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12 strange Guinness Book of World Records in the Middle East!

Middle East News

GDN Online DeskThu, 12 May 2016Thu, 12 May 2016

Manama: The Middle East is best known for its extremes in almost every field.

It's not just about the tallest building or the biggest hotel... it is much more!

Read on to know more about the strange world records held by people in the Middle East.

World’s largest crochet blanket: Bahrain

Forty seven women in Bahrain helped smash the record for creating the world’s largest crochet blanket.

They were among nearly 1,000 women around the globe who pieced together more than 5,000 blankets, measuring a total of 11,148 square metres.

It was unveiled at an event in Chennai, India, dwarfing the previous record set in South Africa of 3,377sqm.

Read more on next slides

The blanket was put together by a global network of women called Mother India’s Crotchet Queens, which was formed by Chennai-based Subashri Natarajan last August.

It was certified by Guinness World Records and features work by women of all ages, from eight to 85, located across India, Australia, the US, Europe and the GCC.

Forty-seven of them are based in Bahrain and they contributed more than 100 crochet blankets to the world record-breaking bid.

A delegation of nine women from Bahrain, including Ms Venugopal, travelled to Chennai to attend grand unveiling of the giant blanket.

Record-breaking crochet tapestries have grown significantly since the title was first achieved in 1999 with a comparatively tiny 23.77 x 8.22 m (78 x 27 ft) creation.

The most recent record was 3,377 m² (36,349.58 ft²), produced by 67 Blankets for Nelson Mandela Day (South Africa) in April 2015 - but the Crochet Queens’ design was more than three times larger.

World’s largest fattoush: Kab Elias, Lebanon

More than 350 students at the Arts, Sciences and Technology University in Lebanon came together to prepare what could be the largest platter of fattoush, one of the country's tastiest dishes.

The largest Fattoush weighed 4,432.52 kg.

Image courtesy: Mohammed Azakir, The Daily Star

World’s largest falafel: Landmark Amman Hotel in Jordan

The largest falafel was 74.75kg (164.80 lb) and was prepared by the Landmark Amman hotel (Jordan), in Amman, Jordan, on 28 July 2012.

This was prepared by 10 chefs all working at the Landmark hotel in Amman, Jordan.

They followed the traditional recipe of chickpeas, parsley and coriander with mixed spices.

The diameter of the falafel was 130 cm.

The falafel was later offered as a starter during a Ramadan Iftar meal attended by 600 people.

“It is a great honor for us. We are proud. Falafel is a part of our tradition and heritage and I am glad to see that we proved that,” said a participant.

It took 25 minutes to fry the gigantic version of the popular Middle Eastern snack.

‘As a local hotel proud of its Jordanian roots, the Landmark Amman wanted to mark this special time of year by doing something truly extraordinary and bringing the falafel record to Jordan,’ said hotel manager Aysar Batayneh.

The previous record for the largest falafel ball was 23.94 kg.

According to the official website of Guinness, that record was set at the Santa Clarita Valley Jewish Food and Cultural Festival held in California on May 15, 2011.

Longest journey kite surfing: Bahrain

The longest continuous kitesurfing journey by a woman is 489.62 km (304.24 miles; 264.37 nautical miles) and was achieved by Anke Brandt (Germany) between Amwaj Marina and Al Dar Island, Bahrain, between 17 and 19 April 2016.

The duration of the journey was 30 hours and 30 minutes.

Longest line of tables: Egypt

A group of young people in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria set a new world record for longest line of tables; measuring an incredible 4,303 meters (14,117 ft 5.11 in), the tables extended from Alexandria's Stanley to San Stefano districts.

The event was sponsored by the Egyptian Businessmen Association, The Chamber of Commerce of Alexandria, as well as a big number of meat and fish restaurants.

Covering no less than 4,303 metres, a total of 3,106 tables were set up along the seafront of the Mediterranean city of Alexandria.

The Guinness World Records' record for the longest line of tables measures 4,303 m (14,117 ft 5.11 in) and was achieved by Radioactive (Egypt), in Alexandria, Egypt, on 26 June 2015. 3,106 tables were set along the coast of Alexandria.

The seaside iftar tables extended from Al-Mahrousa district in the west of the city to Sidi Gaber in the east, and smashed a previous two-kilometre record set in Italy.

