Ohud Abdullah Almalki has just become the first Saudi woman to achieve a Guinness World Records title single-handedly, according to the global authority on record-breaking achievements.
The Saudi artist created the world’s largest coffee painting in the Al Naseem neighbourhood in Jeddah using expired granules.
The painting, called Naseej 1, is spread over 220.968 square metres. It is 15.84 meters long, and 13.95 metres wide, and has been made out of seven connected cotton cloths; each measuring 15.84 metres long and 2 metres wide.
Prior to this, the largest coffee painting created was 158.37 square metres and was achieved by Alex Dzaghigian in Greece in January 2020.
Almalki, a student in fifth year of College of Law at King AbdulAziz University, used 4.5kg of coffee powder to create the artwork. She used only expired coffee powder to be mindful of waste.
“It took me 45 days of continuous work to complete, under the watchful eyes of two witnesses, video recording and drone footage,” Almalki said.
“Normally, only one kind of coffee is used in such paintings, but I have used four different shades of brown coffee. I used several rollers and paint brushes of different sizes to finish this project.”
The painting illustrates seven renowned figures of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
The two largest portraits are that of the founding fathers of the two nations, the late King Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman, and the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan.
This tremendous feat would have been impossible without the support of the people around me. I wish this will contribute to empowering the women in Saudi Arabia and beyond
Below are paintings of Saudi and UAE rulers including the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, and Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz.
The artist said that the piece was created to “remind the world of the centuries-old entente between the two nations.”
Women of Saudi Arabia have taken part in Guinness World Records attempts in the past, but this is the first time a Saudi woman has achieved a GWR world record on her own.
In 2015, the largest human awareness ribbon consisted of 8,264 participants and was achieved by the women of Saudi Arabia at an event organised by 10KSA in Riyadh.
“This tremendous feat would have been impossible without the support of the people around me. I wish this will contribute to empowering the women in Saudi Arabia and beyond,” says Almalki.
The Pope's itinerary
Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial
Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
French business
France has organised a delegation of leading businesses to travel to Syria. The group was led by French shipping giant CMA CGM, which struck a 30-year contract in May with the Syrian government to develop and run Latakia port. Also present were water and waste management company Suez, defence multinational Thales, and Ellipse Group, which is currently looking into rehabilitating Syrian hospitals.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Married Malala
Malala Yousafzai is enjoying married life, her father said.
The 24-year-old married Pakistan cricket executive Asser Malik last year in a small ceremony in the UK.
Ziauddin Yousafzai told The National his daughter was ‘very happy’ with her husband.
AndhaDhun
Director: Sriram Raghavan
Producer: Matchbox Pictures, Viacom18
Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Tabu, Radhika Apte, Anil Dhawan
Rating: 3.5/5
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
