Richest Sheikhs: The title of sheikh is often held by royalty in the Middle East, but it can mean so much more. In Arabic, the term sheikh means man of old age, and it’s a title that is not easily earned. Only the most revered and respected Muslims can earn this honorable title, and that generally means that a sheikh is a male over the age of 40. However, women can earn the title shaykhah or sheikha.
Daughters and wives of sheikhs can often hold this title. Muslims who earn the term sheikh have often diligently studied the religion of Islam, are well versed in the teaching of the Qur’an and live according to Sunnah, which is the way of life designated to Muslims by Muhammad. A person can be designated a sheikh if that person has completed undergraduate university studies in Islamic studies and is also trained to give lectures.
Because of the large oil reserves and the number of wealthy families in the Middle East, some Sheikhs in the region are extremely wealthy – some Sheikhs in the Middle East are ranked as some of the world’s richest billionaires. In most of the Arab nations, members of the Gulf Royal Houses use the terms sheikh and sheikha, so many royals make the list of richest sheikhs.
Because the wealth of some royal families in the Arab peninsula is so secretly guarded it is possible that some of the world’s richest sheikhs are even richer than estimated, but with information available publicly, these are the richest sheikhs in the world.
Top 7 Richest Sheikhs in the World and their net worths in 2019
7. Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, $2 billion
Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani is the current ruler of Qatar, he became the Emir of the State of Qatar after his father, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, abdicated the throne in 2013.
This makes him the youngest reigning monarch in the world. As the head of the Qatar Investment Authority, he invested billions in British companies like Harrods, Barclays and Sainsbury’s.