Everyone knows the UAE loves a world record, from the biggest this and the tallest that and the first of its kind.
But the country does have a way of getting itself on the global records map, and some of this year’s entries were nothing short of stunning.
This week, The Dubai Mall unveiled the world’s largest Christmas bauble. Measuring 6.597 metres in height, 4.689 metres in width and weighing 1,100 kilograms, it took a team of 15 people two nights to assemble and another night to put it up. It topped off a big year for superlatives.
The UAE scored 95 entries in the 2019 Guinness World Records. These included the 77 policewomen who pulled a 240-tonne Boeing 777 as well as a continuous 60 kilometre quad-bike wheelie down Sheikh Zayed Road.
But the India International School in Sharjah broke two records in one attempt, first by creating the largest human image of a coffee pot.
Samer Khallouf, head of the Guinness World Records management team for the Mena region, said the level of co-ordination required to pull off the stunt was impressive – and that he did not believe they would clinch it at one stage.
“And they had 5,500 students to do that, which is quite a big number compared to 250 for that previous record,” he said.
After forming the coffee pot image, pupils in black changed into white to represent the pot emptying as the liquid was poured.