Al Maktoum Bridge

Al Maktoum Bridge (in Arabic: جسر آل مكتوم; also known in Arabic as جسر المكتوم) is a bridge that crosses Dubai Creek in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is one of five crossings on the creek and was the first bridge in Dubai. The others are Al Shindagha Tunnel, Floating Bridge, Al Garhoud Bridge and Business Bay Crossing.

Opened in 1963, this bridge enabled people to cross from Bur Dubai to Deira, or vice versa, without using a boat ferry called Abra or going all the way around Dubai Creek. To pay for the bridge, a toll was applied to vehicles crossing the creek going from Deira to Bur Dubai. There was no toll for people travelling in the other direction. Once the bridge was fully paid for in 1973, the toll was removed.

The bridge, and roads leading to it, underwent a widening in 2007. The bridge was widened to increase the bridge's capacity and to ease congestion. The new lanes was opened on 7 November 2007, and increased the capacity to 9,500 vehicles per hour.

The road toll (called Salik), was re-introduced on the Al Maktoum Bridge on 9 September 2008 for both directions. The toll will not be charged when the Floating Bridge is closed (from 10pm to 6am from Saturday to Thursday and from 10pm to 9am on Friday).

Al Maktoum

The Al Maktoum (Arabic: آل مكتوم‎Āl Maktūm / English: The house of Al Maktoum) family is the ruling family of Dubai, and one of the six ruling families of the United Arab Emirates. The family is a branch of the Bani Yas clan (a lineage the family shares with the Al Nahyan dynasty of Abu Dhabi). The Al Maktoum family descends from the Al Bu Falasah (now known as [Al-Falasi]) section of the Bani Yas, a tribal federation that was the dominant power throughout most of what is now the United Arab Emirates.

Members

In 1833, about 800 members of the Bani Yas tribe, under the leadership of Maktoum bin Butti, took over the emirate of Dubai and established the Al Maktoum dynasty in the emirate. The Al Maktoum dynasty has ruled Dubai since 1833. Within the federation of the United Arab Emirates, a member of the Dubai ruling family is also de facto always the country's Vice President, Prime Minister and Defence Minister.

The following Al Maktoum members have ruled Dubai: