RIYADH — Under various folkloric shows, the picturesque floodlights decorated in green, and the very striking design, Saudi Arabia’s pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai greeted its visitors with its high-rise facade and unique design with young Saudi men and women welcome guests with a wide smile on their faces, reflecting the generosity of the Saudi hospitality and rich culture.

Since day one, the Saudi pavilion succeeded in attracting visitors through a set of interactive models and lights that revealed the pavilion's multi-dimensional content based on four main pillars: a vibrant community, heritage, nature, and opportunities.

This has allowed the pavilion to win unprecedented numbers of visitors such as the "digital fountain" which the visitors get the chance to witness as they enter the pavilion on their way to a group of curved engineering stairs leading to the main reception hall, which embraces a curved display screen with an area of 68 square meters.

This screen displays five ecosystems in the Kingdom including the green landscapes of Wadi Al-Bardani, the charm of the coasts of Farasan Island, the deserts of the Empty Quarter, the shores of the Red Sea, and the mountains of Tabuk.

As they proceed, the visitors of the Saudi pavilion, through the long electric stairs and in an atmosphere of special visual and audio effects, witness a unique opportunity to embark on another journey showing the ancient past of the Kingdom on both sides of the stairs, allowing visitors a chance to explore by simulating models of around 14 heritage and cultural sites.

The models are built and designed on both sides, allowing them to get acquainted with famous Saudi heritage sites, including the five sites in the UNESCO World Heritage List, such as Al-Turaif neighborhood, Al-Hajar, Historic Jeddah, and rock art in Hail region and Al-Ahsa Oasis.

Upon reaching the top of the electric stairs and after passing through the heritage sites, visitors go through an audio-visual journey to 23 sites that represent the richness and diversity in the various regions of the Kingdom, and the harmonious relationship between the Kingdom’s 13 regions.

This harmony reflects the country’s demographic diversity that contributed to its cultural and human richness as each region has its advantages and unique environment, starting with the Grand Mosque, the ancient village of Thee Ain, the Shaybah oil field, the Farasan Islands, Wadi Al-'Ula, and Al-Wahba crater.

It passes through heritage and contemporary sites such as the Tantora Balloon Festival and the Maraya Concert Hall in AlUla, all the way to the Jeddah Waterfront, the King Abdullah Financial District in Riyadh, and the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center.

After the aforementioned unique experience, visitors will enjoy an escalator topped with 2030 "Scenographic" crystals, symbolizing the "Saudi Vision 2030", accompanied by a window overlooking the most important giant projects of the Kingdom that are currently being implemented, such as the Qiddiya project, the Diriyah Gate Development Project, and the Red Sea project.

This is in addition to other vibrant development projects that are being implemented as per environmentally friendly concepts such as King Salman Park project, and “Saudi Green Initiative” and “Middle East Green Initiative” projects.

The Saudi pavilion also includes the “Vision” art exhibition, which includes a multi-faceted 30-meter giant ball, with an interactive digital floor, highlighting the essence of Saudi culture prepared by a group of Saudi artists and creators who worked on designing these digital paintings and came together to form an integrated panel bearing all the elements of success and continuity.

The digital art prepares visitors to move towards the investment opportunities center, which explores fruitful and diversified partnerships with major Saudi leading companies and institutions and contains six vertical information incubators that provide extensive information on economy and investment, energy, nature and tourism, people and homeland, transformation, art, and culture.

Moreover, the pavilion offers visuals of nature that has been devoted to a wide outdoor space represented in the palm garden canopies, where the pavilion is adorned with two hanging gardens, surrounded by palm trees and plants that can be found in different Saudi ecosystems.

These trees and plants were transferred directly from the various regions of the Kingdom and shipped according to special environmental standards to the Kingdom’s pavilion at the “Expo 2020 Dubai”.

Also, the Saudi pavilion provides visitors with various Saudi flavors and traditional dishes as well as various types of Arabic coffee for which the regions of the Kingdom are famous, in addition to the antiques and souvenir shop, which has witnessed a great turnout since the first day. — SPA