RECORDS IN GCC – Page 43 – Arabian Records (1st post : Eid Al Fitr – 01st Shawwal 1439 (AH) / 15th June 2018 ) / (BETA testing – Research

World’s Largest Hand-Knotted Carpet Housed in Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Abu Dhabi – UAE.

The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque’s main prayer hall housed the world’s largest carpet, a unique masterpiece with dazzling beauty and design. The carpet was hand-knotted by a group of the world’s most skilled artists and weavers.

The wool and cotton carpet was hand-crafted by around 1,200 artisans. It is 5,400 square metres, with 40 knots per 6.5 centimetres and 2.5 billion knots for the entire carpet, weighing 35 tons after completion.

Despite its enormous size, the carpet was designed as a single piece, which qualified it for the Guinness Book of Records in 2017 as the largest carpet in the world. Its knotting took approximately 12 months.

With unique harmony and integration of aesthetic elements, the carpet covers the floor of the main prayer hall and magnifies its splendour. The hand-woven carpet has an astonishing design, looking like a reflection of the above chandelier. Its background features a variety of 25 natural colours from traditional herbs, including local madar roots, pomegranate peels, leaf veins, and others.

The carpet is predominately green, bringing a sense of calm and comfort to the place. To maintain the beauty of the design, a shaving technique was used to define the rows of worshipers on the carpet.

The carpet weaving took place in three large workshops on a built-up area of 5,000 square metres. The carpet’s high-quality materials, colours, and creative design make it one of Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque’s finest elements. It is carefully supervised by Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre, with its maintenance work taking more than 12 days according to thoughtful plans by specialized teams.

source/content: wam.ae

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ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Saudi Female Engineer Dr.Dana Al-Sulaiman Wins International Award for Inventing a Chip that detects Cancer

Dana Al-Sulaiman., Ph.D. Biomedical Engineer. Scientist. Educationist

Saudi engineer Dana Al-Sulaiman won the “Innovators Under 35” award, for her ability to create a chip that detects different types of cancer inside the patient’s body.

Eng. Dana explained to Alekhbariya channel about her innovation, saying, “It is a small chip made of micro needles covered with a substance that is placed on the skin, and it is able to absorb liquid, and detect cancer biomarkers in an easy and non-invasive way.”

The Saudi inventor, who also works as an assistant professor of Material Science and Bioengineering at KAUST, elaborated, “The reason that prompted me to create the slide is the painful and tedious process of the traditional way where a sample is taken from the patient.”

Al-Sulaiman pointed out that the chip she created reveals different types of cancer, adding that innovation saves a lot of effort, money and time.

She added that the innovation was granted an American patent, and the technology is currently being developed and manufactured from sustainable materials at King Abdullah University and then it will be delivered to doctors in all hospitals soon.

The “Innovators Under 35 Award” seeks to honor technical experts, male and female researchers, male and female scientists, whose age does not exceed 35 years.

The conditions for nomination for the award include a wide range of fields, including biomedicine, computing and communications, energy, materials science, software and even transportation, the Internet, and more, where the innovations and research they have accomplished can make a qualitative leap in our contemporary world.

The selected innovators will give a brief presentation on their work of no more than 3 minutes per innovator. Candidates must also be citizens or residents of a country in the Middle East and North Africa region, or of Arab origin.

source/content: saudigazette.com.sa

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SAUDI ARABIA

8 Facts you need to know about Saudi Arabia’s Founding Day – February 22nd

The history of the blessed Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the journey of its establishment was full of ambition. All the Kingdom’s founding leaders had great visions of a united state full of peace and stability.

This dream kept expanding bigger and bigger throughout their years to cover the whole of Arabian Peninsula and finally was achieved after centuries of fragmentation, dissension and instability.

On Thursday, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman issued a Royal Order to commemorate February 22 every year as Saudi Arabia’s Founding Day.

Here are 8 facts you need to know about the Founding Day:

1. Not the same as the Saudi National Day

The official National Day is still on September 23, and it signifies the unification day of all Saudi Arabia’s regions under King Abdulaziz.

While the nation’s Founding Day is a new event to commemorate the deep historical roots of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. September 23 is commemorated as the unification day of the third Saudi state.

2. A new political date for Saudi Arabia to celebrate

The objective of the announcement of the Founding Day is to put a precise political date to the founding of the state, namely the first Saudi State by Imam Muhammad bin Saud.

3. The second official Saudi holiday

The Founding Day, February 22, was decreed to be an official national holiday every year according to the Royal Order issued by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman.

