A vision of identity

The Oman pavilion continues to participate in Expo 2020 Dubai as the country’s civilisation is embodied in portraits throughout the ages highlighting its visions and realities.

According to the Oman News Agency (ONA), this civilisation advances from the interaction that has shaped the vision of Omanis throughout history represented in preserving their cultural and social identity.

During the mega event, Oman sheds light on diverse stories of sustainability starting from connecting minds to creating opportunities for the future, which are identical to the key themes of the Expo 2020 Dubai.

The striking design of the Omani pavilion is inspired by the frankincense tree (boswellia sacra tree). It was designed by two Omani young women; Rehab Al Zakwani and Alyaa Al Batashi, who developed touches representing an addition to the achievements made by the Omani youth in Oman.

The external spaces surrounding the pavilion host ten Omani frankincense trees, which were protected by the Oman Botanic Garden in 2013 after being threatened by one of the road extensions in Hasik, in the southern part of Sultanate of Oman. These natural trees are planted in a panoramic landscape view, and they will be returned to the garden after the expo.

The Omani pavilion seeks to highlight four key themes namely sustainability, fostering talents, communication and knowledge.

The pavilion consists of two floors: the ground floor (the mother tree), where the visitor is at a real-life meeting with the electromechanical design of the tree, which is centred in the middle of the hall, mimicking the exact details of the natural tree and symbolising many physical, emotional and spiritual meanings as well as its various practical uses.

On the perimeter wall, a panoramic screen shows the story of Omani frankincense from Wadi Douka and its journey via the world’s various civilisations through times (trade in the Arabian Peninsula, mummification in ancient Egypt, Christian prayers in the Old Testament and traditional Chinese medicine), in line with the key theme of Expo 2020 Dubai, Connecting Minds.

On the first floor, the Growth Hall “The Forest of Sustainability”, visitors walk through a virtual forest of frankincense trees made from transparent display screens used to showcase eight different sustainability stories in Oman.

The stories are about projects of sustainable dimension namely the Million Date Palm Plantation Project, the use of drone techniques for pollination and fish farming, the use of Internet of Things (IoT) technology to feed fish, renewable energy and wind energy project in Dhofar, sustainable cities, environmental conservation, waste management, the Oman Botanic Garden, and the marvellous and unique diversity of terrains in the Sultanate of Oman.

The first floor themed the Harvest Hall, displays the methods adopted by the Sultanate in fostering talents and resources, the transfer of skills and knowledge between generations and disciplines. It also highlights new ideas and opportunities to create a vibrant society.

It is a modern and active area with a focus laid on people through the use of display screens that resemble frankincense crystals telling stories about Oman’s knowledge-based economy, such as An Omani scholar specializing in antiquity who talks about frankincense, music, creative industries, women in the higher fields, nascent Omani companies and Sultan Qaboos academic chairs.

The first floor also hosts the Hall of Trade, which is about a journey through time and space, starting from a display on the wall of an ancient port (Al Baleed site) for the export of frankincense till reaching Oman’s future vision.

The second and final floor hosts the Use Hall (The Future). It houses a future interactive library of expertise and represents a spiritual and futuristic space, where visitors are treated with multi-sensory experiences starting with the future garden and conducting a live experiment on frankincense seedlings during the expo.

Visitors to the Omani Pavilion also enjoy aromatic capsules dedicated to sniffing different types of frankincense blends from Oman under a bright light passing through frankincense crystals.

Expo 2020 Dubai runs until March31, 2022, inviting the world to join a celebration of unity, opportunity, creativity and sustainability that will help to shape a better, brighter future for everyone.

Meanwhile Sayyid Badr Bin Hamad Al Busaidi, Minister of Foreign Affairs visited the Sultanate of Oman’s pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai on Saturday. During his visit, Sayyid Badr was briefed on the components that the exhibition embodies and represents Oman’s cultural and historical heritage through different times.

Within the framework of partnership, understanding and exchange of views at all levels, the Sultanate of Oman’s pavilion continues its participation in the World Expo 2020 Dubai. The pavilion sheds light on various sustainability stories, starting from communicating with minds and creating opportunities for the future, which coincide with the main themes of Expo 2020 Dubai.

The pavilion is inspired by its striking design from the frankincense tree, which was designed by two Omani young women, who designed it to add the achievements of Omani youth and what has been achieved on their great land. These trees are characterised by their natural form in a panoramic view, which will be returned to the garden after the exhibition.

The Sultanate of Oman’s pavilion begins with a narration to visitors about the life of the frankincense tree and the story of the pavilion, which seeks to highlight four main axes, namely sustainability, nurturing talent, communication and knowledge.

Centered in the middle of the hall, it imitates the natural tree in its subtle details and symbolises many physical, emotional and spiritual meanings, in addition to its various practical uses.

On the surrounding wall, there is a panoramic screen showing the story of Omani frankincense from the land of Wadi Dawka and its journey through the various civilisations of the world through time (trade in the Arabian Peninsula, mummification in ancient Egypt, Christian prayers in the Old Testament, and ancient Chinese medicine), which corresponds to the main title of the Dubai Expo. 2020 “Connecting Mind’.

Oman’s Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai received about 111,706 visitors over a period of nine days in October.

People were briefed about the country’s investment opportunities and were shown displays of modern technologies and sound management.

Over 12,400 people visited the pavilion daily, a figure considered “an excellent indicator” during the first week of the mega event, Khalid Salim Al-Zuhaimi, Director of Oman’s Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai, said.

Al-Zuhaimi added that he expects the number to go up in November given the improvement of the climate.

Expo 2020 Dubai is the largest global event since the outbreak of the pandemic and the first of its kind in the Middle East. The event is expected to receive nearly 25 million visitors during the six months it is on.

It began with a grand celebration featuring the participation of more than 190 countries.