sheikh al thani yacht

Qatar’s 41-year old monarch owns this mammoth $500 million megayacht. Longer than a football field the Al Lusail has multiple indoor swimming pools, a wellness and beauty center and two limousine tenders costing millions.

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AL LUSAIL Yacht – World-class $500M Superyacht

The AL LUSAIL yacht owner is reportedly purchased the vessel for US $500 million.

Considered the 26th largest yacht in the world, the AL LUSAIL yacht is an impressive vessel built by the German shipyard Luerssen and launched in 2017.

She is 123 meters (404 ft) long and belongs to the owner.

AL LUSAIL yacht interior

The interior of AL LUSAIL was planned by the English Design House March & White , who work on high-end, luxury projects.

The owner of AL LUSAIL has not released a lot of information about the interior of his superyacht.

Few details about the exact furnishings are known, but the design style has been described as eclectic.

The yacht is said to have a large central atrium which lets in a lot of natural light in the interior.

The AL LUSAIL yacht can accommodate 36 guests and 56 crew members, although her exact cabin layout is not known.

She apparently has an elaborate spa and beauty area as well as a large gym and several indoor pools.

Everything on the interior of the yacht was custom-designed for AL LUSAIL and equipped with only the highest standard of materials.

AL LUSAIL yacht specifications

The AL LUSAIL yacht is 123 meters (404 ft) long with a 20-meter (65.7 ft) beam and a 5.5-meter (18.1 ft) draft.

She is powered by twin MTU engines which allow her to reach top speeds of 15 knots despite her 8,489-ton weight.

AL LUSAIL comfortably cruises at 12 knots and has a total range of more than 4,500 nautical miles.

The vessel has a large aluminum superstructure, steel hull, and teak decks.

AL LUSAIL yacht Exterior

The London-based design company H2 Yacht Design is responsible for the exterior design of the AL LUSAIL yacht.

She is an all-white yacht with a sleek design and a lot of windows.

On the aft, AL LUSAIL features a large beach club with an extendable swimming platform.

Her high-end underwater lighting system perfectly illuminates the yacht in the evenings.

At the bow, the yacht has a sizable helipad where even larger aircraft can land easily, allowing guests to arrive and depart comfortably.

Her remaining decks provide ample seating and entertaining space for her guests.

AL LUSAIL yacht Price

The AL LUSAIL yacht owner reportedly paid a total price of US $500 million.

She generates additional annual running costs of US $25 to 50 million and is currently not available for charter.

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Iconic yachts: On board Al Mirqab, the 133m superyacht with family at its heart

Related articles, superyacht directory.

Launched in 2008 by Peterswerft-Kusch, the iconic yacht Al Mirqab was designed by two of the top superyacht designers, with Tim Heywood penning her exterior and Winch Design creating the interior. But it is more than her design pedigree that makes this icon a standout. Her size was formidable at the time of her launch, and to this day, the 133 metre Al Mirqab remains among the top five per cent of the largest yachts in the world. Al Mirqab also blazed the trail for having many large-scale amenities.

Built for Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani, the former Prime Minister and Minister of Qatar, Al Mirqab has the largest spa that Winch Design has ever worked on to this day, featuring an enclosed pool and balcony terraces that fold down over the sea, and her exterior has many firsts for Heywood as well. “I met the client in 2003, after he was unsuccessful in purchasing [115-metre] Pelorus ,” says Heywood. “He wanted a yacht in a similar style to contain a much larger number of guests and family cabins, an internal swimming pool with balconies, a large gym, sauna, hairdressing saloon and all the features which we now take for granted on the larger scale yachts.”

Permanent cantilevered sun awnings on the aft owner’s deck were a first, and they give a vast shaded area to the dining table. The helicopter pad with a refuelling station was also the largest Heywood had designed at the time, which necessitated considerable structural work by the yard. The yacht’s vast aft platform is a design feature that Heywood had developed from previous designs. It provides an additional entertaining/relaxation space, as well as a stately arrival and departure environment.

“The underwater lights were also quite advanced for those days and, for the second time (the first being Pelorus ), I mounted lights on the upper surface of the bulbous bow to illuminate the above water bow at night, a feature adopted by many designers since,” says Heywood.

