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Friends mourn Omani climber Nadhira Al Harthy, say she 'never climbed for publicity'
She was among the 10 expedition members who lost their lives in a deadly avalanche on Pakistan's Broad Peak at midday on Thursday, July 30
- PUBLISHED: Sat 1 Aug 2026, 9:49 AM UPDATED: Sun 2 Aug 2026, 12:25 PM
To the world, Nadhira Al Harthy was the first Omani woman to conquer Mount Everest. To her friends and acquaintances, she was a humble, curious and deeply compassionate woman who worked a government job while dreaming of the world's highest peaks.
Her Everest ascent inspired a new generation of women in across the Gulf to pursue adventure sports that had long been dominated by men. A civil worker for the Ministry of Education and a former geography teacher, Nadhira first found herself amid the magnificent mountains in 2015 when she organised a trip for students to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, but was unable to do so herself due to altitude sickness.
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Soon after, she went back to the mountain and completed the feat. "That mountain does something to people. She went again and climbed it and then went onto climb several peaks," said Faisal Shamani, the founder of Founder AFT Adventures in the UAE, while speaking to Khaleej Times.
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This year, she would have completed two more eight-thousander peaks — Broad Peak (8,051m) and Gasherbrum I (8,080m) — but that dream was cut short by a deadly avalanche on Pakistan's Broad Peak.
The avalanche struck the 8,047m (26,400ft) mountain in Pakistan-administered Gilgit-Baltistan’s Karakoram range at around midday on Thursday, July 30. The incident occurred during the 14 Peaks Project expedition, which aims to climb all 14 mountains in the world that rise above 8,000 metres — a feat considered one of mountaineering’s toughest challenges. Several climbers who had ventured into Pakistan’s high-altitude ridges were killed in the avalanche.
On July 31, Nadhira was confirmed to have passed away along with three other mountaineers, while the search and rescue efforts for the others are still ongoing, with loved ones praying for a miracle.
A humble worker with a dream
Nadhira Al Harthy, who went onto break several barriers, never really planned on becoming famous. Her close friend Dr Laila Karub Al Kharusi, a dentist from Oman, first met her in 2019 after her Mount Everest feat.
"When I first saw her, I remember saying, "You look familiar". By then she had already climbed Everest and was known publicly, but I couldn't quite place where I had seen her before. I asked her what she did, and she simply replied, "I work in the Ministry of Education". That was it. No mention of Everest, no mention of her achievements," said Laila.
The ministry was celebrating the Nepalese National Day and Constitution Day Reception that day, and it wasn't until later, when the Nepalese Ambassador thanked Nadhira on stage for her contribution to Omani-Nepalese relations, that Laila realised who she was.
"That was Nadhira. She was incredibly humble and never wanted to show off. She never climbed mountains for publicity. The only reason she ever agreed to public talks was to inspire others and, at times, to help raise funds so she could continue pursuing her climbing dreams."
Born in the historic village of Mudhairib in Oman's Al Sharqiyah region, it was her love for her culture, religion and mother, that led her to proudly pursue her dreams.
"She was deeply rooted in her culture, proudly Muslim, and lived by values of truth, hard work and honesty. Above all, she had strong family values, and her love and devotion to her family, especially her mother, was something that always stood out to me," said Laila.
'Mountaineering completed her'
It was Nadhira's love and belonging that she felt in the mountains that led her to scale several eight-thousander peaks.
The dream all began when she was reading a book to her students about the first Omani man who climbed Mount Everest. "She said that in that very moment, something changed within her. Little did she know that while she was inspiring her students, she was actually inspiring herself. That book awakened a dream she never knew she had," said Laila.
The man who climbed Mount Everest, Khalid al-Siyabi, later went onto become her mentor — after a visit to the ministry where she asked him if he could help her climb the mountain.
Khalid suffered a stroke and passed away at the age of 46 and died while Nadhira was on the mountain. She kept climbing. On May 23, 2019, she became the first Omani woman to summit the mountain, nine years after Khalid.
"She carried a small piece of paper with his name written on it. She left it at the top of the world. Later, she said: “The first Omani man helped me become the first Omani woman". She did not stop there," wrote Mohamed Isa in a tribute, a mountaineer himself who had known her.
To Laila, Nadhira would describe mountaineering as "entering a completely different universe".
"She would say that she had paid so much to realise that she could be content with so little. They [mountains] stripped life back to what truly mattered, and she carried that perspective with her long after she came home," said the dentist.
"Mountaineering didn't define who Nadhira was. It completed her."
The late mountaineer once told her friend that returning home was often psychologically difficult because she felt displaced, as though part of her still belonged in the mountains.
"That world was where she felt most alive."
'Climbing will never feel the same without her'
Celebrated mountaineer and UAE resident Nelly Attar said she was heartbroken at the loss of a friend with whom she had climbed several mountains around the world.
“We had so many unforgettable mountain experiences together and climbing will never feel the same without her,” she told Khaleej Times. “Some of my best memories with her included sharing a caravan with her in the Alps, eating too many garlic chips and her complaining that my breath smelled of garlic, getting lost while attempting the Eiger mountain peak and having a donut with her on the mountains of the Alps.”
Nadhira went on to summit several of the world's highest mountains, becoming one of the Arab world's most accomplished female mountaineers.
In 2019, Nelly and Nadhira climbed the Mount Everest together along with two other Arab women — Mona Shahab and Joyce Azzam. It was there that the duo first met. “Within a few days of arriving in Nepal, Nadhira was one of the first few people that I saw and met,” she recalled. “One of the best things that I had gained from my mountaineering journey was the friendship that I had with Nadhira.”
