Sultan Al Neyadi photographs Pakistan and India from space station

Night-time images show the two South Asian countries glittering from high above

Lahore, Pakistan, seen from the International Space Station in a photo taken by Sultan Al Neyadi. Photo: Nasa

UAE astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi has taken photos of India and Pakistan from the International Space Station (ISS).

For most of his mission so far he has been documenting Arab countries from the orbiting outpost but took time out last month to photograph the two South Asian nations.

On May 10, he photographed Lahore in Pakistan, also known as the City of Lights.

Five days later, he captured a night-time image of Lucknow in northern India.

Dr Al Neyadi arrived at the ISS on March 3 for a six-month stint – the first long-duration space mission by an Arab astronaut.

He has since made history as the first Arab astronaut to carry out a spacewalk, when he ventured outside the station for a seven-hour maintenance assignment.

He celebrated his 42nd birthday in space and was surprised with a cake by his colleagues.

Officials from the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre on Saturday congratulated the astronaut on completing half of his six-month mission.

"Sultan's dedication to science has seen him make remarkable strides during this period," said Adnan Al Rais, mission manager of the UAE Astronaut Programme.

"With another three months ahead, we are eagerly waiting for more groundbreaking research projects.

"Paving the way for the future of UAE's space sector, this mission serves as a powerful catalyst, fuelling our drive towards unprecedented advancements in space exploration.”

About three million Indian and 1.5 million Pakistani citizens comprise the largest expat populations in the UAE.