As 2017 comes to an end, Twitter is reflecting on the year that was: From breaking news, entertainment, sports, and local conversations, that happened on Twitter.
Early this year, Twitter launched its Moments guide in Arabic that enables people to discover new content by displaying curated “Moments,” a feature that creates a moment based on a collection of tweets. Located in Twitter’s “Explore” tab, this tool features timely moments around global and regional topics that include news, sports and entertainment, that are also tweeted from @MomentsMENA.
One of the key highlights that made 2017 unique was when Twitter’s co-founder and CEO Jack Dorsey (@jack) tweeted Arabic Eid wishes for the first time to celebrate Eid Al-Adha.
In 2017, the most retweeted tweets in Saudi Arabia were from King Salman (@KingSalman); the top tweet being when King Salman tweeted in celebration of Saudi Arabia’s national day which also falls under the top 100 global retweets, and the second was when King Salman tweeted his wishes for the Saudi people on the occasion of Eid Al-Fitr.
Another top tweet in Saudi Arabia this year was by football player @fahad_almowalad who tweeted congratulatory remarks following the Kingdom’s qualification for the 2018 World Cup.
Following Saudi Arabia’s announcement of permitting women to drive in the country, people both locally and globally took to Twitter to express their feelings, generating over 2 million tweets in a span of one week.
The region also witnessed the launch of the “Retweets Challenge.”
Carter Wilkerson’s (@carterjwm) call for a year’s supply of free nuggets from @Wendys was heard around the globe, and became the most retweeted tweet with 3.6 million retweets, surpassing Ellen De Generes’ infamous selfie as the most retweeted tweet of all time.
Saudi national AbdulAziz (@Mr_Abdul3ziz) tweeted to a fast food chain (@ShawarmerSA) asking for the number of retweets it would take for them to donate 100 shawarma sandwiches to underprivileged workers, which then spread to other brands as well.
Prominent new joiners
The following list also falls under the top 200 global accounts that were created on Twitter in 2017:
1. @khrbinomar77 (Omar Khribin, Al-Hilal football player)
2. @S_AlNeayma (Saleh Al-Neayma, former captain of the Saudi national football team)
3. @nasser_shamrni (Nasser Al-Shamrani, Al-Shabab Club football player)
4. @AwwadSAlawwad (Awwad bin Saleh Al-Awwad, minister of culture and information)
5. @HolyKaaba (Official Holy Kaaba account)
Top entertainment accounts
1. @Fayez_malki (Fayez Malki, Saudi actor)
2. @Mjeedalfawzan (Abdul Mjeed Al-Fawzan, Saudi musician)
3. @algassabinasser (Nasser Al-Ghassabi, Saudi actor)
4. @fawaz_dr (Fawaz Al-Laboon, Saudi poet)
5. @AhlamAlShamsi (Ahlam Al-Shamsi, Emirati musician)
Twitter shares top Saudi moments of 2017
Twitter shares top Saudi moments of 2017
Sulaiman Al-Rajhi Endowment projects worth SR8bn launched in Makkah
Sulaiman Al-Rajhi Real Estate Company has announced the launch of several real estate projects belonging to the Sulaiman Al-Rajhi Endowment system in Makkah, with a total investment exceeding SR8 billion ($2.1 billion). These projects include commercial, residential, and hospitality developments, as well as strategic land plots, as part of the company’s commitment to supporting the Kingdom’s real estate sector and enhancing the quality of life in the holy city.
The announcement was made during a field tour by a delegation of high-level officials including Saleh Al-Rasheed, CEO of the Royal Commission for Makkah City and Holy Sites; Ihsan Bafakih, chairman of the board of directors of Sulaiman bin Abdulaziz Al-Rajhi Holding Company; Haitham Al-Fayez, chairman of Sulaiman Al-Rajhi Real Estate Company and CEO of Sulaiman Al-Rajhi Holding Company; Moath Al-Mukhudub, managing director and CEO of Sulaiman Al-Rajhi Real Estate Company; and Anas Mansour Abadi, CEO of real estate at Sulaiman Al-Rajhi Holding Company and representative of the Sulaiman Al-Rajhi Endowment, alongside members of the board of directors of both the holding and real estate companies and the executive team.
The tour included the launch of the Tilal Towers project, with an investment value of SR2 billion, featuring more than 2,500 hotel rooms, strengthening the hospitality sector in Makkah.
The delegation also visited the Tilal Village project, valued at SR2.8 billion. It is one of the prominent qualitative projects within the hospitality ecosystem in Makkah.
Furthermore, the visit covered the residential buildings within Tilal Village, comprising 828 units, with an investment of SR800 million. The delegation inspected the specialized hospital, medical complex housing, and the office and commercial plazas.
During the tour, a contract was signed for the Al-Rajhi Center project, valued at SR250 million, as part of a comprehensive rehabilitation plan.
The inspection also included the Al-Ukayshiyyah land, spanning 4 million square meters, and the Al-Ghazzawi project land, valued at SR250 million.
The tour concluded with prayers at the Aisha Al-Rajhi Mosque, the second-largest mosque in Makkah after the Grand Mosque, with a capacity for 50,000 worshippers.
This visit underscores the importance of these investments, which represent a clear direction toward enhancing the management of the endowment’s assets through diversification, redevelopment, and strategic expansion, in line with the development goals of the Makkah city and Saudi Vision 2030.
Sulaiman Al-Rajhi Real Estate, a subsidiary of Sulaiman bin Abdulaziz Al-Rajhi Holding Company, continues to provide innovative solutions to elevate the real estate sector to international standards.