4. The First Saudi State: 1157-1233H (1744-1818)

In 1139H (1727), Imam Muhammad bin Saud Al-Muqrin (Ibn Saud) founded the first Saudi state in Diriyah as its capital and made it the most stable regions after years of hard work.

5. Diriyah was divided before Ibn Saud united it

Diriyah was unsettled at the time due to many conflicts between neighboring tribes of Najd. After being assigned to govern Diriyah, Ibn Saud succeeded in bringing peace and safety, and in maintaining protection on the routes of trade and Hajj.

6. The Second Saudi State, known as the “Emirate of Najd”: 1240-1309H (1824-1891)

It was founded by Imam Turki bin Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Saud and located in Najd, the regions of Riyadh and Ha’il. His rule began when he liberated the entirety of Najd from the armies of Mohammad Ali Pasha.

7. Riyadh was not always the capital city

The township of Diriyah was the capital for the first Saudi state under Ibn Saud. However, the title of the Capital was transferred to Riyadh by Imam Turki when he established the second Saudi state.

8. The Third Saudi State, known as the “Kingdom of Saudi Arabia”: 1319H (1902)

In 1891, Muhammad Al Rashid took Riyadh which was governed at the time by King Abdulaziz’s father, Emir Abdulrahman bin Faisal Al Saud. Both former Emir and his 10-year-old son moved to Bahrain.

In 1902, Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman Al Saud, only 21 years old at the time, journeyed back to his ancestral home and succeeded in recapturing control of Riyadh against all odds.

During the following years, young King Abdulaziz set out to unite the rest of the surrounding regions into one state through a series of conquests. The year 1351H (1932) signifies the unification of all these regions under the Third Saudi State named the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

source/content: saudigazette.com.sa

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SAUDI ARABIA

Kuwait’s Bader Al Mutawa Makes History – Most Capped Player of All Time : June 2021

Bader Al-Mutawa (aka) Bader Ahmed al-Mutawa. Professional Footballer. Athlete.

• Bader Al Mutawa has become the most-capped player of all time

• Striker passed the mark of former Egyptian defender Ahmed Hassan

• Kuwaiti has now played 185 times for his country

Kuwait’s FIFA Arab Cup™ qualifier against Bahrain is a hugely significant fixture, and not just because the winners will go to the tournament in Qatar. It was also the game that finally allowed Kuwaiti forward Bader Al Mutawa to become the most-capped player in the history of men’s football.

Earlier this month, during Kuwait’s unsuccessful attempt to reach the third round of AFC qualifying for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, Al Mutawa won his 184th cap to tie the record of Egyptian legend Ahmed Hassan, set on 22 May 2012 against Togo.

FIFA.com looks back at the impressive career of Al Mutawa, who has finally surpassed his Egyptian rival and set a new appearances’ record for international men’s football.

Singapore start

On 4 September 2003, newly-appointed coach Paulo Cesar Carpegiani handed Al Mutawa his debut in a 2004 Asian Cup qualifier away to Singapore. It was certainly a bold move, partly because it was the Brazilian’s first game in charge, and partly because the player being entrusted with attacking duties was only 18-years-old.

But Al Mutawa, who began his football career as a goalkeeper with Al-Qadsia before moving up front, quickly repaid Carpegiani’s trust, scoring on his debut in a 3-1 win.

Five World Cup qualifying campaigns

Al Mutawa then helped Al-Azraq (The Blue) to the final phase of the 2004 Asian Cup. He would go on to feature at that tournament in China PR, as well as the 2011 and 2015 editions, but could not prevent Kuwait exiting at the group stage on each occasion.

Six months after his international debut, the 1.75 m forward played his first FIFA World Cup™ qualifier, against Malaysia in the Germany 2006 preliminaries. Once again he rose to the occasion, opening the scoring and helping his side to victory.

Al Mutawa was a fixture in his side for the South Africa 2010, Brazil 2014 and Russia 2018 World Cup qualifiers. He also featured in Kuwait’s unsuccessful bid to reach Qatar 2022.

Breaking new ground

When the AFC qualifiers for Qatar 2022 resumed earlier this month, Al Mutawa was still three games away from Ahmed Hassan’s record. He came off the bench for the Australia and Jordan games before starting their final fixture against Chinese Taipei, where he equalled the mark set nine years previously by Hassan.

That achievement was overshadowed by Kuwait’s Qatar 2022 elimination, which saw the veteran break down in tears in the knowledge that he would not be able to end his long career with an appearance on the world stage.

