As 2019 draws to a close, Twitter’s end-of-year reflection showcases the unique way 2019 unfolded across the platform. Through a data-pull of tweets, hashtags and handles, Twitter highlights the stories that have led the public conversation in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
To celebrate the year end, Twitter launched its annual emoji on 10 December. The emoji will unlock when the hashtag #ThisHappened is tweeted in English or Arabic.
KSA
The top five tweets in Saudi Arabia were by His Highness King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (@KingSalman).
One of the most inspirational quoted tweets (also known as retweets with comments) in Saudi Arabia brought the community together to aid a local restaurant owner, Aboud Hamoud (@i_video1).
The restaurant @kosharyalbasha was saddled with debts due to the steady decline of customers and a 90 per cent drop in sales. The tweet sharing Hamoud’s story generated more than 7,000 retweets in the fi rst 24 hours, capturing the attention of highprofile individuals, influencers and brands alike.
The most tweeted-about celebrities
1. Actor Fayez Al Malki
2. Singer Mohammed Abdu
3. Singer Abdul Majeed Abdulla
The top emojis
1. ?(Face with tears of joy)
2 ﷺ (The Arabic symbol used to send salutations upon the Prophet Mohammed PBUH)
The top tweeted-about movie in Saudi Arabia: The Avengers: Endgame
The most tweeted-about TV show in Saudi Arabia: Game of Thrones
The most tweeted-about video games in Saudi Arabia
1 PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds
2 Fortnite
3 FIFA
The most tweeted-about sports events
1 The Arab Club Champions Cup’s final (Al Ain, UAE)
2 WWE Super Showdown (Jeddah, Saudi Arabia)
3 2019 WWE Crown Jewel (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia)
The most tweeted football club hashtags:
1. Al Hilal football club
2. Al Nassr football club
3. Al Ittihad football club
4. Al Ahli football club
5. Al Shabab football club
The most tweeted football match hashtags
1. Al Ittihad vs Al Nassr
2. Al Hilal vs Al Taawoun
3. Al Hilal vs Al Nassr
4. Al Nassr vs Al Batin
5. Al Hilal vs Al Sadd
New sports celebrity joiner
Twitter welcomed Al-Hilal’s Milos Degenek (@milosdegenek45) to the platform
The most mentioned footballers
1. @BafGomis (Bafétimbi Gomis)
2. @SamiAlJaber (Sami Al Jaber)
3. @mbsh_10 (Mohammad AlShalhoub)
4. @M_Abdullah_9 (Majed Abdullah)
The most tweeted-about footballers per Saudi football club
1. Abderazak Hamed-Allah (Al Nassr)
2. Fahad Al Muwallad (Al Ittihad)
3. Ahmed Alshmrani (Al-Hazem)
4. Mohammad Al Shalhoub (Al Hilal)
5. Saeed Al Mowalad (Al Ahli)
6. Mohammed Al Sahlawi (Al-Shabab)
EGYPT
Most mentioned celebrities
1. @nabilelhalfawy (Egyptian actor Nabil El Halfawy)
2. @kalnaga (Egyptian actor, director and producer Khaled Abol Naga)
3. @SalahAbdallah (Egyptian actor Salah Abdallah)
4. @OfficialHenedy (Egyptian comedian/actor Mohamed Henedy)
New celebrity joiner: Egyptian actress Nadia Al Gindi (@NadiaAlGindi)
Most tweeted-about TV show hashtag: #GameOfThrones
Most used emojis
1 ? (Face with tears of joy)
2 ? (Black heart)
Top celebrity challenge moment
#10YearsChallenge
Twitter Moments are a series of tweets that are combined into one and can be found in the Explore page. These Moments are curated by Twitter’s team and tailored to different countries.
The most tweeted football club hashtags
The following Egyptian football clubs maintained their positions for the second consecutive year:
1. Al Ahly Sporting Club
2. Zamalek Football Club
3. Al Ittihad Alexandria Club
The most tweeted football match hashtags
1. Pyramids vs Al Ahly
2. Zamalek vs Pyramids
3. Al Ahly vs Smouha
4. Al Ahly vs Zamalek
The most mentioned footballers
The following list includes the most mentioned current Egyptian football players:
1. Liverpool footballer Mohamed Salah @MoSalah
2. Al Ahly footballer Ahmed Fathi @AhmedFathi
3. Zamalek footballer Shikabala @Shikabala
4. West Bromwich footballer Ahmed Hegazi @Hegazi
UAE
In 2019, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Ruler of Dubai, continued to post tweets accompanied by the hashtag #WhatLifeHasTaughtMe (in Arabic), sharing his experience and knowledge. As in previous years, this garnered signifi cant interaction from the public in terms of retweets.
Emirati leaders whose tweets have received the most likes
The most liked tweets by Emirati leaders are as follows:
1. Video posted by Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed (@HamdanMohammed) sharing moments with the family
2. Photos published by the Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid (@HHShkMohd) highlighting the Al Maktoum family
3. A tweet from Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed (@MohamedBinZayed) on the occasion of the new Hijri year
4. Poetic verses published by Deputy Prime Minister &Minister of Interior Sheikh Saif bin Zayed (@SaifBZayed)
5. Tweet to Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed (@ ABZayed) on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr
Most prominent new joiner
The Deputy Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed (@MaktoumMohammed)
Most used emojis
1. ? (Face with tears of joy)
2. ? (Blue heart)