The Saudi Arabian King Salman can bust a move, much to the delight of social media users across the arab world.
On Monday the King arrived in Qatar, and took the time to show of his dancing skills. When he was greeted warmly by Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and a number of Qatari tribesman, the king happily danced Qatar’s traditional Ardha dance.
At the age of 80, the king was as nimble as ever, raising his hands and walking stick while making some sprightly moves to the sound of drums. In front of him, the Qatari tribesmen raised their swords in the air as they performed the traditional dance.
The video of the dancing king has gone viral on social media. While The king has been seen performing the Ardha dance in the past, this time his energy and enthusiasm won over the crowd and social media.
#قطر_ترحب_بملك_الحزم رقص الملك سلمان ذكرني بـ الملك عبدالله(الله يرحمه) pic.twitter.com/cLge7GWZiv
— ā__!! (@ah_ood14) December 5, 2016
King Salman’s dance reminded me of King Abdallah (may he rest in peace) #Qatar Welcomes The King of Resoluteness
حبيبي المبسوووط #احلى_من_رقص #الملك_سلمان pic.twitter.com/QNLr8Ldrys
— (@BannaHR_) December 5, 2016
Our dear one is happy #TheMostBeautifulDancer
Egyptians, however, were not so happy, calling the dancing “gloating” and “insulting”. This is the result of an ongoing feud between Sisi and the Saudis, partly related to Egyptian support for Russia in the UN on the issue of Syria. More recently, there has also been an Egyptian-Qatari tiff over an Al Jazeera documentary.
بعد رقص الملك سلمان مع امير قطر تميم pic.twitter.com/XFNAaaFzQd
— محمود (@m__kareem) December 6, 2016
After watching the dance between King Salman and Prince Tamim of Qatar (Picture: It’s fine, anyway)
بعد ما الملك سلمان رقص في العرضة القطرية جنب أمير قطر ... أنا رأيي السيسي ما يسكتش و يعزم بشار و يشغلوا مهرجانات... https://t.co/m8CAyzMJT0
— Ashraf Ahmed (@ashraf88ahmed) December 6, 2016
After King Salman danced in Qatar next to Prince Tamim… My opinion is that Sisi doesn’t keep quiet and invites Bashar [al-Assad] and they do a festival.
رد على رقص الملك سلمان مع تميم
— كسكليون (@badriaawad2) December 5, 2016
السيسي بيرقص مع الجماهير على الدومة والتكه pic.twitter.com/UnN51Uo4FE
The response to the dancing of King Salman with Tamim: Sisi dancing in the crowds.
King Salman was in Qatar as part of a regional tour, working to bring the GCC states together. During his time in Qatar, the King and Emir Tamim discussed already close bilateral ties and ways to work together to achieve both countries' ambitious 2030 visions.
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