UAE Pavilion Wins Prestigious Golden Lion Award at Venice Architecture Biennale: August 2021

Wetland, the UAE’s innovative pavilion at this year’s Venice Architecture Biennale, has been awarded the prestigious Golden Lion for Best National Participation.

More than 60 nations developed national pavilions, including the UAE’s Wetland exhibition, which was curated by Wael Al Awar and Kenichi Teramoto.

Wetland examines the potential for creating sustainable building materials from the UAE’s salt flats or sabkhas and features an environmentally friendly cement produced with recycled desalinated water.

source/content: thenationalnews.com

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Roberto Cicutto, president of the Venice Biennale, applauds as Italy’s culture minister Dario Franceschini, left, awards the Golden Lion for the Best National Participation to Wael Al Awar, right, curator of the Wetland project presented by the United Arab Emirates at the 17th International Architecture Exhibition. EPA / Andrea Merola / pix: thenationalnews.com

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UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (U.A.E.)

Qatar’s Skydiving Team Wins Bronze – ‘FAI Mondial 2020 World Championship’ Russia : August 14th, 2021

The Qatar Skydive Team of Qatar Air Sports Committee – Joint Special Forces clinched the bronze medal in the four-way formation skydiving category at the 24th FAI Mondial World Championship yesterday, 14 August 2021, in Russia.

The Qatari team finished third with 160 points. Belgium clinched the gold medal with 193 points, while the USA finished second with 169 points.

source/content : iloveqatar.net

Source and cover image credit: @qatar_airsports

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pix: iloveqatar.net

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QATAR

World’s Largest Hampton by Hilton, Ras Al Khaimah, UAE : July 2021

Ras Al Khaimah’s Al Ali Construction & Development (AACD)has marked the handing over of the $81.6m (AED300m), 39,625m2 Hampton by Hilton Hotel at the Al Marjan Island.

With the handover milestone, the project has become the largest Hampton by Hilton in the world to date.

The 515-keys beach hotel has been engineered by JT+Partners, with International Engineering Center as the supervision consultant, and developed by Mohamed Ruqait Properties (MR Properties). 

The tower level comprises 515 rooms and suites, while the wide rooftop consists three chiller zones and two fire exits. The hotel will also feature 450m of a private white sand beach, a 1,000m2 pool, other recreational facilities and an observation deck. 

source/content : constructionweekonline.com

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AACD marks handover of world’s largest Hampton by Hilton / pix: constructionweekonline.com

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RAS AL KHAIMAH, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (U.A.E)

Manama, Bahrain’s Capital, Labelled a “Healthy City 2021” by World Health Organization (WHO). First Middle East Capital to Earn the Distinction.

Bahrain, where Arabian Gulf oil was first discovered, where its first electrical infrastructure was installed, and where its first school for girls was established, has chalked up yet another regional first.

Manama, the island kingdom’s capital, has been labeled a “Healthy City 2021” by the World Health Organization (WHO) — the first Middle East capital to earn the distinction — in recognition of its commitment to creating an environment conducive to human well-being.

FAST FACTS

* Manama was declared a “Healthy City 2021” in June by the WHO.

* Bahrain’s per capita health spending rose to $1,067 during 2005-13.

* Health spending as a proportion of GDP rose to 4.9% in the same period.

(Source: WHO)

source/content: arabnews.com

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pix: arabnews.com

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BAHRAIN

Nadhira Al Harthi, First Omani Woman to Reach the Highest Summit on Earth, Mount Everest: 2021

Nadhira Al-Harthy (aka) Nadhira Al-Harthia : Mountaineer. Education Expert.

First Arab Woman to Reach Mount Ama Dablam

  • The first Arab Woman to reach top of Mount Ama Dablam (6, 812 meters), one of the highest Himalayan peaks located in Nepal.
  • Climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, leading an expedition of Omani students enrolled in the Globe Educational Programme (2019)

Work:

  • General Director Assistance for Girl Guides at Oman Scouts and Guides Organization under the Ministry of Education.
  • Regional leader of Globe Educational Programme for the Omani Youth.

Education:

  • Master’s Degree, Geographic Studies, Sultan Qaboos University (2011)
  • Bachelor’s Degree, Social Studies, College of Education, Rustaq (1999)

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pix: nadhira-alharthy.com

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OMAN

World’s Largest Coral Garden in the Red Sea, Saudi Arabia

Officials in Saudi Arabia have announced a joint project to establish the largest coral garden in the world at NEOM, the futuristic mega-city being built in the Kingdom’s northwest.


NEOM and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) said that the project that will cover 100 hectares on Shusha Island on the shores of the Red Sea.


The Shusha Island Coral Park will become a global center to showcase innovations to protect and restore coral reefs and accelerate conservation solutions, helping to reduce the effects of climate change, a statement issued by Saudi Press Agency said.

Shusha Island is home to more than 300 species of coral and 1,000 species of fish.

The project is scheduled to be completed in 2025, making NEOM a world leader in restoring and developing coral reefs.

source/content: arabnews.com

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A picture shows coral reefs at the Obhor coast, 30 kms north of the Red Sea city of Jeddah, 20 December 2007. AFP PHOTO/HASSAN AMMAR (Photo by HASSAN AMMAR / AFP) / pix: arabnews.com

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SAUDI ARABIA

HISTORY RECORD – Egypt’s Al-Azhar Mosque Opens for Prayer in the 9th Century : June 22nd, 971

Al-Azhar Mosque opens for prayer in 971.