Winch added several features to Heywood’s original arrangement, including an underwater viewing room, set forward of the internal swimming pool. Decorated in a pirate theme, the room became a family favourite. “This magical area, with chests of gold and pirate influences provided a space to inspire the children and hopefully young children again today,” says Winch. “It is for all to enjoy and experience the underwater beauty of the ocean.”

Other fanciful spaces on board include the family lounge overlooking the bow, which is decorated with the concept of butterflies. Light sycamore walls are clad with soft fabrics results to create a gentle and relaxing ambience. Meanwhile, the beamy main deck saloon was created in a square plan with seating areas in each quarter of the room. “It has a courtyard terrace feel, with fountains and casual seating around a sculpture centrepiece,” says Winch.

The brief to Winch was for a palatial family interior, with a focus on lifestyle encompassing children’s apartments and areas where the whole family can join their time together and experience the joy of great yachting. “The interiors team cut no corners in the design and manufacture of the materials, furniture and fixtures, creating an interior of such high standard that it is still outstanding today,” Winch says.

The owner was pleased with the vision that the design team brought to life, as Heywood recalls. “I remember taking the client into the completed wheelhouse and telling him that I wanted to create a cross between a Bentley and the Starship Enterprise, after looking around, he told me, ‘Tim, you have succeeded!’”

“Contemporary classic” is how Heywood describes Al Mirqab’s exterior design. “It’s a style that, I think, will be appreciated as very modern when she was first launched, but will be regarded by the knowledgeable observer as a classic design after twenty-plus years at sea,” he says. The most dominating feature of Al Mirqab’s exterior is her towering mast and funnel structure, which was designed to ensure that no exhaust fumes from the five generators found their way down to the open deck spaces, a problem the client had faced before on a previous yacht. Exhaustive wind tunnel tests were performed to confirm the height and forms of these structures. “She has, in my eyes, successfully progressed through time, still looking fresh and contemporary. She still has a commanding presence when anchored in a bay, surrounded by younger and even longer vessels.”    Despite her imposing size, or perhaps thanks to it, Al Mirqab is at heart a family yacht. “I believe Andrew and I pushed the concept of a family and (informal) State Yacht as far as we could, at the time, resulting in a travelling home for the client that is still used by the original owner and his family,” says Heywood. As an iconic yacht, Al Mirqab has certainly withstood the test of time.

Al Mirqab was a milestone project for Winch, Heywood and her owner. “The client gave me the opportunity to create a yacht that is a major chapter in my yacht designing career, for which I am extremely grateful,” Heywood says. “I don’t often look back at my work, but this piece of floating sculpture still makes me smile and fills me with pride.”

Winch echoes this sentiment, looking back fondly at Al Mirqab and confirming her place among the most iconic yachts in the world. “ Al Mirqab was a landmark project of such great scale, design and opportunity,” says Andrew Winch of Winch Design. “She is a truly significant yacht and one I have treasured ever since her completion. She’s an icon for a reason, and her exceptional quality still stands amongst the yachts of today.”

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Al Mirqab: The Sheikh of Qatar Sails to Skiathos

Al Mirqab: According to a report from Protothema, the Sheikh of Qatar and former Prime Minister of the Emirate Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber al-Thani has sailed aboard his luxury yacht “Al Mirqab” to his beloved Skiathos Island.

Sheikh Al Thani’s arrival aboard the 133-meter long mega-yacht at the Bay of Maratha, a Blue Flag marina opposite the fabulous “Skiathos Palace” hotel, created something of a sensation among the locals.

Acording to the report, the sheikh has taken extraordinary meaures to ensure the health and safety of the locals, himself, and his crewe during the vacation visit. The 50 crew members were tested for COVID-19 before it sailed into the clear blue waters of the Aegean sea.

Based on sources, there is a permanent medical staff on the yacht as well as a molecular analyzer so that continuous tests can be performed.

Sheikh Al Thani and his family arrived at Skiathos after having visited at Flisvos Marina in Athens. Skiathos Island, located in the Sporades archipelago, is known to be among the family’s most favorite vacation destinations.

The luxury yacht Al Mirqab is one of the largest motor yachts ever built. This steel luxury yacht can accomodate 24 guests in 10 guest suites, with 2 VIP suites for the owner. Each suite has it’s own bathroom, living room and double bedroom, and the yacht also accomodates 55 members of crew, now that should just prove how big this yacht really is.

