Rayana Barnawi, a Saudi astronaut and the first Arab Muslim female astronaut to reach space, documented her passage over Mecca in a distinctive scene from inside the International Space Station.
Barnawi published through her Twitter account a video clip of the station's passage over Saudi Arabia and seeing the Grand Mosque in Mecca with the naked eye, saying, "After my experiences concluded for today, we happened to pass over Mecca, light upon light."
After my experiments ended for today, we happened to pass over Mecca, light upon light✨#نحو_الفضاء
Makkah from the space ✨ #KSA2Space pic.twitter.com/rh3kZnJw0N
— RAYYANAH BARNAWI (@Astro_Rayyanah) May 26, 2023
The video garnered more than 1.4 million views within hours.
Rayana Barnawi, the first Arab Muslim astronaut, arrived on the International Space Station on May 21 with her compatriot Ali al-Qarni on a special 10-day mission to conduct scientific and medical research.
The two Saudi astronauts set off aboard a Falcon 9 rocket built by billionaire Elon Musk's SpaceX on a flight organized by the American company AxiomSpace.
Our ambition is🇸🇦
sky-high.
Saudi astronauts Ali Al-Qarni and Rayana Barnawi launched into space.
.
Our heroes, our prayers and our hearts are with you in this historic journey. May God grant you success and return to us with success and safety🇸🇦
#نحو_الفضاء pic.twitter.com/FvqmxdF6bi
— Saudi Deterrence 1727 🇸🇦 (@s_hm2030) May 21, 2023
Saudi astronauts @Astro_Rayyanah and @AstroAli11 board the Dragon spacecraft with the mission crew to launch to the International Space Station.
Saudi Arabia #نحو_الفضاء 🇸🇦 pic.twitter.com/aqDOYi9fJU
— Saudi Space Commission (@saudispace) May 21, 2023
Rayana Barnawi, a 34-year-old biomedical researcher, seeks research related to stem cells and breast cancer.