Egyptians hold up signs around an Iftar table, as they wait to break their daytime fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, in Egypt’s Mediterranean city of Alexandria, Friday, June 26, 2015 (Photo: AP)

World record for most cartwheels in a minute: Gaber Kahlwai Gaber Ali, Giza, Egypt

The most cartwheels in one minute is 67 and was achieved by Gaber Kahlwai Gaber Ali (Egypt) in Giza, Egypt, on 29 March 2015.

The attempt took place at Cairo University Stadium.

World’s tallest living man: Sultan Kösen, Ankara, Turkey

The tallest man living is Sultan Kösen (Turkey, b.10 December 1982) who measured 251 cm (8 ft 2.8 in) in Ankara, Turkey, on 08 February 2011.

The part-time farmer was the first man over 8 ft (2.43 m) to be measured by Guinness World Records in over 20 years.

Sultan’s growth is caused by a condition known as pituitary gigantism.

It is the result of the overproduction of growth hormones in the pituitary gland.

The only way a person suffering from this condition can stop growing is by going through surgery to correct the anomaly in the pituitary gland.

The condition is usually caused by a tumor in the gland as was the case with Sultan.

He finally stopped growing after going under the knife.

Sultan Kösen even got an offer to star in a Hollywood movie called Achieving The Impossible.

World’s largest hand-woven carpet: Shaikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Abu Dhabi, UAE

The largest hand-woven carpet measures 5,630 m² (60,600.81 ft²).

It was created for the Abu Dhabi mosque and was measured in Abu Dhabi, UAE, in 2007.

It would have been around 6,000 square metres originally, but parts of it had to be taken away in order to fit it onto the floor in the mosque.

This is destined for one of the world's largest and most expensive mosques, having an estimated cost of $ 700 million.

The carpet covered the floor of the central praying hall, where it was stitched together after its delivery in nine pieces.

The carpet has the size of a soccer field and was woven by 1,200 weavers in three villages over 18 months.

Weavers in Iran's northwestern Khorasan Province employed 38 tons of wool and cotton from Iran and New Zealand for the creation of the colorful floor covering.

World’s oldest university: University of Karueein, Fez, Morocco

The University of al-Qarawiyyin or Al Quaraouiyine was founded in 859 in Fes, Morocco.

It is the oldest existing, continually operating and the first degree awarding educational institution in the world according to UNESCO and Guinness World Records.

Education at Al Quaraouiyine University concentrates on the Islamic religious and legal sciences with a heavy emphasis on, and particular strengths in Classical Arabic grammar/linguistics and Maliki law, although a few lessons on other non-Islamic subjects such as French, English and IT are also offered to students.

The University of Karueein is older than Oxford University and the Aztecs: founded in 859 A.D. <o6gzcs> #AhiQuotes
— Padma Varalli (@PadmaVaralli) April 30, 2016

World’s largest bottle-cap sculpture: Kuwait City, Kuwait

The largest bottle cap sculpture consists of 147,008 bottle caps and was achieved by Fatma Yousef Al Fadli, The Ministry of Youth Affairs and a team of volunteers (Kuwait) in Kuwait City, Kuwait, on 25 February 2015

Fatma and her family and friends collected bottle caps for over two years.

After collecting enough bottle caps, a team of volunteers set about building the sculpture, which measures 5.6 metres wide and high.

It is the shape of a globe and depicts a number of famous Kuwaiti landmarks including the Al Hamra Tower, Liberation Tower, The Kuwait water towers, Fatima Mosque and the Kuwaiti flag.

The sculpture was designed by Fatma Al Tamimi.

The large team of volunteers were led by Fatma and Humood Al Faldi.

This Guinness World Records attempt was achieved on the National Day of Kuwait and formed part of the countries celebrations.

World’s largest gathering of people dressed as nurses: Dubai, UAE

The largest gathering of people dressed as nurses is 691 and was achieved by Dubai Health Authority on 24 January 2014.

(Image of illustration purpose only)

World’s largest dagger: Omantel, Muscat, Oman

The largest dagger measured 91.50 cm (36.02 in) in length and 21.60 cm (8.50 in) at its widest point and was achieved by Oman Telecommunications Company (Omantel) in Muscat, Oman, on 12 November 2011.

The dagger was produced as a gift to His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said, to celebrate his 40 years of accession.

The dagger was a Khanja- a traditional Omani dagger and Oman's national symbol.

It was made from wood and silver, with ornate carvings and mouldings.

(Image of illustration purpose only)

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