Category: RECORDS, (WORLD / GLOBAL)

Mohamed Alabbar – Middle East Personality of the Year : Dubai, UAE

Mohamed Alabbar (aka) Mohamed Ali Rashid Alabbar – Emirati businessman –

Organisations:

  • Founder and Chairman – Emaar Properties ( incl. Burj Khalifa (world’s tallest building), Dubai Creek Tower, Dubai Opera (2000 seat), Dubai Marina, Emirates Hills
  • Noon – a USD 1 billion start-up working in the entire Middle East region
  • Chairman – Eagle Hills
  • Chairman – Americana Group (includes KFC, Pizza Hut )..
  • Chairman – Hamptons , MENA
  • Chairman – Armani Hotels and Resorts
  • etc…

Education:

  • Graduate Degree – The Albers School of Business & Economics, Seattle University
  • Ph.D – Honorary Doctorate (Humanities), Seattle University

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United Arab Emirates

World’s 4th Longest Bridge : Sheikh Jaber Causeway, Kuwait : May 2019

The Shieikh Jaber Causeway is the 4th longest bridge in the world.

Named after Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah who ruled during the Gulf war.

About 80 percent of the sea-bridge is over water and connects Kuwait City to Subiya where a USD 100 billion dollar mega-city is being built.

The drive around the bay usually takes over an hour, but with bridge’s construction completed, it shortens to less than 20 minutes.

The USD 2.6 billion causeway was designed by Paris based engineering and consulting group ‘Systra’. Lead by a consortium of South Korea’s ‘Hyundai Engineering & Construciton Co.’ and Kuwait’s ‘Combined Group Contracting Company’.

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Kuwait

World’s First Purpose Built Church – Aqaba Church, Jordan : 293 A.D.

Built around 293 A.D. in Jordan, the Aqaba Church is considered to be the world’s oldest-known purpose-built Christian church.

It was unearthed by archaeologists in 1998, and ever since then, it has been holding the world record.

Its first phase was dated between 293 and 303, which makes it older than the ‘ Church of the Holy Sepulchre’ in Jerusalem and the ‘Church of the Nativity’  in Bethlehem, both of which were built in the late 320s.

Notes:

  • Cenacle, the site of the Last Supper in Jerusalem, was the ‘First Christian Church’ according to the Catholic Encyclopedia
  • Dura Europos Church, Syria is the World’s Oldest surviving Church building

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Jordan

Tarek Kamel – Pioneer – Egypt’s First Connection to the Internet

Tarek Kamel established Egypt’s first connection to the Internet. FIRST national of a developing country to fill ICANN’s Senior Management position

Assignments:

  • Minister of Communication & Information, Egypt
  • Chairman – National Telecom Regulatory Authority
  • Board Member – Telecom Egypt
  • Board Member Egypt’s Private Public Technology Development Fund (TDF)

International:

  • ICANN appointed as Senior Adviser to its President
  • Senior Vice President of Global Government and IGO engagement. Thus making him the FIRST national of a developing country to fill ICANN’s Senior Management position
  • ‘Top Minister in Africa with an ICT Profile’ – by South African Minstry of Communications (2015)

Education:

  • Ph.D : Electrical Engineering & Info Technology – Technical University of Munich
  • M.Sc : Electrical Engineering, Cairo University
  • B.Sc : Electrical Engineering, Cairo University

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Egypt

World’s Largest Camel Replica – Saudi Arabia : September 2019

A towering illuminated sculpture of a camel in Saudi Arabia has snagged the Guinness World Record for being the largest ever made.

It was unveiled at the Kingdom’s second Crown Prince Camel Festival in Taif .

The 10-meter wide and 4.65-meter high replica stands on a steel base against corrosion, and it is lit up by 51,000 lights.

The camel replica, located at the Camel Village of the Crown Prince Camel Festival, was unveiled by the President of the Saudi Camel Federation, Prince Fahd bin Jalawi.

pix: english.alarabiya.net

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Saudi Arabia

Nizar Ibrahim selected as ‘ A Emerging Explorer’ by National Geographic Society : 2014

Dr Nizar Ibrahim – Vertebrate Paleontologist, Comparitive Anatomist and Evolutionary Morphologist

Currently:

  • Assistant Professor – University of Detroit Mercy, USA
  • Visiting Researcher – University of Portsmouth

Education:

  • Ph.D – in Paleontology , University College Dublin’s School of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Dublin (2011)
  • Postdoctoral experience in anatomy and bioinformatics, University of Chicago
  • B.Sc – Geology and Biology – University of Bristol (2006)

Books:

  • 6 Books authored

Recognitions / Others :