Nelly and Nadhira later completed several climbs together including the K2 Mountain peak. She said that Nadhira was her trusted companion. “There were countless times when I'd go to her tent crying because I felt homesick and she would comfort me,” she recalled.
“There were times when we would dance together or we would just have deep conversations. We used to have sleepovers in Oman and Dubai when I would visit her or she would visit me. I will never forget sharing the summit of Everest and us standing on top of the world together.”
Nelly described Nadhira as “the best kind of person” and one who spread positivity. “She was very strong, but also very kind and humble,” she said.
“She was very, very determined. She would do anything to make this dream of climbing mountains possible. Nothing would stop her. And no matter what she was going through, she would always be a source of light for everyone. I can't remember Nadhira every complaining or being sad or angry even once. I remember her always smiling, always happy, always spreading joy and positivity around the people she's with. She really uplifted all those around her.”
Saudi mountaineer Mona Shahab was also among those scaling the Everest and it was Nadhira's grounding presence that made an impact on her.
A psychologist by profession, Mona said she often remembers Nani (affectionate name used for Nadhira) and her calming techniques while interacting with clients.
"Nani’s presence alone was grounding. Exactly who any climber or mountaineer would want to be huddled with in a tent or on the slippery steep slopes."
Calling her the "pride of the Arabian Gulf", Mona praised Nadhira's ability to push barriers and widen people’s window of tolerance with respect. "Nani was one of a kind and I am blessed to have crossed paths with her."
Role model for young girls
Mostafa Salameh, a Jordanian mountaineer of Palestinian origin, first came to know of Nadhira after the passing of her mentor and Salameh's friend, Khalid Al Siyabi.
"When I travelled to Oman after his passing, our paths crossed, and from that moment we stayed in touch. Later, in 2019, we met again on Mount Everest, where we shared not only the same mountain but also the same passion for exploration and purpose."
Salameh remembers her by the grace and sincerity with which she represented Oman, the Arab world and Muslim women.
"She wore her hijab naturally, never as a statement of superiority, but simply as part of who she was. In doing so, she became a role model for countless young girls who realised that faith and ambition can walk hand in hand. She proved that strength is often quiet," said Salameh.
Salameh hopes people don't just remember the Omani climber for how her story ended, but also how beautifully she lived.
"She showed an entire generation that dreams have no nationality, no gender and no boundaries. She climbed carrying the hopes of many people who saw themselves in her journey."
'We accept the risk'
The tragic incident has left the community in shock, where the risks of mountaineering go alongside the thrills.
"As mountaineers, we accept that risk is an inseparable part of pursuing the mountains we love. We prepare, we respect the mountain, and we understand that every climb carries uncertainty," said Faisal Shamani.
"Our greatest wish is that, if the worst should happen, our loved ones find strength in knowing we were doing what we loved most. While the loss is heartbreaking, Nadhira's passion and courage will continue to inspire others for years to come."
Naila Kiani, a Dubai-based mountaineer who is the first Pakistani woman to climb 12 of the 14 eight-thousanders, met Nadhira in 2022 when they scaled the K2 together.
"It has been very difficult for me to process this news. Out of the 10 people in the expedition, I knew five of them and had climbed many mountains together. Such moments make you question everything, whether the adventure sports that we do is right or not," said Kiani.
Naila remembers Nadhira by her smile and bubbly personality that kept their moods uplifted no matter the circumstance and her resilience and passion that led her to set records and defy all stereotypes.
"My mentor often says "if you don't die in mountaineering, you see a lot of your friends pass away which is very hard". Such moments are the hardest, when you see your friends and loved ones go like this," she said.
Echoing similar sentiments, Mostafa Salameh said the most difficult reality is losing friends. "Sadly, if you spend enough years in high-altitude mountaineering, you will attend too many funerals. That is the price this community knows all too well."
Her loved ones say Nadhira never climbed mountains to become famous. She climbed because they made her feel alive, and because she believed ordinary people, especially young Omani women, should never be afraid to dream beyond the horizon.
"As climbers, we often say that we leave footprints on mountains. The truth is that mountains eventually erase every footprint. What never disappears is the mark we leave on people’s hearts. Nadhira’s will remain for a very long time," said Salameh.
The Alpine Club of Pakistan said the expedition comprised 10 people — including six Nepalese, a Pakistani, an Omani, an American, and a climber from China.
The club said late on Thursday it had "received deeply concerning reports of an avalanche that struck a team of climbers on Broad Peak (8,047m)".
"The entire team has reportedly been out of communication since the avalanche," it said.
Earlier, local police said preliminary reports suggested four bodies had been found but did not identify the victims. The Pakistan Alpine Club later clarified that two bodies — those of Nadhira Al Harthy and Pur Bahadur Gurung 'Yukta' — had been recovered, along with a body part.
A spokesperson for police in the mountainous Gilgit-Baltistan region said search-and-rescue teams had reached the location the avalanche had struck on Thursday, cutting off contact with the international expedition that had been in the area.
The Pakistani government along with the governments of Gilgit-Balistan, Nepal and the Pakistani army are all involved in the rescue mission.
Broad Peak is the world's 12th highest mountain, located in the Karakoram range in northern Pakistan, and is regarded as one of the toughest and most technical climbs of all the 8,000 metre-plus ascents. It was first summited in 1957 by an Austrian team.
Inputs from AFP
