brothers Saif Ahmad Al Ghurair and Abdulla Al Ghurair, between cousins Majid Al Futtaim and Abdulla Al Futtaim, and that between Al Gaz and Al Majid served as the economic foundation for the aggressive vision of H.H. Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed, who assumed formal rule in 1958.

The close-knit support between government, in the singular form of Sheikh Rashid, and business, represented by the lucrative and highly industrious work of these partnerships, led to a period of growth and stability unseen in Dubai's history. This particularly contrasted to the difficulties Sheikh Rashid's predecessor, Sheikh Saeed bin Maktoum, experienced in the 1930s with the disloyal pearl merchants who dominated Dubai's then pearl-based, fishing trade, and caused the Rebellion of 1938.

Among the new gold tycoons, Mohammad Al Gaz become a particularly trusted diplomatic adviser to Sheikh Rashid. In addition to offering steady economic insights into the booming hustle of Dubai's markets, because of his close relationship to rulers in the region, particularly with the aspiring leader of Abu Dhabi, H.H. Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Al Gaz was used as an initial diplomatic channel between Dubai and Abu Dhabi. During a time when protracted zero-sum land negotiations were the highlights of the diplomatic relationship, Al Gaz helped to unite the two leaders' vision for solidarity and union.