Millions of people will begin converging on Dubai this week as the Covid-delayed Expo 2020, the world’s biggest event since the pandemic, finally unveils its gleaming pavilions in the desert.<\/P>
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The Expo site in the dusty Dubai suburbs has remained strictly off-limits during its year-long postponement but the wraps will come off on Thursday at an opening ceremony attended by Emirati royalty.<\/P>
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Architectural marvels and a long list of technological innovations will feature among the exhibits, or pavilions, showcasing the ingenuity of more than 190 countries<\/P>
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The first world fair was held in London in 1851, when it was housed in the purpose-built Crystal Palace, and it featured the Eiffel Tower — intended as a temporary attraction — in Paris in 1889.<\/P>
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Dubai’s edition, the first in the Middle East, is expected to be the biggest event ever held in the region with estimates of 25 million visitors over its six-month lifespan.<\/P>
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The next biggest event held in the world during the pandemic was the Tokyo Olympics, where strict virus rules saw spectators banned from nearly all venues.<\/P>
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Expo 2020 will be indelibly tinged by the pandemic, however, with masks and social distancing mandatory on site. Visitors will need to be vaccinated or have a negative PCR test to enter.<\/P>
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The United Arab Emirates, population 10 million, has reported rapidly dwindling coronavirus cases in recent weeks, dropping below 300 on Sunday — less than half the figure a fortnight earlier.<\/P>
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Dubai’s ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum is typically bullish about the fair, promising “the most exceptional Expo in the history of the event”.<\/P>
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“Our nation’s talented citizens were able to convert this vision into a comprehensive plan for success, conveying a message to the world that our commitment to excellence makes us an important contributor to shaping the globe’s future,” he said, according to official media.<\/P>
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– Robot panda –<\/P>
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The fair is another feather in the cap for Dubai, which has long strived for recognition with achievements such as the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building at a towering 828 metres (2,717 feet).<\/P>
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UAE media highlighted a travel company report which named the building as the world’s most searched landmark, with The National wondering: “Has Expo 2020 made Burj Khalifa the new Eiffel Tower?”<\/P>
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“The core of World Expo has always been a sense of global spectacle, and the UAE’s built environment is well placed to give it just that,” said an opinion piece in the newspaper.<\/P>
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The postponement has worked out well in one respect for the UAE, which celebrates the 50th anniversary of its founding on December 2.<\/P>
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Workers were putting the final touches on infrastructure and facilities at the site this week as the clock ticked down to the delayed launch.<\/P>
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A succession of politicians, business leaders, celebrities and sports people are expected at Expo, whose diverse attractions include the Harlem Globetrotters and a Chinese robot panda.<\/P>
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A full-scale hyperloop cabin, touted as the future of long-distance travel and transport, is among the exhibits, while Egypt has imported an ancient coffin from pharaonic days.<\/P>
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China has one of the largest pavilions — a LED-lit, lamp-shaped creation — while Morocco’s is made from traditional mud-building methods.<\/P>
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The Dutch have a pyramid covered with edible plants and irrigated by solar-generated rainwater.<\/P>
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Expo’s major themes are opportunity, mobility and sustainability, and the site centres on the imposing Al Wasl (“Connection”) Plaza, which will be lit by 360 degree projections on its giant dome.<\/P>
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Source: National News Agency<\/P>
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