 It was commissioned for construction by Al-Mu’izz li-Din Allah of the Fatimid dynasty in the new capital of Egypt in 970 and built by the builder of Egypt, Gawhar El-Seqelly. Construction began on April 04th, 970.

Cairo’s historic Al-Azhar mosque was the first artistic architectural building constructed by the Fatimids, the Islamic dynasty that ruled Egypt, North Africa and parts of the Arabian Peninsula from the tenth to the twelfth centuries.

Previously called ‘Cairo’s Mosque,’ Al-Azhar was named after the Prophet Mohammed’s daughter Fatimah al-Zahraa.

Because it was the first mosque and the first Islamic university to be built in Cairo, the city was named since then “The City of A Thousand Minarets”. After Al Karaouine in Idrisid Fes, which is a university in Morocco, Al-Azhar has developed to be the second most important university in the world.

Al-Azhar mosque was later turned into a university under the ruling of a senior Fatimid Islamic scholar Al-Aziz Billah. The university included 37 scholars who carried out religious teachings and dormitories to accommodate students. 

After operating as an educational platform, Al-Azhar mosque was shut down in 1171 for 100 years under the auspices of the Ayyubid caliphate.

The historical mosque was later reopened by Mamluk Sultan al-Zaher Baybars in 1266.

Al-Azhar was first renovated following an earthquake in 1302. 

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pix: tripsinegypt.com

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EGYPT

Oldest Human Settlement in Arabian Peninsula – Shuweihtia Village, Saudi Arabia

Archaeological teams discovered 16 settlements, which contained around 2,000 stone tools, such as knives, hammers, arrowheads along with other polyhedral and spherical tools

Recent excavations have revealed that Shuweihtia Village in Jouf is the oldest human settlement in the Arabian Peninsula, dating back 1.3 million years.


Located 45 kilometers north of Sakaka city, the administrative capital of Jouf, Shuweihtia extends to Wadi Wasseh in the north of the village.


The village goes back to the Paleolithic era in the Old Stone Age.

source/content: arabnews.com

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pix: Photo/SPA / arabnews.com

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SAUDI ARABIA

World’s Largest Composite Production Superyacht ‘Majesty 175’ Launched at World Premiere, Dubai Harbour , UAE : May 2021

H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Sports Council, today unveiled the Majesty 175, the world’s largest composite production superyacht, at its world premiere at Dubai Harbour.

Pushing the boundaries in superyacht production through its lightweight material that enables effortless cruising in low-draft waters, the Majesty 175, fully manufactured in the UAE, is the flagship superyacht by Gulf Craft, one of the world’s premier shipbuilders

Manufactured at Gulf Craft’s integrated in-house production facility in the UAE, the Majesty 175 successfully completed a series of sea trials before its global premiere. The yacht will soon venture on voyages across the world, taking the UAE flag to global yacht events, marinas and exotic destinations, placing the country prominently on the world yachting map.

Built to the specifications outlined by the UK’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) for yachts over 500 gross tonnage (GT), the 55-metre long superyacht with a beam of 9.6 metres has a gross tonnage of 780. It has the ability to effortlessly cruise low-draft areas, drawing just 2.05 metres of water, as it was built using advanced composite materials such as carbon fibre and vinyl ester. This enables close beach access, a key consideration for many marine lifestyle enthusiasts.

content/source: wam.ae

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pix: wam.ae

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

Dr. Farouk El Baz – Egyptian American Space Scientist and Geologist

Farouk El Baz Ph.D., Space Scientist. Geologist

  • Formerly – President Sadat’s Scientific Advisor (1978-1981)
  • Founder – Center for Earth and Planetary Studies, National Museum of Atmospheric and Space, at the Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC
  • Dr. El Baz played a pivotal role for the Apollo mission where he served as the secretary for the Apollo landing board on the moon, and was responsible for leading the astronaut training team in general science, particularly in moon imaging

So pivotal was he to Apollo that in Tom Hanks’ HBO TV-series, From the Earth to the Moon , El-Baz’s role as an Apollo scientist and astronaut trainer was featured in a segment entitled, “The Brain of Farouk El-Baz,” and a shuttle craft named El-Baz soared through the popular TV-series Star Trek : The Next Generation

Awards:

  •  He has won over 31 awards, including achievements in science, in NASA, incl:
  •  Golden Door Award of the International Institute of Boston
  • Nevada Medal of the Desert Research Institute
  • The Pioneer Award of the Arab Thought Foundation.
  • The Apollo Achievement Award

Honour:

  • Asteroid 7371 El-Baz, discovered by American astronomers Eleanor Helin and Schelte Bus at Palomar Observatory in 1978, was named in his honor.   The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 27 August 2019 ( M.P.C. 115893).

Book:

  • Deserts and Arid Lands , Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, ISBN 90-247-2850-9

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pix: scoopempire.com /egypttoday.com

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AMERICAN / EGYPTIAN-AMERICAN / ARAB AMERICAN