As far as I know, “Hamad” is the only name on Earth big enough to be seen from space.
The name “Hamad” was dug into the sand of the UAE’s Futaisi Island a couple of years ago by billionaire Sheikh Hamad bin Hamdan Al Nahyan, a member of the Al Nahyan royal family of Abu Dhabi.
Why?
Because that’s what rich people do for fun, I guess.
The name is two miles long, and each of the five upper-case letters is a half mile tall.
“The tip of the “H” reaches into the strait that leads to the Arabian Gulf, allowing Hamad to fill the first two letters of his name with water. The “M” looks partially filled as well.”
What does the name Hamad mean? It seems to be part of the Arabic/Hebrew H-M-D name family, so the definition likely has something to do with “praise.”
And now for the question of the day: If you could carve your name — in letters this big — into any piece of (dry) land on Earth, where would you put it? Why?
Update, 2013: The name is gone now! Construction lasted from 2005 until about 2010, but “by last June, the name had almost completely disappeared.” (Source)
Sources:
- Helman, Christopher. “Abu Dhabi Oil Sheikh Writes His Name In The Sand, Two Miles Wide.” Forbes 20 Jul. 2011.
- Hamad bin Hamdan Al Nahyan – Wikipedia
Images: Google Maps
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