Not only does this luxury yacht have suites, it also offers amenities such as a cinema, outside bars, an indoor swimming pool and outdoor jacuzzi, spots to sunbathe, as well as a helipad.

If you’re wondering how fast a yacht of this size can go, the Al Mirqab can cruise at 18.7 knots with a maximum speed of 20.3 knots.

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Top 10 Largest Superyachts Owned by Arabs

Owning a superyacht is the dream for many aspiring billionaires, but with eye-watering price tags in the hundreds of millions it is unlikely most of us will even step foot on one, let alone own one!

But for the world’s richest and most powerful Arabs, owning a superyacht is no big deal. In fact, Arab names dominate the list of owners of the world’s largest superyachts.

So get ready for some serious bling - here are the top 10 largest superyachts owned by Arabs in 2018, according to Wikipedia.

10. Katara - Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani

Katara is the $300 million superyacht owned by none other than the former Emir of Qatar, Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani. Delivered to the incredibly wealthy emir in 2010, this yacht is the pinnacle of luxury. At 124m in length, it comes in at number 10 on our list.

Wikipedia - Creative Commons

9. Al Mirqab - Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani

This 133m-long superyacht is owned by Qatar’s former Prime Minister, Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani. This monster of the ocean reportedly holds a cinema, an indoor swimming pool and an outdoor jacuzzi.

Wikipedia - Creative Commons - User: Piponwa

8. Serene - Mohammed bin Salman

It will come as no surprise that Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman has a yacht on this list. It was not custom built for him, rather it was built for a Russian tycoon and the crown prince couldn’t resist it, reportedly spending over $650million for it.

Wikipedia - Creative Commons 

7. Al Salamah - Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz (d. 2011)

It’s not certain who owns the superyacht Al Salamah now, since the death of its owner Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia. But the vessel is thought to be equipped with an onboard hospital as well as a library!

6. Yas - Hamdan bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan

This slightly odd looking superyacht is the property of Hamdan bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, an Emirati politician and member of the royal family. It was apparently dolphin inspired, but looks a little bit more like a spaceship in water.

Wikipedia - Creative Commons - Harvey Barrison  

5. Topaz - Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan

Topaz is Deputy PM of the UAE Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s $525 million superyacht. At 147m, it’s one of the largest yachts in the world, and reportedly has two helipads and a swimming pool.

Wikipedia - Creative Commons -   Moshi Anahory

4. Prince Abdulaziz - Saudi King Fahad (d. 2005) / Royal Family

The Prince Abdulaziz was actually the longest motor yacht in the world for a whopping 22 years, until losing that place in 2006. It might not look the fanciest, but it can hold up to 64 guests and requires a crew of up to 65.

Wikipedia - Creative Commons -   User:  Mecil  

3. Al Said - Sultan Qaboos of Oman

At 155m, Sultan Qaboos’ yacht Al Said is currently the fifth largest in the world, and the third largest owned by an Arab. Boasting an enormous helipad, the yacht actually looks more like a cruise ship or passenger ferry than a luxury superyacht.

2. Dubai - Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s $400 million, 162m superyacht has a startling seven decks, and a spiral staircase to help you climb up and down them!

1. Azzam - Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan

Well, here we are - the number 1 spot! But not only is the 180m Azzam the largest superyacht owned by an Arab, it is also the largest superyacht in the world overall! This monster is owned by none other than Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the President of the UAE. It is thought to have cost $600 million to build.

Well, that concludes our list! Which of these yachts would you say is the most beautiful?

More stories on Al Bawaba Busines:

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For the love of the journey.

The Sheikh of Qatar Sails “Al Mirqab” to Skiathos for Vacation

Aleksandr Shatskih - July 23rd, 2020 11:29 am

Al Mirqab - Photo by Gerd Fahrenhorst

According to a report from Protothema, the Sheikh of Qatar and former Prime Minister of the Emirate Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber al-Thani has sailed aboard his luxury yacht “Al Mirqab” to his beloved Skiathos Island.

Sheikh Al Thani’s arrival aboard the 133-meter long mega-yacht at the Bay of Maratha, a Blue Flag marina opposite the fabulous “Skiathos Palace” hotel, created something of a sensation among the locals.

Acording to the report, the sheikh has taken extraordinary meaures to ensure the health and safety of the locals, himself, and his crewe during the vacation visit. The 50 crew members were tested for COVID-19 before it sailed into the clear blue waters of the Aegean sea.

