UAE Finance Minister and Deputy Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum speaks during a meeting of Gulf Central Bank Governors and finance ministers in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates October 22, 2011. REUTERS/Jumana El Heloueh/File Photo
DUBAI: Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai's deputy ruler and the United Arab Emirates' long-serving finance minister, has died, Dubai's ruler said on Wednesday.
Sheikh Hamdan, 75, was the brother of the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum. He had been unwell for some months and had surgery abroad in October.
Dubai's ruler bid farewell to "my brother, my support, my lifelong friend".
Funeral prayers will be restricted to family members due to the (COVID-19) pandemic, the Dubai Media Office said.
Dubai announced 10 days of mourning with flags to be flown at half-mast and a closure of government institutions in the emirate for three days as of Thursday.