  • Nizar Ibrahim’s ‘ Spinosaurus Discovery ‘ was named one of the ‘Top 20 Scientific Discoveries of the Decade’ by National Geographic – 2019
  • Member – National Geographic’s ‘Emerging Explorer Program’ – 2014
  • TED Fellow – 2015 (one of the 21 selected). First Paleontologist in the history of the program
  • Chicago’s ‘ 40 Under 40 ‘ – Crain’s Chicago Business – 2015

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German / Moroccan-German

Shamal Steel Arch Bridge, Ras Al Khaimah – World’s Longest Steel Bridge : March 2019

Shamal Steel Arch Bridge , Ras Al Khaimah, UAE is now the World’s longest steel bridge , certified by Guinness World Records.

It is planned to handle 2,000 vehicles per hour and includes a life expectancy of 104 years without any maintenance.

The bridge is a part of the second phase of Emirates Road as envisaged by the Ministry of Infrastructure, UAE

The former record was held by Poland’s 26m long bridge

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Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Saudi University, Tops 4th Rank Globally in the field of ‘Patents’ : 2019

King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), Dhahran – received 225 patents in 2019.

Achieving the 4th position on the Global list 100 Universities for the number of patents granted in the U.S. last year.

This announcement was presented in the annual classification report released by US National Academy of Inventors and the Intellectual Property Owners Association.

The Fourth ranking was preceded by the University of California (631), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (355) and the University of Texas (236).

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Saudi Arabia

Mohamed Bin Issa Al Jaber – Billionaire Businessman and Philanthropist

Mohamed Bin Issa Al Jaber – Businessman – Founder, Chairman and CEO – MBI Group

Companies include:

  • Jadawel International Construction & Development – residential compounds in Saudi Arabia
  • Continentoil – oilfield services and petroleum company
  • AJWA Group for Food Industries – shareholder
  • JJW Hotels & Resorts
  • Amarante , 4 star hotels in France, Portugal and Egypt
  • Median , 3 star hotels in France
  • Grand Hotel, Vienna, Austria
  • Palais Corso, Vienna’s shopping & office complex
  • The Elton Collection, London
  • list not complete

Philanthropy :

  • MBI Al Jaber Foundation, UK registered charity – focus in the fields of education, cultural dialogue and good governance

Other/s :

  • Founding Patron and Donor of the ‘London Middle East Institute’ at SOAS
  • Endowed Chair – MBI Al Jaber Chair in Middle East Studies, at SOAS, University of London
  • MBI Al Jaber Building, Corpus Christi College, University of Oxford
  • The MBI Al Jaber Grand Hall, University of Westminister

Board/s:

  • Advisor Board, Middle East Centre, London School of Economics (LSE)
  • Nominated as UNESCO’s Special Envoy – Personal Representative for ‘education, human rights, tolerance and culture to build peace and democracy

Book:

Sheikh Mohamed Bin Issa Al Jaber. Yes, Arabs can too

Honours & Awards :

2002.  Awarded Honorary Fellowship at the School of Oriental and African Studies

2004.  Awarded Doctorate of Letters from University of Westminster

2004.  Awarded Honorary Degree, Doctor of Science, from City University, London

2005.  Appointed UNESCO Special Envoy for Education, Tolerance and Cultures

2005.  Awarded UNESCO Medal on the occasion of the organisation’s 60th anniversary

2005.  Awarded a Gold Medal by the French Government for services to Tourism and Culture.

2007.  Awarded Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organisation Gold Medal

2007.  Appointed UN Spokesperson for Global Forums on Reinventing Government

2008.  Nominated as Trialog Institut “Person of the Year”

2008.  Appointed Chairman of Mediterranean Peace Forum

2010.  Awarded Honorary Fellowship at University College London

2012.  Awarded ISESCO (Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) Gold Medal

2013.  Awarded a Senatorship by MODUL University

2017.  Received Dialogue of Cultures Award

Others:

  • Listed in Bloomberg Billionaire Index – n.194 – 2018
  • Listed in Sunday Times Rich List – n. 18 – May 13th, 2018

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Saudi Arabia

IM’Hungry : World’s Largest Burger Restaurant – Saudi Arabia : December 2019

IM’ Hungry, Jeddah , Saudi Arabia is the world’s largest burger restaurant.

It has an area of 2,860 sq.m (30,784 feet) almost the size of 11 tennis courts.

Burgers are served with only fresh, non-frozen meat daily. The menu ranges a variety of dishes.

The record attempt took place in Jeddah on December 12th, 2019 and was certified by Guinness World Records.

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Jeddah, Saudi Arabia