Based on sources, there is a permanent medical staff on the yacht as well as a molecular analyzer so that continuous tests can be performed.

Sheikh Al Thani and his family arrived at Skiathos after having visited at Flisvos Marina in Athens. Skiathos Island, located in the Sporades archipelago, is known to be among the family’s most favorite vacation destinations.

About Aleksandr Shatskih

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[…] Read more […]

Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Al-Thani on His Mission to Bring Arab and Islamic Art to NYC

Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Al-Thani’s mission to bring Arab and Islamic art to New York City goes beyond the walls of his downtown space.

Photo: Ivan Bideac

In the window of a designer boutique located on a quaint sidewalk in lower Manhattan, flanked by the arteries of city traffic that flow up and down Sixth and Seventh avenues, hangs a Moroccan djellaba. Its silky material and gradient colorway – fading from blue to green to white – catches the eye of New Yorkers as they stroll by. The garment appears perfectly placed in its fashionable setting while also visibly from elsewhere. It’s no coincidence that across the street is the recently opened Institute of Arab and Islamic Art (IAIA), an independent, non-profit hub that fosters an artistic and cultural dialogue between New York City and the Arab and Muslim worlds.

Untitled, 1965 II

“It’s a beautiful thing to be present in New York,” says Qatariborn Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Al-Thani, IAIA’s founding director. Al-Thani opened the organization’s permanent space on Manhattan’s historic Christopher Street late last year with the mission to expose international audiences to the depths and complexities of cultures at risk of being oversimplified. This is accomplished through multidisciplinary art exhibitions (on view over the summer was work by the late abstract and gestural Iranian painter Behjat Sadr) and public educational programming (this includes visits from university students and professors, Rumi poetry readings in both Farsi and Arabic, self-publishing workshops, and more).

Untitled, 1987

But it’s the djellaba in the window across the street that best illustrates the institute’s ambitious raison d’être. Though Al-Thani is shy to admit it – he is an observant and humble 30-something member of the Qatari royal family, wary of diverting attention away from the IAIA – he designed the garment himself under the label Qaafla (which translates to caravan, the main form of trade at the height of Muslim civilization). Al-Thani explains that he travels to great lengths sourcing fabrics from Italy, France, Japan and beyond, which he brings to artisans in Marrakech, who then produce traditional djellaba  and kaftans with a modern twist. A handful of them are displayed when you enter the institute, alongside books, accessories, and decorative objects such as authentic Fayoum pottery and handcrafted mules from Egypt. To see his mission transcend these four walls and reach a local boutique, or the homes and closets of inspired visitors, reminds Al-Thani of why he started this venture: “A lot of stereotypes are that art from the region is either decorative or political. It doesn’t have to be either.”

Untitled, 1974

Al-Thani is a graduate of Georgetown University and the University of London Institute in Paris where he wrote his dissertation on Fauvism and Cubism. He was a curator at the Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, and the Museum of Islamic Art, both in Doha, and has published books on Arab and Islamic art. Al-Thani was initially inspired to bring his professional passions to New York back in 2014 when he noticed that although there were commercial entities elevating the talents of Arabs and Muslims (he cites the Leila Heller Gallery on the Upper East Side as an example), there was not a lot being done on an institutional level. With guidance from industry veterans like Simon Castets of the Swiss Institute, art dealer and gallerist Jeffrey Deitch, and contemporary media artist Walid Raad, Al-Thani launched the IAIA’s temporary location in 2017 in the downtown neighborhood of Little Italy. That same year, America’s infamous Muslim Ban was put into effect, prohibiting travel and refugee resettlement from predominantly Muslim countries, further highlighting the need for a place like the IAIA, which relies entirely on the support of donors to operate.

“There are so many people from the Muslim community who are active participants in a greater America… so many people who come from a civilization that I am part of, and they are very much American because they were born here or their parents were born here. So to see that there was all of a sudden this ban and this division happening on a larger platform was tough,” he recalls. “For it to happen that we opened [the IAIA] at that time – even better, so people can understand that we’re not any different from them. We’re humans.”

