The global authority issue on record breaking achievements, Guinness World Records launches its first office in the Middle East. The Dubai-based office is dedicated to working with people from the region and is a direct response to the increasing number of record applications from the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
In fact, the number of world records held by the United Arab Emirates and Dubai in particular, is considerable. The world’s tallest building, the longest driverless metro network, the largest book, the largest kebab, and the largest coin, and these are just a few of the records in the region. For a period of 5 years, according to Talal Omar, the head of Dubai’s office, the number of applications in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt has jumped by 300 to 400 percent! So, it would be far more convenient for the people and businesses from the Middle East to apply and achieve world records. The numbers of actual record holders in the Emirates have grown by 171 percent over the past few years, so the new office in Dubai comes just in time to cope with the increasing demand the region.
Talal Omar has worked in the Guinness World Records HQ in London for the past four years and has officiated more than 300 records attempts. He says he will focus on the ambitions of achieving records of individuals, groups and businesses, although such ambitions are apparent. Based in Dubai’s Media City, the Guinness World Records Middle East office will offer a whole range of record services, from application and assessment, to verification and live record adjudication. Omar expects at least a 50 percent increase in the record applications, but in order to apply for a record, people should first consider several things. The record should be measurable (in length, weight, and so on), verifiable – an evidence is needed to prove it, and it also must be breakable. At last, the record will be measured by only one variable – longest, or largest, or heaviest, or fastest, not all of them at once.
President of Guinness World Records, Alastair Richards, says they are trying to attract younger fans and readers by working on their websites. Although it is actually the world’s most sold copyrighted book of all time, it has extended beyond print to include TV series, museums, and a website, which will now be advanced by a version dedicated to the Middle East. Here are several recent records held by people and companies in the Middle East:
- The world’s biggest kebab (468 kg) done by Doner Restaurant in Dubai in 2012
- The longest line of sandwiches (2,667.13 meters)
- The greatest distance traveled for 24 hours in a motorized wheelchair (141 km), achieved Emirati Haidar Talib
- The largest coin – 1 meter wide, 185 kg, in Dubai
- Dubai’s Princess Tower is the world’s tallest residential building at 413.4 meters
