Discovery Channel airs the 'Middle East's Richest People'

In this special programme being broadcast by Discovery Channel (Showtime) on Sunday June 18 at 19.00 GMT, viewers gain an exclusive glimpse into the extraordinary lives of four men who have made millions by making their mark across the Middle East region.

Meet Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Hamad Al Nahyan, who has one of the most unique car collections in the world. He's spent over 20 million euros building a huge collection featuring every conceivable vehicle and then proceeded to build a pyramid in the desert to garage all 200 of them. But his passion for engines doesn't stop there and he has designed and built everything from a full sized Noah's Ark to a fleet of amphibious vehicles.

Dubai's Sheikh Maktoum Hasher Maktoum al Maktoum wants to change the face of motor sport forever. As a prominent member of the ruling family of Dubai he has used his influence and money to set up the new A1 Grand Prix as a rival to the F1 circuit. He has pumped in a substantial amount of his own money into the estimated 320 million euro start-up costs, not to mention prize money of 55 million euros earmarked for the first three seasons.

Another car fanatic is Dubai based Mohammed Ben Sulayem who is the Middle East's most successful ever rally driver. He's since retired to run the UAE Desert Challenge - a 2000 kilometre rally across Abu Dhabi and Dubai. He's also building up a collection of super cars which he loves to take for a spin, burning up and down the main roads of Dubai. Ben Sulayem lives the glamorous life and loves to hang with the celebrity set, even counting Michael Jackson as one of his friends

And finally meet Saudi Arabian billionaire hotel magnate, Sheikh Mohamed Bin Issa Al Jaber, the 19th richest man in the Middle East. This self-made Sheikh boasts that his company brought water and electricity to the Saudi desert. But the workaholic businessman has since turned his hand to European hotels and thinks nothing of splashing out over a 100 million euros on the right property.