Meet the Expo enthusiasts who visited all 192 pavilions in just a few days


Georgia Tolley
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A fitness enthusiast living in Abu Dhabi and a 16-year-old boy have visited all 192 country pavilions at Expo 2020 Dubai in a matter of days.

Fazil Ummer, 16, managed to make it to every country pavilion on the site in 72 hours.

He visited 80 pavilions on the first day, 50 on day two and the remaining 62 on his third visit.

Fazil, who was born in Saudi Arabia, arrived in Dubai with his family but knew he wanted to undertake this challenge alone.

He said the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Germany pavilions were his favourites.

Another power-walking Expo fan is Amine Zaanoun, from Morocco, who set himself the task of visiting the pavilions as fast as he could, combining the feat with the Dubai Fitness Challenge.

The experience, challenging myself, was amazing. The main thing I learned through this experience was meeting new people
Amine Zaanoun

The programme encourages people in the UAE to do 30 minutes of exercise for 30 days. It started on October 29.

By the end of the first day of his challenge, Mr Zaanoun had walked about 20 kilometres and completed more than 27,000 steps. On day two, he walked about 19.5km.

Mr Zaanoun said he wanted to encourage people from around the world to visit the site and get fit.

"Since Expo is being held in Dubai, I, as a proud Arab, wanted to represent all Arabs by promoting this challenge," he said.

"At the same time, I want to encourage anyone who is overweight to exercise, as well as encourage people in general to visit Expo."

Before his visit, Mr Zaanoun carefully planned his adventure.

He made sure to arrive at the Expo site early in the morning, and he researched which pavilions were the most crowded and made sure to visit them before peak hours.

He also visited the pavilions district by district, strategically visiting one after the other.

Mr Zaanoun, 31, said taking on the challenge gave him the opportunity to learn about countries from all over the world and experience new cultures – something he always wanted to do.

“The experience, challenging myself, was amazing. I want to thank Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid for this initiative," he said.

"The main thing I learnt through this experience was meeting new people. I also learnt about new countries, their traditions, their different discoveries, the technology they each have."

As one of the few people in the world who has managed to visit every pavilion, he has a unique insight into which one visitors should prioritise.

“My favourite pavilion was the UAE Pavilion, of course. I also liked the Germany pavilion and the technology presented there," he said.

"Croatia also has a good pavilion – they have an electric car. There are also some islands that I have never heard of.”

Meet the Expo super fan

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Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries

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The stats

Ship name: MSC Bellissima

Ship class: Meraviglia Class

Delivery date: February 27, 2019

Gross tonnage: 171,598 GT

Passenger capacity: 5,686

Crew members: 1,536

Number of cabins: 2,217

Length: 315.3 metres

Maximum speed: 22.7 knots (42kph)

Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
  • Flexible payment plans from developers
  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
  • DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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MATCH INFO

Liverpool 0

Stoke City 0

Man of the Match: Erik Pieters (Stoke)

THE SPECS

Engine: 6.0-litre, twin-turbocharged W12

Transmission: eight-speed automatic

Power: 626bhp

Torque: 900Nm

Price: Dh1,050,000

On sale: now

SPECS
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BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES

Saturday, May 16 (kick-offs UAE time)

Borussia Dortmund v Schalke (4.30pm) 
RB Leipzig v Freiburg (4.30pm) 
Hoffenheim v Hertha Berlin (4.30pm) 
Fortuna Dusseldorf v Paderborn  (4.30pm) 
Augsburg v Wolfsburg (4.30pm) 
Eintracht Frankfurt v Borussia Monchengladbach (7.30pm)

Sunday, May 17

Cologne v Mainz (4.30pm),
Union Berlin v Bayern Munich (7pm)

Monday, May 18

Werder Bremen v Bayer Leverkusen (9.30pm)

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

The specs
  • Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
  • Power: 640hp
  • Torque: 760nm
  • On sale: 2026
  • Price: Not announced yet
The Settlers

Director: Louis Theroux

Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz

Rating: 5/5

Brief scores:

Toss: Nepal, chose to field

UAE 153-6: Shaiman (59), Usman (30); Regmi 2-23

Nepal 132-7: Jora 53 not out; Zahoor 2-17

Result: UAE won by 21 runs

Series: UAE lead 1-0

Our legal consultant

Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

Directed: Smeep Kang
Produced: Soham Rockstar Entertainment; SKE Production
Cast: Rishi Kapoor, Jimmy Sheirgill, Sunny Singh, Omkar Kapoor, Rajesh Sharma
Rating: Two out of five stars 

Specs

Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request

Sheer grandeur

The Owo building is 14 storeys high, seven of which are below ground, with the 30,000 square feet of amenities located subterranean, including a 16-seat private cinema, seven lounges, a gym, games room, treatment suites and bicycle storage.

A clear distinction between the residences and the Raffles hotel with the amenities operated separately.

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This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.

Our legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants

Updated: November 11, 2021, 10:28 AM`