Five years later, Al-Thani opened the doors to the institute’s current West Village home. Even the facade has been turned into a work of art, constructed from a series of aluminum panels with cut-out patterns designed by Brooklyn-based sculptor Pooneh Maghazehe. At the center of this fixture is the image of a horseshoe encircling a portrait of Seabiscuit, the champion thoroughbred. The motif pays homage to the building’s history as the former carriage house where blacksmiths made shoes for the legendary racehorse. It’s also a symbol of good luck for the building’s future as the new site of the IAIA. Once this exterior was complete, the location’s inaugural exhibition honoring the late Indian artist Rummana Hussain began, part of which was an installation of rusty iron objects and tools forming Arab and Urdulike calligraphy on the wall. Among those objects, by spine-tingling chance, was a horseshoe.

Under the label Qaafla, Al-Thani works with artisans in Marrakech, who produce traditional djellabas and kaftans with a modern twist

“That show was beautiful,” Al-Thani says. “The questions that [Hussain] asks about the role of women in society and how they’re continuously sidelined, and how a lot of decisions are made on their behalf by men, these issues are also happening in the US. It also showcased that, it might be in India, or Beirut, or Qatar, but we live in these parallel universes where so much of what we go through as a community is very similar to what other marginalized communities go through in larger western nations. So that was really impactful.”

Shortly after the opening, three older Jewish women visited the institute and were stunned by an excerpt shared from one of Hussain’s performances titled, Is it what you think? The text is a bold exploration of the artist’s own identity as a Muslim woman that speaks more broadly to the experience of being female in modern society. “They read it and they were so moved by it. They were like, ‘This is now, this is us.’ So these things keep you going, that educational component and how we are influencing people’s perspectives and changing them. It’s so special,” Al-Thani says.

Photo: Courtesy of Qaafla

Prior to its Christopher Street move, the IAIA hosted memorable shows and artworks, such as never-before-seen drawings and kaftans by the Lebanese artist Huguette Caland in 2018. Meanwhile, a 2017 exhibit delved into the influential relationship between geometry and Islamic architecture through pieces by Indian artists Zarina Hashmi (known professionally as Zarina) and Nasreen Mohamedi, along with Palestinian-Saudi artist Dana Awartani, and the Iranian artist Monir Farmanfarmaian. The institute’s unbridled celebration of these female figures is perhaps a testament to Al-Thani’s upbringing surrounded by strong women. He speaks proudly about his six sisters, sharing that one of them just started her PhD at the University of Southern California in education development. Another holds a senior position at QatarEnergy. Another works for the Ministry of Defense. He can go on, but stops himself to turn the attention back, as always, to the institute.

The facade showcases cut-out patterns designed by Brooklyn-based sculptor Pooneh Maghazehe. At the center is the image of a horseshoe encircling a portrait of Seabiscuit

This work requires Al-Thani to be mostly in New York, which is thousands of miles away from where he grew up in Qatar (Al-Thani spent many holidays with his maternal grandmother in Abu Dhabi as well). When asked how this shapes his idea of home, Al-Thani reaches for a book from the display area by the entrance to answer the question. He opens it to an image of Zarina’s Home is a Foreign Place , which depicts 36 woodcut prints drawn from old floor plans. This is him in a nutshell, Al-Thani asserts with a hint of melancholy in his voice, adding that Zarina created the piece while being evicted from her New York apartment. “I have a home here, I have a home in Doha with my family, but I’m part of a larger civilization. When I walk in Delhi or in Agra and see those remarkable examples of Islamic architecture, that’s home. When I’m walking the streets of Egypt, it feels like home. The call for prayer is also home. When you’re in Istanbul, or you’re in Indonesia, and you see veiled women walking, these things evoke this idea of home in you.”

The IAIA’s earlier residence in the downtown neighborhood of Little Italy

In New York, however, Al-Thani believes that home is what he makes of it. When visitors come to his private residence, they are welcomed by their host donning one of his Moroccan-made kaftans. They smell oud mixed with the aroma of Arabic coffee brewing. They eat dates. This is the warm culture that Al-Thani seeks to introduce to the city in more public ways, and being unattached to any particular place has proven helpful in the pursuit of this goal. “In the work I’m doing, it’s important. Maybe I started this because I have this capacity to be sensitive and to feel I’m part of a community even if I don’t live there. This idea of belonging is so central when you’re part of this larger Islamic civilization. It’s a beautiful thing.”

Originally published in the September 2023 issue of Vogue Arabia

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