Anticipation is building with only two months to go until Expo 2020 Dubai welcomes the world.
The eagerly awaited celebration of international innovation and ingenuity will take over the emirate for six months from October 1.
Nations from all corners of the globe have been working tirelessly to highlight their culture, tradition and talents on a grand stage.
The sprawling Expo site in Dubai South will be home to more than 200 striking pavilions, 191 of which will represent individual countries.
Expo participants that offered a taste of things to come with artist's impressions of their pavilions are now putting the final touches to the real thing.
Many have released striking pictures of their pavilions deep into construction as they gear up for the big opening.
The National has compiled a gallery of 17 fantastic pavilions visitors will soon be able to experience for themselves.
The public has already been given a preview of what to expect when the world's greatest show opens.
The Sustainability Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai welcomed more than 100,000 visitors from January to April of this year.
It set a high standard for the rest of the event's pavilions to follow and there is plenty of reason to believe they are up to the task.
Italy set to be a star attraction
Italy's Expo 2020 pavilion certainly promises to be a masterpiece.
Its crown jewel will be a 3D-printed copy of Michelangelo's David statue, created through a sophisticated digitising process that involved scanning the statue to create a digital twin.
Engineers in Florence used high-tech cameras and mounted laser scanners on stairs to capture microscopic details of the 16th-century marble masterpiece.
From Russia with love
The eye-catching Russian pavilion, with multicoloured metallic lights wrapped closely around the structure, will make it one of the standout structures at Expo 2020 Dubai.
Echoing the concept of the famous Russian dolls, the interior design is modelled similarly, with a small entrance leading to a much wider space within.
Located in the Expo’s Mobility District – one of three theme zones – the pavilion attempts to convey a sense of movement and agility.
Dutch celebration of nature
Nature will spring into life and the power of the sun will make it rain inside a Dutch pavilion housing a vertical farm at Expo 2020 Dubai.
A giant cone blanketed with edible plants that shelters mushrooms growing will be a focal point of an inventive structure.
It will be home to a solar-powered rain shower that captures moisture from the atmosphere and will harvest hundreds of litres of water daily to irrigate the greenery.
Austria to champion sustainability
Austria will deliver an impressive vision for a more sustainable future at Expo 2020 Dubai.
The country's stunning pavilion, taking pride of place in the Opportunity District, is an ambitious architectural concept that aims to tackle the important climate questions of our time.
Built from overturned cones using a 9,000-year-old soil called loam, containing silt and clay, it will provide ventilation and house workshops and installations.
The pavilion will operate on 70 per cent less energy than a conventionally air-conditioned building in the UAE and will keep visitors cool with fogging technology.
How to be part of unforgettable show
Tickets for the mega event went on sale in July.
Single-entry tickets for the six-month world fair will cost Dh95 ($26), while a six-month season pass is Dh495.
Visitors also have the option of a multi-day ticket for Dh195, which gives them unrestricted access to the site for 30 consecutive days.
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.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
JAPAN SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Masaaki Higashiguchi, Shuichi Gonda, Daniel Schmidt
Defenders: Yuto Nagatomo, Tomoaki Makino, Maya Yoshida, Sho Sasaki, Hiroki Sakai, Sei Muroya, Genta Miura, Takehiro Tomiyasu
Midfielders: Toshihiro Aoyama, Genki Haraguchi, Gaku Shibasaki, Wataru Endo, Junya Ito, Shoya Nakajima, Takumi Minamino, Hidemasa Morita, Ritsu Doan
Forwards: Yuya Osako, Takuma Asano, Koya Kitagawa
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
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Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
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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
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
