How the UAE just got a lot bigger online
▶ Winning photos from Wiki Loves Emirates competition added to encyclopedia entry
The UAE has just become a little bigger – at least on Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia that has a monthly readership of nearly half a billion people.
New images that reflect the country’s culture and heritage have just been added to the world’s fifth most visited website.
They were selected as part of the “Wiki Loves Emirates” campaign, a month-long attempt to redress the problem that the UAE is under-represented on Wikipedia for a country of its size.
The campaign was started by Saqib Qayyum, who divides his time between the Emirates and Russia, where he works in the oil industry, and is devoted to boosting the UAE on Wikipedia.
The appeal for images brought in more than 2,000 photos from 200 contributors, with 10 selected for inclusion as representing the UAE.
They include shots of the watchtowers above Fujairah’s Al Badiyah Mosque, the oldest place of Muslim worship in the country; a traditional wind
The quality of photographs was the main issue – of the 2,000 images submitted, only 100 were usable
tower in the heart of Ras Al Khaimah; and the 5,000-yearold beehive tombs on Jebel Hafeet outside Al Ain.
Other favourites were the Maqta Tower, which once guarded the waterway between Abu Dhabi and the mainland; Qasr Al Muwaiji, the birthplace of the President, Sheikh Khalifa, and Dubai Museum.
All are available on Wikipedia to view and download in high quality, free to use.
The quality of photographs was the main issue with submissions, said Mr Qayyum, 28, who is from Pakistan.
“There were just 100 that were usable,” he said.
The final 10 were selected by a panel of local photographers who are volunteer Wikipedia editors. The pictures had to be available in very high resolution to be considered.
Mr Qayyum said the initial response was only the beginning and he planned to expand the search, tying it in with the annual Wiki Loves Monuments contest in September, which has the added incentive of cash prizes.
“Someone told me there are more than 500 historical sites here and I am hoping to get a photo for most of them,” he said.
In the meantime, anyone who wishes to make a further contribution to Wiki Loves the Emirates can email him at saqib.wiki@gmail.com