The talent that first shone through scribbles on a school bench is now taking Iraqi Ali Al Rawi towards a Guinness World Record.
The self-taught artist created a vivid work depicting the ancient Assyrian winged bull by wrapping copper wires around nails attached to wooden boards.
Al Rawi hopes his 204-square-metre piece will set a world record for the largest pin-and-thread art.
“This artwork was a challenge I set for myself to test the limits of my abilities and skills in pin-and-thread art,” Al Rawi, a 27-year-old medical worker from the city of Ramadi west of Baghdad, told The National.
“Today, I can confidently say that I’m an artist.”
Pin-and-thread art, also known as string art, involves hooking colourful strings, wool, or wires between nails hammered on a wooden board to make geometric patterns or representational designs.
When they are tightly stretched, the strings appear curved by slightly shifting the height of the nails. That criss-cross of threads results in a three-dimensional image.
The art form grew from an educational tool. At the end of the 19th century, British mathematician Mary Everest Boole devised string geometry or curve stitching to make mathematical ideas more accessible to children.
It was then popularised as a decorative craft in the 1960s and 1970s. In 2016, a computational form of string art that can produce photorealistic artwork was introduced by Greek artist Petros Vrellis.
When ISIS plundered northern and western Iraq in 2014, Al Rawi’s home town Ramadi was one of the major cities that fell in the hands of the extremists.
His family were among thousands who fled to Baghdad in 2015. Drawing became his consolation.
“We were under huge stress,” he said. “I couldn’t follow up with the teacher at the school, so I turned to drawing on the bench in an attempt to escape reality."
Family and friends encouraged him to develop his skills.
“I was looking for videos that teach string art on YouTube and Facebook,” he said. “Gradually, day after day, I applied what I learnt from different artists.”
He is now one of Iraq’s up-and-coming plastic artists, with a main focus on pin and thread art. He organised a solo exhibition in Iraq and joined many art exhibitions and competitions inside and outside the country.
“I was on the verge of collapse more than once and couldn’t hold back my tears at some points, but I held myself together,”
Ali Al Rawi
It took Al Rawi six months to finish the winged bull, using 250 kilograms of copper wire, 90,000 nails and 72 wooden boards.
He is hoping to see his work become a monument in his home town or Baghdad.
Al Rawi has been in touch with the Guinness World Records people since August. He submitted dozens of photos and videos as proof for the work stages and kept on top of the required paperwork.
He is now waiting their final reply.
“I went through all kinds of hardships when started working on it. I experienced psychological stress, physical exhaustion, anxiety and insomnia,” he wrote on his Instagram account after finishing the bull.
“I was on the verge of collapse more than once and couldn’t hold back my tears at some points, but I held myself together.
“I feel proud when I recall these moments, as they are proof of my determination to achieve my dreams.”
The largest pin-and-thread artwork was registered in November last year by an Iraqi artist from Karbala province, south of Baghdad. It was 6.3 square metres, the Guinness World Records website said.
Saeed Howidi Bashoon’s artwork illustrates the face of Egyptian vitiligo campaigner Logina Salah, who was diagnosed with the skin disorder at an early age.
A 'symbol of Iraqi civilisation'
The winged bull is one of the monumental arts unearthed from the ancient cities, palaces and temples of the Assyrian Empire in northern Iraq.
The Assyrian civilisation arose about 4,500 years ago and at one point extended from the Mediterranean to Iran.
The limestone bull, known as Lamassu, bears a human head and bull's body. Some examples have the horns and ears of a bull and wings.
Examples are scattered across Iraqi and world museums.
Lamassu was in the headlines in 2015 when ISIS released a video showing extremists using sledgehammers and rotary hammer drills to smash it and other ancient artefacts in Iraq’s northern city of Mosul.
The destruction was part of the extremists’ campaign to eliminate what they viewed as idolatry.
They also sold ancient artefacts on the black market to finance their “caliphate".
“The winged bull is a symbol for the Iraqi civilisation and this artwork is a message to the whole world that this civilisation will never die despite everything they [ISIS] did,” Al Rawi said.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Friday Celta Vigo v Villarreal (midnight kick-off UAE)
Saturday Sevilla v Real Sociedad (4pm), Atletico Madrid v Athletic Bilbao (7.15pm), Granada v Barcelona (9.30pm), Osasuna v Real Madrid (midnight)
Sunday Levante v Eibar (4pm), Cadiz v Alaves (7.15pm), Elche v Getafe (9.30pm), Real Valladolid v Valencia (midnight)
Monday Huesca v Real Betis (midnight)
ARSENAL IN 1977
Feb 05 Arsenal 0-0 Sunderland
Feb 12 Manchester City 1-0 Arsenal
Feb 15 Middlesbrough 3-0 Arsenal
Feb 19 Arsenal 2-3 West Ham
Feb 26 Middlesbrough 4-1 Arsenal (FA Cup)
Mar 01 Everton 2-1 Arsenal
Mar 05 Arsenal 1-4 ipswich
March 08 Arsenal 1-2 West Brom
Mar 12 QPR 2-1 Arsenal
Mar 23 Stoke 1-1 Arsenal
Apr 02 Arsenal 3-0 Leicester
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The biog
Family: He is the youngest of five brothers, of whom two are dentists.
Celebrities he worked on: Fabio Canavaro, Lojain Omran, RedOne, Saber Al Rabai.
Where he works: Liberty Dental Clinic
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Persuasion
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Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
Sukuk
An Islamic bond structured in a way to generate returns without violating Sharia strictures on prohibition of interest.
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
HOW%20TO%20ACTIVATE%20THE%20GEMINI%20SHORTCUT%20ON%20CHROME%20CANARY
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
SPECS
Engine: 4-litre V8 twin-turbo
Power: 630hp
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: 8-speed Tiptronic automatic
Price: From Dh599,000
On sale: Now
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Things Heard & Seen
Directed by: Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini
Starring: Amanda Seyfried, James Norton
2/5
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
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The Bio
Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”
Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”
Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”
Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”
THE DETAILS
Kaala
Dir: Pa. Ranjith
Starring: Rajinikanth, Huma Qureshi, Easwari Rao, Nana Patekar
Rating: 1.5/5
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
LIST OF INVITEES
Shergo Kurdi (am)
Rayhan Thomas
Saud Al Sharee (am)
Min Woo Lee
Todd Clements
Matthew Jordan
AbdulRahman Al Mansour (am)
Matteo Manassero
Alfie Plant
Othman Al Mulla
Shaun Norris
Spider-Man%202
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Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
Company%20profile
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Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
How to help
Call the hotline on 0502955999 or send "thenational" to the following numbers:
2289 - Dh10
2252 - Dh50
6025 - Dh20
6027 - Dh100
6026 - Dh200
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
THE BIO
Family: I have three siblings, one older brother (age 25) and two younger sisters, 20 and 13
Favourite book: Asking for my favourite book has to be one of the hardest questions. However a current favourite would be Sidewalk by Mitchell Duneier
Favourite place to travel to: Any walkable city. I also love nature and wildlife
What do you love eating or cooking: I’m constantly in the kitchen. Ever since I changed the way I eat I enjoy choosing and creating what goes into my body. However, nothing can top home cooked food from my parents.
Favorite place to go in the UAE: A quiet beach.
Company%20profile
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