Well after the Expo ends, visitors can walk under the world’s largest projection dome, check their reflection in the massive mirrors of the Saudi pavilion’s window to the sky and run up the stone walls of an unusual water feature.
Several architectural marvels will be among the four-fifths of infrastructure to stay when the six-month event ends this month.
The site will become a 15-minute city, with attractions, offices, parks and homes within the two-square-kilometre site no further than a short stroll or bike ride away.
Expo organisers and architects told The National their ambition was for the space to inspire people.
The goal is to infuse a work-life balance in a vibrant community that will be known as a research and technology hub with exceptional educational and cultural landmarks.
“So right from the beginning and even as part of our brief, we defined what the legacy of this experience and building it would be and how it would inspire future generations,” said Marjan Faraidooni, chief experience officer at Expo 2020 Dubai.
Here is a snapshot of features that will remain when the Expo site becomes District 2020, Dubai’s newest residential and business zone.
Al Wasl centrepiece
The sand-coloured dome has been the Expo’s main staging area and the venue of unforgettable concerts by bands such as Coldplay.
The steel trellis structure will be a gathering space that will continue to serve as a distinctive platform for world class performances.t
Al Wasl Plaza, Expo’s centrepiece, is the historical name for Dubai and means “connection” in English.
Taller than the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the dome has been described as the “crown jewel” of Expo 2020 Dubai and was designed by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill.
The Rove is one of two hotels on the 438-hectare site. Overlooking Al Wasl Plaza, it will remain as a permanent offering.
Sustainability science pavilion
Post-Expo, the solar-panelled sustainability pavilion, Terra, will live on as a children's and science centre.
Net-zero for energy and water, the canopy will remain as an example of sustainable design.
Grimshaw Architects, the British firm that designed the pavilion, wanted it to make people think about water reduction and recycling strategies.
It will host workshops and temporary exhibition spaces to raise awareness about the environment and to inspire children to make changes in their everyday life.
Mobility pavilion
The glinting curved rims of Alif, the mobility pavilion, has attracted millions of curious visitors for a glimpse of cutting edge technology.
Foster + Partners built a flexible structure that will continue to address the theme of mobility after the Expo ends.
It will also house offices.
The polished stainless steel building that resembles a giant fidget spinner also features the world’s largest passenger lift, carrying more than 160 people at a time.
It will host temporary exhibitions on mobility to attract tourists and residents.
UAE’s falcon-theme pavilion
Several pavilions will stay as visitor attractions and cultural meeting places.
The UAE pavilion’s 'falcon taking flight' concept developed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava has been a favourite with world leaders and visitors often queuing up to enter the four-storey structure.
Exhibits dedicated to the history and future of the country chart the creation of a distinct national identity.
“The UAE pavilion will become an important cornerstone in our site and will have a legacy plan that will reflect our hopes and ambitions for the many years to come,” said Reem Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Co-operation and director general of Expo 2020 Dubai.
The nearby Vision pavilion will also remain that pays homage to the writings of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, the UAE Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, based on his book My Story.
Saudi’s window on the world
The second-largest pavilion after the UAE has attracted major footfall with a gigantic LED mirror screen, interactive water feature and about 8,000 floor lights.
Covering an area of two soccer fields, the pavilion, which resembles a giant window opening to the sky, was designed as a legacy structure to remain long after the world’s fair ends.
The six-storey structure is among at least seven buildings at Expo that earned a platinum rating in a global green index.
It serves as a pilot to show how green energy savings can be achieved in Dubai and the rest of the region.
Gravity-defying water illusion
One of the biggest attractions of the Expo, drawing snaking queues on most weekends, will continue to draw crowds.
The Surreal water feature was created by WET, a Los Angeles-headquartered company that designed the fountains at Burj Khalifa and Bellagio in Las Vegas.
High-tech mechanics create an illusion that the water is racing upwards before the streams drop back down and disappear at the feet of spectators standing on the stone structure.
Fire and fog are released from the centre of the ring and set to a specially written score by Ramin Djawadi, the Game of Thrones music composer and two-time Emmy award winner.
Garden in the sky
A gently rotating observation tower soars 55 metres above the ground for a bird’s eye view of the site.
Visitors can catch sweeping panoramic views from a tree-lined upper deck that is linked to an air-conditioned lower cabin with tall glass windows.
The base of the tower and the observation cabins glow at night as visitors are lifted into the sky.
London designer Asif Khan is behind the observation deck and the towering carbon-fibre Expo gates.
Exhibition centre
Sited near the Dubai Metro Route 2020 station, within walking distance of the two hotels on the site, the centre has been used as a competition arena for the World Chess Championships and international trade events.
The venue is being positioned as ideal for conferences, concerts, exhibitions, award ceremonies and weddings.
An expansive 45,000 square metres of event space will be used by companies in logistics, tourism, education and technology as part of plans to deliver world-class facilities in a global innovation hub.
