Volunteers complete giant UAE flag

Team finish world’s largest UAE flag with two days to go before National Day.

Ibrahim Saeed finished the sewing of the 5.75-kilometre flag on Commemoration Day. Delores Johnson / The National

ABU DHABI // They promised a gigantic gesture for National Day, and on Monday Ibrahim Saeed and his friends delivered.

In less than a month, the Afghan and about two dozen other volunteers completed the UAE’s biggest flag – 5.75 kilometres long and 1.5 metres wide.

Ibrahim, 26, started work on the project on November 3, a day before Flag Day, and was delighted to finish the sewing in time for Commemoration Day and well before the December 2 National Day celebrations.

“We are so proud of these brave soldiers who gave their lives for the peace and safety of this country,” he said.

“Around 20-25 people were working every day on the project in a warehouse. We used to gather after work until late at night.”

The project hit early snags as few of the team knew how to use a sewing machine.

“The first few days were very disappointing,” Ibrahim said. “Lots of cloth was wasted because of wrong cutting and stitching.

“Many people made fun of us and said it is an impossible project. We didn’t gave up and today, with the grace of Allah, the UAE’s largest flag is ready and waiting for the big day.”

He is still waiting for permission to unfurl the flag down Corniche Road on National Day.

“We sincerely hope we will get it on time,” Ibrahim said.

While very, very big at 86,250 square metres, it is not the world’s largest.

That honour has been taken by a Tunisian flag covering 104,544 square metres and weighing 12.6 tonnes, which was unfurled in May this year in the country’s southern desert.

Six sewing machines used about 90km of thread stitching the UAE flag. The total cost of the project was about Dh100,000, including food and transport for the volunteers.

Ibrahim, a sales representative, said the volunteers were all expats who play cricket each weekend in Mussaffah.

Among them was Pakistani Shazia Ashraf, whose skills as a designer at a dress-making shop proved invaluable.

“Shazia was actually our team leader when it comes to stitching,” Ibrahim said.

“She was the only one who knows this art and was there every evening to help us in do the job properly.”

But Shazia, 25, admitted that she at first thought the project was doomed to failure.

“I considered it next to impossible, especially because of the timing,” she said. “It’s not easy for everyone to volunteer for such hard work after a hectic day.

“But I was wrong. Whoever promised to be the part of it came every day and worked until late at night.

“I don’t know how I managed.”

She said the most difficult job was to maintain neatness while stitching.

“None of the volunteers, except me, had used sewing machines so mistakes were bound to happen,” Shazia said.

“And because of this we lost so much time, otherwise it would had been ready much earlier.

“But as they say, all’s well that ends well.”

After almost a month of sleepless nights, she feels very proud of the team.

“All of us did this for love of UAE, which has provided us an opportunity to support our families back home,” Shazia said.

“I sincerely hope and wish that our Emirati brothers and sisters accept our small token of thanks.”

Ibrahim now has big plans to make a flag long enough to stretch from Abu Dhabi to Dubai in time for the Expo 2020.

“We will run this flag starting from Abu Dhabi City to Dubai city, across the whole highway,” he said.

“We sincerely hope that with Allah’s will and the support of the UAE’s people we will again deliver this promise.”