Emirates and the Arab countries turn red

The main public and private buildings, monuments and major infrastructures throughout the cities of the Union of Arab Emirates have been dressed in red. 

Such a luminous display surprised the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, Arancha González Laya, who was on an official visit last weekend, on a tour of Saudi Arabia and Qatar to seek investment in Spain and finalise bilateral agreements.  

Ambassador Antonio Álvarez Barthe, who has been representing Pedro Sánchez's government in the country for more than three years, explained to the minister that this display of red is a manifestation of national pride for the planned insertion into the Martian orbit of the Emirati probe Al-Amal - which in Arabic means Hope - scheduled for 9 February at 16:42 Spanish peninsular time. The initiative is an expression of a wish for good luck, since only half of the missions that have attempted to orbit Mars have succeeded in doing so.  

The Burj Khalifa Tower is illuminated in red, and with its 828 metres and 162 floors, it is one of the gigantic landmarks of the metropolis of Dubai and the tallest in the world. Also the iconic sail-shaped luxury hotel Burj Al-Arab Jumeirah, as well as the so-called Photo Frame, a 150-metre-high structure overlooking Dubai's Zabeel Park. 

The head of national diplomacy was able to learn first-hand about the importance of the Al-Amal mission for the Government of the Emirates during her meeting with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior of the Emirates, Saif Bin Zayed al-Nahyan, with whom she signed a bilateral cooperation agreement in the field of security and the fight against crime.  

In her meeting with the Emirati Minister of Culture and Youth, Noura al-Kaabi, Minister Arancha González Laya was also able to learn about the importance that the Emirati authorities attach to the Martian mission. The aim is to encourage the country's schoolchildren to study engineering and science and to encourage young entrepreneurs to direct their economic activities towards the space sector.  

In Dubai, street lights on the main avenues and streets and all the buildings of the telecommunications company Etisalat are lit up in the colour of flames, as is the International Finance Centre. In the cities, everyone is waiting for the spacecraft to fire its thrusters and reduce its speed to 18,000 kilometres per hour in order to successfully enter the influence of Mars.  

Of course, the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre from where the mission is controlled and monitored, the Etihad Museum, the Museum of the Future, the Al-Fahidi Fortress, the Dubai World Trade Center, the main Expo 2020 facilities, the Mohammed bin Rashid Library, the Dubai Water and Electricity Authority's central building and the Dubai Police Academy.

The luxury hotels of the main global chains have joined the salute to the space probe that aspires to make history for the Arab world, such as the Four Seasons Resort, the Sheraton Grand Hotel, the Hyatt Place Dubai Jumeirah, the Riu Hotel Dubai, the Grand Excelsior Bur Dubai and the Radisson Blu Dubai Silicon Oasis. 

In the rest of the emirates that make up the Union, red also shines in the most important buildings. In Abu Dhabi, for example, the City Hall, the Sheikh Zayed Bridge and the Hazza Stadium. In the emirate of Sharjah, the Investment and Development Authority and the Flag Island and Flag Island Pole buildings. In Fujairah, in its fortress, commercial centre and Al-Bidya Mosque. 

In the Emirate of Ajman, the City Hall, its Tourism Development Department and the Sheikh Maktoum and Al-Rawda bridges have been lit. In Ras Al-Khaimah, its national museum, the Jabal Jeis lookout point, the Manar shopping centre and even the Waldorf Astoria hotel have been lit. 

Neighbouring Arab nations have also joined the initiative and are also lighting up in the colour of the Red Planet. In Egypt, the Cairo Tower; in Jordan, the Roman Theatre in Aman; in Kuwait, the capital's Tower; and in Iraq, the Baghdad Mall. In Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, the so-called "Zone" of the important Takhassusi Street has been set to sparkle red, and in Bahrain its World Trade Center. Many other buildings across the Arab world will be added over the coming days.