Recording studio
Musical legend AR Rahman has described hand-picking an all-women orchestra and building a studio as the “most exciting things in a decade”.
The Firdaus Studio, a collaboration between the Expo and the composer, will serve as a creative space in which artists from around the world can collaborate.
Rahman’s vision is for a world-class space where musicians and directors will converge to record film scores, albums and multimedia projects.
It will also be the home for the Firdaus Orchestra, the UAE’s female ensemble that fuses Arab and western styles.
Firdaus means “paradise” in Arabic and will be a special element of the Expo’s legacy as it aspires to attract musical and artistic talent.
Bike trails in 15-minute community
A healthy lifestyle will be the cornerstone of the new community with existing jogging and biking tracks extended once the Expo is over.
A four-kilometre zone will also be marked out for autonomous vehicles.
The 5km running path and 10km cycling track is part of a 45,000-square-metre space carved out for parks and greenery.
This will be a critical consideration for residents who move in when homes are handed over starting from January next year.
The pedestrian-friendly network will prioritise walking as central to life in the new district, which will include two hospitals, two mosques and a school.
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The five pillars of Islam
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The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
The biog
Favourite book: Men are from Mars Women are from Venus
Favourite travel destination: Ooty, a hill station in South India
Hobbies: Cooking. Biryani, pepper crab are her signature dishes
Favourite place in UAE: Marjan Island
BRIEF SCORES
England 353 and 313-8 dec
(B Stokes 112, A Cook 88; M Morkel 3-70, K Rabada 3-85)
(J Bairstow 63, T Westley 59, J Root 50; K Maharaj 3-50)
South Africa 175 and 252
(T Bavuma 52; T Roland-Jones 5-57, J Anderson 3-25)
(D Elgar 136; M Ali 4-45, T Roland-Jones 3-72)
Result: England won by 239 runs
England lead four-match series 2-1
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
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Rating: 3.5/5
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Analysis
Maros Sefcovic is juggling multiple international trade agreement files, but his message was clear when he spoke to The National on Wednesday.
The EU-UAE bilateral trade deal will be finalised soon, he said. It is in everyone’s interests to do so. Both sides want to move quickly and are in alignment. He said the UAE is a very important partner for the EU. It’s full speed ahead - and with some lofty ambitions - on the road to a free trade agreement.
We also talked about US-EU tariffs. He answered that both sides need to talk more and more often, but he is prepared to defend Europe's position and said diplomacy should be a guiding principle through the current moment.
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
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Sheikh Zayed's poem
When it is unveiled at Abu Dhabi Art, the Standing Tall exhibition will appear as an interplay of poetry and art. The 100 scarves are 100 fragments surrounding five, figurative, female sculptures, and both sculptures and scarves are hand-embroidered by a group of refugee women artisans, who used the Palestinian cross-stitch embroidery art of tatreez. Fragments of Sheikh Zayed’s poem Your Love is Ruling My Heart, written in Arabic as a love poem to his nation, are embroidered onto both the sculptures and the scarves. Here is the English translation.
Your love is ruling over my heart
Your love is ruling over my heart, even a mountain can’t bear all of it
Woe for my heart of such a love, if it befell it and made it its home
You came on me like a gleaming sun, you are the cure for my soul of its sickness
Be lenient on me, oh tender one, and have mercy on who because of you is in ruins
You are like the Ajeed Al-reem [leader of the gazelle herd] for my country, the source of all of its knowledge
You waddle even when you stand still, with feet white like the blooming of the dates of the palm
Oh, who wishes to deprive me of sleep, the night has ended and I still have not seen you
You are the cure for my sickness and my support, you dried my throat up let me go and damp it
Help me, oh children of mine, for in his love my life will pass me by.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The bio
Studied up to grade 12 in Vatanappally, a village in India’s southern Thrissur district
Was a middle distance state athletics champion in school
Enjoys driving to Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah with family
His dream is to continue working as a social worker and help people
Has seven diaries in which he has jotted down notes about his work and money he earned
Keeps the diaries in his car to remember his journey in the Emirates
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Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Why seagrass matters
- Carbon sink: Seagrass sequesters carbon up to 35X faster than tropical rainforests
- Marine nursery: Crucial habitat for juvenile fish, crustations, and invertebrates
- Biodiversity: Support species like sea turtles, dugongs, and seabirds
- Coastal protection: Reduce erosion and improve water quality
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
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In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
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RESULT
Manchester United 2 Burnley 2
Man United: Lingard (53', 90' 1)
Burnley: Barnes (3'), Defour (36')
Man of the Match: Jesse Lingard (Manchester United)
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Coal Black Mornings
Brett Anderson
Little Brown Book Group
Zayed Sustainability Prize
WHAT IS GRAPHENE?
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were experimenting with sticky tape and graphite, the material used as lead in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But when they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics.
LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Squid Game season two
Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk
Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun
Rating: 4.5/5
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