A team of United Arab Emirates' Armed Forces have returned home after conquering the world's highest peak.
Reaching Mount Everest's peak on May 19, the team of 13 Emirati members of the armed forces and three mountaineering experts planted a UAE flag to mark the 40th anniversary of the unification of the UAE’s military.
Arriving back in the UAE on Thursday, the proud Emiratis were congratulated by family, friends and Sheikh Nahyan Bin Zayed, chairman of the board of the Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation.
Sheikh Mohammad Bin Zayed, crown prince of Abu Dhabi and deputy supreme commander of the UAE Armed Forces, congratulated the climbers on their impressive feat last week.
The team is now the largest military team from within the region to have successfully complete the ascent.
"It’s not easy to climb Mount Everest. There were many challenges we faced along the way, the prime one being the altitude," Tareq Al Zarouni, one of the climbers, told Gulf News . "Each day was a challenge and I kept myself motivated to finish the climb even though there were times I thought I would not be able to make it. In the end, we managed to complete the climb and it was a glorious feeling."
"It was very hard to make the climb," Mohammad Saeed, another climber, said. "But we did it and we are very proud that we have been able to give something back to our country."