Raha Moharrak

Raha Moharrak
Native name رها محرق
Born 1986 (age 28–29)
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Nationality Saudi
Occupation Art Director
Known for First Saudi woman to climb Mount Everest
Website
rahamoharrak.com

Raha Moharrak (Arabic: رها محرق‎) (born c. 1986) is the youngest Arab and the first Saudi woman to conquer Mount Everest.[1]

Previously she climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, Mount Vinson, Mount Elbrus, Aconcagua, Kala Pattar, Pico de Orizaba and Iztaccihuatl.[2]

Early life

Moharrak the youngest of three was born in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to Hassan Moharrak[3] and graduated from the American University, Sharjah in visual communication.[4] She is currently pursuing her MBA at Synergy University Dubai Campus with a specialization in Women's Leadership.[5] She lives in Dubai now[1][6] where she is a graphic designer.[7] She comes from a somewhat traditional family[7] in Saudi Arabia, which according to the Human Rights Watch, is the world's only nation that actively discourages girls to participate in sporting events in government schools.[3] According to the CNN, she said that "convincing them [her family] to let her climb was as great a challenge as the mountain itself!"[7]

Climbing Mount Everest

Moharrak trained hard in her quest for the Everest. In February 2013, she reached the highest Argentine summit Aconcagua, and had been in Nepal since early April 2013 getting ready to execute her plan to conquer Mount Everest.[7]

She was joined by 34 other mountaineers and 29 guides in reaching the summit on May 18, 2013 from the Nepalese side of the mountain[8] after climbing throughout the night from the last camp on South Col.[9] Her four-member expedition team Arabs with Altitude[10] included the first Qatari man, Mohammed Al Thani from Qatar's royal family and the first Palestinian man, Raed Zidan, to attempt reaching the peak of Mount Everest in a bid to raise a million dollars for educating people in Nepal.[11][12] After her achievement, her expedition team tweeted "The first ever Saudi woman to attempt Everest has reached the top!! Bravo Raha Moharrak. We salute you."[7]

Speaking about her achievement, she said: "I really don't care about being the first, so long as it inspires someone else to be second."[1][13][14][15][16]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Saudi woman makes history by reaching Everest summit". BBC News. 18 May 2013. Retrieved 2013-05-18.
  2. ↑ "Raha puts Saudi, UAE on top of the world". Khaleej Times. 18 May 2013. Retrieved 2013-05-18.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Saudi woman tops Everest as country warms to women in sports". Hurriyet Daily News. 19 May 2013. Retrieved 2013-05-21.
  4. ↑ "Saudi woman conquers Everest". The Hindu. 18 May 2013. Retrieved 2013-05-18.
  5. ↑ "Raha Moharrak - A Saudi Woman on a Mission". Edarabia. 16 June 2014. Retrieved 2014-06-18.
  6. ↑ "First Saudi woman climbs to top of Everest". Al Jazeera. 18 May 2013. Retrieved 2013-05-18.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 "First Saudi woman summits Mount Everest". CNN. 20 May 2013. Retrieved 2013-05-21.
  8. ↑ "25-Year-Old Saudi Arabian Woman Makes History By Reaching Everest Summit". Business Insider. 18 May 2013. Retrieved 2013-05-18.
  9. ↑ "Height of adventure: Saudi woman conquers Everest". Arab News. 19 May 2013. Retrieved 2013-05-21.
  10. ↑ "Saudi Arabian woman in historic Mount Everest climb". The Guardian. 18 May 2013. Retrieved 2013-05-18.
  11. ↑ "First Saudi woman makes it to Mount Everest". Al Arabiya. 18 May 2013. Retrieved 2013-05-18.
  12. ↑ "Raha Moharrak, the First Arab Woman to reach Everest Summit". Dainik Jagran. 18 May 2013. Retrieved 2013-05-18.
  13. ↑ "Raha Moharrak makes history as the first Saudi Arabian woman to summit Mt. Everest". Global Post. 18 May 2013. Retrieved 2013-05-18.
  14. ↑ "Saudi woman Raha Moharrak becomes the youngest Arab to conquer Everest". Gulf News. 18 May 2013. Retrieved 2013-05-18.
  15. ↑ "Raha Moharrak Becomes First Saudi Arabian Woman To Climb Mount Everest". The Huffington Post. 18 May 2013. Retrieved 2013-05-18.
  16. ↑ "First Saudi Woman Scales Mount Everest". New York Times. 18 May 2013. Retrieved 2013-05-21.