Sheikh Rashid planned a new Airport and Town - Jebel Ali Town
Constitution required a new Capital City to be built (later removed)
That may have been his motivation
Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum had a "vision" for Dubai's future.
He saw an Industrial Port as essential part of that concept, key to Dubai's future development and industrialisation.
He personally chose Jebel Ali as the location for his new "super sized" Port.
Sheikh Rashid already conceived an outline concept before involving his Advisors in the planning, financing and construction of what was to become one of the world's major ports.
Sheikh Rashid retained a personal interest in Jebel Ali Port long after the Port was completed, continuing to visit "his" Jebel Ali Port until he was no longer in good health.
I was new to Jebel Ali Port and needed to get to know what was there.
First "port of call" was Jebel Ali Port's Control Tower. I could get an overview of the Port from there. I drove to the Control Tower, parked, then took the Elevator to the Control Room.
Harbourmaster met me and kindly gave me a tour of his Control Room. From here, his Marine Officers could see way out to sea, all of Jebel Ali Port and its adjacent hinterland.
At the end of the tour, I mentioned seeing another floor above Control Room. What was it for? HM offered to show me. We took another elevator up to this floor and entered through on open door into a much smaller room where the view of Jebel Ali Port and its surrounds was stunning.
This small room was bare of any furnishings other than a well worn settee positioned so anyone seated in that settee could see out of the windows.
HM explained in the past, this room had been used regularly by Sheikh Rashid. He often came just to sit on the settee to look out over "his" Jebel Ali Port and the newly developing Jebel Ali Free Zone.
Since Sheikh Rashid's death in 1990 the room had remained untouched and unused. It was as it had been when Sheikh Rashid left the room after his final visit.
HM told me few people knew of Sheikh Rashid's visits or of this room's existence.
I felt privileged to be where the Great Man had sat towards the end of his remarkable life, looking out over one of his many accomplishments.
US Nimitz enters Jebel Ali Port
Several years passed before I revisited Sheikh Rashid's "Secret Tower".
Much had happened during that time. Saddam Hussein had invaded Kuwait. Desert Storm had evicted Saddam Hussein from Kuwait. Political tensions between US and Iran had risen in the Gulf Region. US Navy was now using Jebel Ali Port as a strategic base for their Gulf Operations.
Meanwhile, Jebel Ali Port and its Free Zone continued to grow and make its presence felt internationally.
I wanted to show this special place to an old friend visiting from UK.
We drove to the Control Tower and took the elevator to the Control Room. There I asked if we could see Sheikh Rashid's Room. There was no immediate response. Eventually - "Well you can try knocking on the door and see if they will let you in." We didn't ask who "they" were.
Instead we made our way to the next level where we knocked on the door - twice! At the second knock the door opened slightly so I could see a part of a face. I asked that "part of a face" if we could come in - " I want to show my visitor where Sheikh Rashid used to sit". The door opened. We were let in.
Inside, the room was vastly different from my previous visit. Its floor was now home to three camp beds and various bags, boxes and packets. Its windows sills were now convenient shelves to hold binoculars, radios and other equipment. All of this equipment was for the three US Navy Personnel now in that small room.
These sailors were each glued to binoculars watching for potential attacks from the sea on US Nimitz berthed in Jebel Ali Port. US Sailors treated us courteously.
I had time to show my visitor a view Sheikh Rashid saw but not many others had seen.
Our presence did not disturb the US Navy men but we stayed only a short time.
Len Chapman