The iconic photos of the flash of lightning over the Grand Mosque on Saturday evening created a new record of sorts on the Arab News Facebook page.
The pictures, taken at 7 p.m. by Arab News photographer Ahmad Hashad, were uploaded on the newspaper’s Facebook page as an album at around 8 p.m., and within minutes it went viral. The title said: “It’s raining in Makkah. The clouds of mercy have opened up.”
Hashad said he was lucky to have been at the right place at the right time.
“Around Iftar time on Saturday, I saw clouds forming over Makkah. I immediately rushed to the top of the massive Clock Tower, and soon I was able to freeze that picture of lightning in the sky with the Grand Mosque, packed with the faithful below,” he said.
By 9 p.m. Sunday, the photo album had been shared more than 9,300 times, and it reached 1.5 million people. It elicited almost 1,300 comments, with readers praising Arab News for the fabulous post. On Tuesday, the figures have gone up further: 82K likes, 11K shares and 1.8 million views.
The Arab News Facebook page has seen dramatic growth over the last 18 months. Starting with only 17,000 fans at the beginning of 2013, it will soon surpass the 1 million fan mark.
The page is a lively one with debate and reaction from fans across the world. Every week there are hundreds of thousands of engaged fans. The month of July saw a large segment of the readership voicing their outrage at Israel’s onslaught on Gaza.
Saudi Arabia is without doubt the largest fan base. However, many come from beyond the Kingdom’s borders. Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis and the Filipinos also are well represented and are active participants.
Riyadh seems to have the most fans, followed by Jeddah and then Hyderabad (India). The page attracts a young readership with nearly 60 percent of fans being in the 18-32 age group.
Arab News