However, there was some consolation for Al Mutawa, with the president of the Kuwaiti Football Federation, Sheikh Ahmed Al Yousef, paying tribute to him before the team travelled to Qatar to face Bahrain. The 36-year-old then duly made history by taking sole possession of the record for most international appearances in men’s football.

source/content: fifa.com

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KUWAIT

Saudia’a AlUla Design Award announce Winners for Inspired Product Designs : January 2022

The AlUla Design Award has announced the winners of its various categories for outstanding products inspired by AlUla.

The categories adjudicated at the Saudi Design Festival in Riyadh’s Jax district included jewelry, leather goods, footwear, homeware accessories, and other lifestyle products.

Over 400 applications were received, with shortlisted designs reviewed by a jury. The six best products were selected to receive the prestigious AlUla Design Award, including Harry Dobbs Design x Rukun, a collaboration between a British and Saudi design studio, which proposed a distinctive set of artifacts that capture AlUla’s spirit and memory.

The other five winners included Nour Shourbagy, a Saudi-based designer, who proposed a collection of travel carry-ons and clutches inspired by AlUla’s aesthetics and motifs.

Tarek Elkassouf, a Lebanese designer, now based in Australia, proposed a collection of gifts crafted by traditional artisans, while Mohamad Baalbaki x AlJoharah Al-Rasheed, a Saudi-based studio, put forward a collection of products evoking all five senses, with an interaction between play and memory.

Niko Kapa, a Greek designer based in Dubai, offered a collection of accessories inspired by the natural landscapes of AlUla, and Reem Bashawri, a Saudi-based designer, entered a line of luxurious winter shawls echoing the region’s natural beauty.

Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan, governor of the Royal Commission for AlUla, stated that the award was an important milestone in AlUla’s flourishing arts and cultural sector, to make AlUla a region for inspiration to all designers globally.

source/content: arabnews.com

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Winners and jury of AlUla Design Awards in Saudi Design Festival. (AN Photo/Saleh Al Ghannam)

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SAUDI ARABIA / LEBANESE / AUSTRALIAN

Dubai Bags Record for World’s Largest Inflatable Water Park : January 2022

AquaFun, anchored in the Gulf waters alongside the JBR beach, has received a Guinness World Record certificate for being the world’s largest inflatable water park.

Launched for the first time in 2016, AquaFun has now expanded to three times its original size to reach 42,400 square metres. It currently forms the words ‘I love (heart symbol) Expo 2020 Dubai’, which can be seen from aircraft flying into Dubai.

It features over 72 obstacles and operates all year round. Prices start from Dh155 for an all-day pass ticket.

Ahmed Al Khaja, CEO of Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), said: “To secure another world record for Dubai during such an important event in our calendar, the Dubai Shopping Festival, is a moment of real pride for the city.

Ahmed Ben Chaibah, CEO & Founder of AquaFun, said the aim with the project five years ago was to enrich the Dubai Marina and JBR areas’ offerings.

Emirate bagged yet another world record in the final week of its shopping festival.

source/content: khaleejtimes.com

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DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (U.A.E)

International Prize for Arabic Fiction 2021: Jordanian Writer Jalal Barjas named Winner

Jalal Barjas (aka) Jalal Barjes. Author. Writer. Poet. Novelist

Jordanian writer Jalal Barjas has won the International Prize for Arabic Fiction for his work Notebooks of the Bookseller.

The novel, published by The Arabic Institute for Research and Publishing, was named this year’s winner of the prize during an online ceremony.

Besides receiving a monetary prize of $50,000, Barjas will also be given funding towards securing an English translation of his novel.

Notebooks of the Bookseller is set in Jordan and Moscow between 1947 and 2019. It tells the story of Ibrahim, a bookseller and voracious reader, who loses his shop and finds himself homeless and diagnosed with schizophrenia. He begins to assume the identity of the protagonists of the novels he loved and commits a series of crimes, including burglary, theft and murder. He then attempts suicide before meeting a woman who changes his perspective on life.

Born in 1970, Barjas is a Jordanian poet and novelist who worked in the field of aeronautical engineering for several years. He is currently head of the Jordanian Narrative Laboratory and presents a radio programme called House of the Novel. He has also written articles for Jordanian newspapers and headed several other cultural organisations.

Barjas’s published work includes two poetry collections and four novels. His 2012 short story The Earthquakes won the Jordanian Rukus ibn Za’id ʻUzayzi Prize.

