Al-Zuman Becomes First Saudi to Conquer Everest

22 May 2008
by Ghazanfar Ali Khan

Thirty-year-old Farouk Saad Hamad Al-Zuman planted a Saudi flag on the summit of Mt. Everest yesterday, becoming the first Saudi to conquer the world’s highest peak. The green Saudi flag was unfurled at 12.30 p.m. Saudi time.

“Farouk has made all of us proud,” said Aasma Al-Yahya, Al-Zuman’s mother. “I thank Allah that my son’s purpose and the Saudi nation’s mission have been successfully completed.”

Three members of the 10-person expedition failed to reach the top, with one Japanese climber dying on the way. “But Al-Zuman made history and has now been fondly nicknamed the ‘Sir Edmund Hillary of Saudi Arabia,’” said Al-Zuman’s boss and sponsor, Sultan Al-Bazie, CEO of Attariq Communications.

“A total of seven members of our expedition team succeeded to reach the top,” said Al-Zuman, a PR strategist and graduate of Oregon State University in the US.

Al-Zuman’s mother said there were tense moments during the climb. “We were concerned about his safety and health as we lost contact for quite some time after Farouk’s satellite phone failed to work or got disrupted from time to time.”

Hamid Ansari, the Nepalese ambassador to the Kingdom, congratulated the climber. “I was happy to know that this young Saudi has reached the summit and unfurled the Saudi flag, which bears the name of Allah and Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him),” said Ansari.

“This climb was made in the wake of harsh climatic conditions and deadly blizzards. It is not an easy task,” he added.

Al-Zuman, a black belt in Tae Kwondo and professional swimmer, is an experienced mountain climber. Previously, he scaled Mt. Rainer in Washington, US, Mt. Halealala in Maui, Hawaii, and Mt. Shasta in California.

Al-Zuman is the first Arab this year to climb the peak. A large number of people have died attempting to reach the top since the first historic climb by New Zealander Edmund Hillary and his Nepalese guide Tenzing Norgay in 1953. The death rate for Mt. Everest climbers is about one in 10.