The UAE has seen many individual and collective initiatives to demonstrate loyalty to the nation, and many Emirati adventurers have succeeded in reaching some of the highest summits in the world, where they have raised the nation’s flag.

These individual and collective initiatives have successfully scaled Mount Everest, and the highest peaks in the South Pole and North Africa, as well as the highest dunes in the world.

In 2013, H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council, raised the flag of the UAE on Burj Khalifa tower in Dubai to celebrate the UAE’s success in hosting EXPO 2020 Dubai.

The summit of Mount Everest, the highest in the world at an altitude of 8,888 metres above sea level, was the first major destination for the UAE nationals. The military team of the Armed Forces succeeded in climbing this mountain and hoisting the UAE flag in 2016.

Nasr Hammouda Al Niyadi, President of the Federation of UAE Air Sports, as well as a professional in skydiving and air shooting, managed to hoist the UAE flag while leaping from the highest summit on earth in what was considered the second achievement in the world and the first from the Arab and Middle East region.

In addition to the summit of Mount Everest and the same range in the Himalayan mountains between China and Nepal, Lt. Col. Salah Al Habsi succeeded in climbing to the top of Mount Cho Oyu in China, located at an altitude of 8,188 metres above sea level, where he raised the flag of the UAE for the first time in 2010.

Raising the UAE flag on the summits of the Himalayas was not a feat limited to men, as young Emirati woman, Mariam Al Hammadi also raised the UAE flag there in October 2014.

Supported by the UAE Armed Forces, Emirati adventurer Saeed Al Maamari managed to complete a climbing trip and raise the flag of the UAE at Mount Vinson, which is considered the eighth highest in the world.

The UAE flag was raised in the Caucasus Mountains in Russia in July 2016 by an employee of du, Yasser Al Bahzad.

A group of Emirati girls managed to climb the summit of Toubkal Mountain in Morocco last May, which is at an altitude of 4,167 metres. The team raised the UAE flag at the highest peak in the range of the famous Atlas Mountains.

The UAE flag was also raised at the summit of the highest dunes in the world in Oman by the Emirates Adventures Club team, which managed to climb its peak and hoist the UAE flag on the highest point there.