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The Inaugural Print Issue of Wired Middle East is Here

Breaking new ground for science and technology in the region, Wired Middle East debuts its inaugural print issue today. The dual-cover launch issue features Sarah Al-Amiri and Mohamed Alabbar — two of the most prominent names in the Middle Eastern science and tech industries.

Sarah Al-Amiri, Wired Middle East

Sarah Al-Amiri stars on the cover of WIRED Middle East’s Winter 2019-2020 edition. Photographed by Ziga Mihelcic

On the first cover is Al-Amiri, the UAE’s minister of state for advanced sciences and the deputy project manager for the Emirates Mars Mission probe, appointed to her position when she was just 30 years old. In the cover story, she talks about UAE’s twin missions to Mars, the wider ambitions of the space program, and its potential impact on humanity at large. “For us, going to space is not particularly to get to space—it’s about development here on Earth. We always say that we’re going to space for Earth,” Al-Amiri says.

Mohamed Alabbar, Wired Middle East

Mohamed Alabbar stars on the cover of WIRED Middle East’s Winter 2019-2020 edition. Photographed by Rohit Sabu

Alabbar, on the second cover, is the Emirati businessman who built the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, and the world’s largest mall, The Dubai Mall. Alabbar is also the founder of Noon.com, an e-commerce company backed with USD one billion and is the biggest regional rival of global giant Amazon. The feature sheds light on the storied city maker’s aims of building the biggest e-commerce business in the Arab world. “We have digital warriors. We have people who work 24/7 all year round. They will not let anyone take them down. There’s nothing they will not do. What I mean is dangerous in passion… The ability to watch their business day and night,” he says. “If the Amazon people ever come, we’ll offer them coffee in our office, and they’ll run to the toilet. We’ll make sure. This is our hometown. This is our neighborhood.”

Sarah Al-Amiri photographed by Ziga Mihelcic for WIRED Middle East’s Winter 2019-2020 edition

The launch of Wired Middle East comes at a time when the region is undergoing a major societal and economic transformation, with technology and innovation at its core. The publication aims to highlight all this and more, including elevating the region’s most prominent names and bringing the latest trends in innovation to the global stage through a mix of technology, science, business, and culture. 

Shashi Menon, Founder & CEO of Nervora and Publisher of Wired Middle East, remarked: “The launch of Wired Middle East heralds a new golden era of science and technology in the region. With the historic transformation taking place across the Middle East, there’s never been a more important time for the authoritative voice of Wired to come to the market and chronicle and elevate these stories to a global stage.”

He added: “Wired in print is a very special collector’s item: artfully curated, imaginatively designed and illustrated, and thoughtfully deep on the topics driving substantive change.”

Mohamed Alabbar, Wired Middle East

Mohamed Alabbar photographed by Rohit Sabu for WIRED Middle East’s Winter 2019-2020 edition

After announcing that Condé Nast International and Nervora, the Dubai-based publisher of Vogue Arabia, are extending their partnership with the launch of Wired Middle East, the title first debuted as a dual-language website in Arabic and English in September. Internationally, this is the first license agreement with Condé Nast International for Wired, and is the fifth printed edition of the tech media brand. 

Head to Wired.me to read more.

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