DUBAI: Wednesday marks Egypt’s anniversary of the 1973 October War with Israel. To highlight the occasion, Arab News visited Egypt’s Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai to find out more about the country’s history and culture.
On the right side of the building, a pharaoh statue sits on a small water space, giving visitors a glimpse of what lies within.
When entering the building, visitors are asked to watch a short clip of a virtual guide welcoming them to the pavilion. The building includes more hieroglyphic letters and symbols on its interior walls.
On their right, visitors are greeted by a large LED screen playing another clip about Egypt’s history and current economic developments, such as the Suez Canal.
After the video ends, visitors are shown a pharaonic coffin of Priest Psamtik. It was discovered in a group burial by the mission of the Supreme Council of Antiquities working in Saqqara, which is an ancient village in Giza province. The discovery was among the coffins that belonged to priests of the goddess Bastet and their families.
Visitors are then shown a modern replica of the iconic golden mask of Egyptian King Tutankhamun, one of the world’s most popular ancient artifacts. This mask is made of over 10 kg of solid gold and precious stones.
The original mask was found inside the burial chamber of the king’s tomb in the Valley of the Kings, according to a description displayed next to the mask.
Visitors are then introduced to modern replicas of three royal coffins of Tutankhamun. Each coffin is human-shaped. The outer coffin is wood covered in sheet gold. The middle one is wood covered with colored glass and precious stones, while the third is made from solid gold.
People are later asked to enter a small room surrounded by an LED screen that shows a clip of Egypt’s touristic sites.
Visitors then go up a level to explore more about Egypt’s arts, sciences and technologies. The second floor is divided into small rooms. One of the rooms includes a “Time Machine” where people sit on motion chairs and take a ride to explore Egypt’s different attractions.
Workshops and business meetings take place on the remaining two floors of the pavilion.
