Raha Moharrak

Raha Moharrak’s background

From a young age, her eccentricity was obvious. Blessed with parents who never asked her to change they taught her to dream big and live even bigger. Raising her with the belief that life is what she makes of it and her dreams are a reflection of the endlessness of her capabilities.

Raha Moharrak graduated with a bachelor’s in Visional Communications from the American University of Sharjah before starting her career at a leading advertising agency. However, Raha’s life changed the day she summited Kilimanjaro and challenged herself, her society and her culture. It was there, between the clouds, standing on Africa’s roof that she saw that her spirit could no longer be silenced and that nothing could hold her back from her love of adventure.

Kilimanjaro opened the doors to 8 more summits but her love affair with altitude was insatiable and her curiosity as to where her limits were grew fierce. Just when she thought she found them she set eyes on Everest and the dream that turned her into an accidental role model was born. On May 18th, 2013, a year after seeing the legendary mountain, Raha made history by being the first Saudi woman to summit Everest, forever proving we can attempt the impossible and maybe even achieve it no matter where we are from.

She’s living proof that if children are raised confident, curious and un-apologetically who they are then they are capable of anything. Even for a Saudi woman to stand on top of the world.

Only now, due to her bold efforts and those of others, is the government acknowledging the link between sport and health – and the necessity to provide it for the next generations.

“If I, a Hijazi girl from Jeddah, was able to literally stand on top of the world because I believe myself capable of doing it, then what are they capable of doing themselves?”