His 2013 novel Guillotine of the Dreamer won the Jordanian Rifqa Doudin Prize for Narrative Creativity in 2014. His Snakes of Hell won the 2015 Katara Prize for the Arabic Novel in the unpublished novel category, and was published by Katara in 2016. His third novel, Women of the Five Senses, was longlisted for the Ipaf in 2019.

Notebooks of the Bookseller was chosen by the Ipaf judges from a shortlist of six novels by authors from Algeria, Iraq, Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia.

The shortlisted works were all published between July 2019 and August 2020 and included The Eye of Hammurabi by Abdulatif Ould Abdullah, The Calamity of the Nobility by Amira Ghneim, The Bird Tattoo by Dunya Mikhail, File 42 by Abdelmajid Sabbath and Longing for the Woman Next Door by Habib Selmi.

The shortlisted authors will receive $10,000 each.

source/content: thenationalnews.com

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JORDAN

Samia Khaled, named Best Goalkeeper in Saudi Women’s League : January 2022

Samia Khaled, named best goalkeeper in Saudi Women’s League, shares dream of turning pro.

Saudi footballer Samia Khaled, who was named best goalkeeper in the inaugural Saudi Women’s League Championship, said she is proud to be part of the Al-Mamlaka side that won the title this month.

Her personal award reflects the key role she played in her team during the tournament. In the final match against Al-Tahadi, for example, she kept a clean sheet as her side cruised to a 7-0 victory.

Khaled lists Algerian goalkeeper Rais M’Bolhi, who plays for Al-Ettifaq in the Saudi Pro League, as a role model and hopes that like him, she will have the chance to represent her country.

There was special thanks for Mohammed Khalfan, who has been her trainer for several years, from futsal level up to her current position.

She also had advice for other women in the country interested in building a career in the sport: “Female Saudi players need more experience and skills, and need to build their body strength and increase speed and power.”

source/content: arabnews.com

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Saudi footballer Samia Khaled was named best goalkeeper in the inaugural Saudi Women’s League Championship. (Supplied)

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SAUDI ARABIA

Oman’s Ibrahim al Salatni Breaks Asian Free Diving Record

Ibrahim al Salatni has broken the Asian record for free diving, clocking a time of nine minutes and 13 seconds. The previous record of eight minutes and 45 seconds was held by a Chinese national.

Salatni’s record was set at a tournament organised in Egypt held under the umbrella of the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI).

Salatni’s success follows intensive training over five years and he now aims to be among the top ten free divers in the world.

Speaking to Muscat Daily, he said, “The event was held exclusively for me over two days on December 27 to 28 to break the previous record. I’m so happy to break the previous record. I dedicate this achievement to my country.

“It was not easy to set this record. Ever since I began free diving as a hobby in 2014, my aim was to achieve a record for Oman, and now I have achieved that goal. I am looking for even more.”

He also holds the national, Arab and continental records in static apnea – holding breath under water – of eight minutes and seven seconds, and the national and GCC record in dynamic apnea (dynamic with fins and dynamic without fins), diving 150m underwater in one breath.

Free diving is practised without the use of any breathing apparatus. “You dive holding your breath to save oxygen.”

His future plans include participating in the World Free Diving Championship that will be held in Bulgaria in 2022 where he aims for a podium finish.

source/content: muscatdaily.com

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OMAN

Saudi Sculptor Husban El-Enizi spends 8 years Carving Words of Qur’an onto 30 Marble Slabs

Husban bin Ahmad El-Enizi. Sculptor.

A Saudi sculptor who spent eight years carving the words of the Holy Qur’an onto 30 marble slabs hopes his feat will be recognized by Guinness World Records.

Husban bin Ahmad Al-Enizi’s passion for the art started 20 years ago after he developed an interest in the Arabic language.

He went on to sculpt a stone encyclopedia of basmalah (the opening part of the Qur’an) on blocks and granite sourced from his base in the Tabuk region.

Al-Enizi used Ottoman calligraphy to create his Qur’an sculpture on green marble slabs and said that the Tabuk region, in northwestern Saudi Arabia, with its many castles and palaces, had inspired artists down through the centuries.

The region has been home to the Thamud, Aramean, and Nabataean people, among other tribes, and archaeological sites show human presence dating back several centuries B.C.

Ancient inhabitants of the area produced ploughs, boats, and even houses by carving in wood and stone and Al-Enizi noted that the Saudi government had helped to keep sculpting and other traditional arts and crafts alive through the establishment of the Heritage Commission.

source/content: arabnews.com

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Husban bin Ahmad Al-Enizi used Ottoman calligraphy to create his Qur’an sculpture on green marble slabs. (SPA)

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SAUDI ARABIA