Shorouk Awad (Dubai)
Since the visitors set foot in the entrance to the Palestinian pavilion at the Expo 2020 Dubai, the charming gates of Jerusalem have become apparent to them, as those in charge of it have been planting olive trees on both sides of the entrance and erecting stone arches along its length, inspired by the “southern spur” located between the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock. Al-Musharafa, topped by a sundial, which is a sundial that dates back more than 1,000 years, was used to determine prayer times by seeing the movement of the shadow of the column fixed on it by sunlight. It is made of marble from Palestine, and its square is paved with stones from Jerusalem.
The amazing visitors’ tour begins, based on simulating the real life experience in Palestine, with the use of all advanced technologies with a delicate human sense that combines modernity and the originality of the Palestinian civilization that goes deep in history as the cradle of the monotheistic religions.
The two-storey Palestinian pavilion, located in the Opportunity District, reflects the richness of the Holy Land and its distinction in terms of civilization, heritage, culture, tolerance and coexistence between religions, and natural, geographical, musical, cultural and artistic diversity, and sending a message from the land of the global event “Expo 2020 Dubai”, to the world that Palestine is a land An ancient people and civilization rooted in the depths of Arab and human history, as it is the closest point between the earth and the sky, the first of the two Qiblas and the third of the Two Holy Mosques, the source of the followers of the three monotheistic religions, and the most attractive place for tourism and investment.
As soon as visitors breathe in the fragrance and smell of the city of Jerusalem, the cradle of prophecies and the light to the world, with its doors and arches, from the moment they enter the pavilion until they find themselves in the midst of the Palestinian neighborhoods with its religious and historical landmarks that bear witness to its ancient and originality. What they see on screens based on the latest audio-visual technologies followed by 3D graphics, starting with a tour of the “elevator”, to simulate the experience of life in the atmosphere of the Old City of Jerusalem and its lively streets and moving between its famous markets, through a large screen showing scenes from a market Bab al-Zayt, which is one of the most beautiful markets in the city, is located east of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, with all its products and spices. Then the scenes will take you to Bab Al-Sahira in the northern part of the ancient city wall.
holy balconies
At the end of this tour, the feelings of the visitors move and absorb more of the feelings, so that they move to a 100% real Palestinian atmosphere, which they live from on a Jerusalem balcony in the “3D Vision Station”, and under the title “Eye of Palestine”, through which visitors overlook a circular hall on the wall of which large screens are installed. It shows a video clip of more than 5 minutes, of the coastal and mountainous, and the picturesque nature, which makes them live the moment in its most accurate details. Pure.
As visitors move to the “Audio Station” as part of their exciting tour with all its details through a corridor of more than 6 meters in length, until they find themselves in the midst of an audio atmosphere of ordinary people filling the streets and alleys of Palestine with all its history and identity, and the sound of the call to prayer followed by church bells, an expression of the spirit of Coexistence between the Islamic and Christian religions, followed later by a poetic voice uttering the phrase “On this earth, the lady of the earth, the mother of beginnings and the mother of all ends. “Laser” on murals of Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.
As the visitors continue their sensory tour inside the corridors of the pavilion, their feet land at the “Al-Sham” station, through which the organizers were keen to employ the “fragrant Palestine” that is full of smells of “sage, thyme”, “spices” and “fruit such as oranges”, as they represent. From the agricultural plains of Palestine, specifically Marj bin Amer, as one of the most important sources of wheat in all of the Levant.
real evoke
After visitors were refreshed by the delicious smells of the products of the historical land of Palestine, which distinguished it from other countries of the world, they headed to the “touch station” based on electronic poles, enabling them to touch the fragrance of ancient history by touching with hands real elements brought from Palestine, so the first piece represented a part of aluminum plates , bearing the number (0023), with which the dome of Al-Aqsa Mosque was decorated in the nineties of the last century before it was painted modern with gold. It belongs to a family residing in Palestine for more than 60 years.
On their tour, visitors must taste the taste of Palestinian popular foods, by arriving at the “tasting” station, to live the atmosphere of their homes through a virtual dining table with a diameter of 5 meters, topped by an electronic menu for meals such as “musakhan, freekeh soup and others” and Palestinian sweets such as “Knafeh Nabulsi”, And around it were many hand-embroidered benches, and as the visitors finished preparing traditional food and sweets, the “perception station” would take them on a virtual tour, to the most beautiful sites of Palestine, to interact with it as if they were already there.
Gift shop
After an enjoyable tour, visitors head to the gift shop that simulates the popular markets and what they offer of the most famous traditional industries such as wooden carvings made of olive trees, some of which were inspired by the history of Palestine and others from the details of the Holy Land in it, and colored glass and mosaics, and folkloric embroideries such as dresses, dresses, trays and black-spotted keffiyehs Or red and others, giving them the opportunity to buy what they want to remain a beautiful memory of visiting Palestine on the land of the global event represented by “Expo 2020 Dubai”.
Queues of visitors
As the visitors exit the pavilion, they are stopped by the smell of popular baked goods, such as zaatar manakish and cheese prepared over a wood fire in a stone oven, and they rush to savor it with utmost pleasure. The Palestinian pavilion is witnessing a remarkable turnout from various Arab and foreign nationalities, to experience the experience of life in the atmosphere of Palestine and the old city of Jerusalem, where it was observed that many visitors lined up throughout the week in long “queues”, driven by the love of learning about the most important landmarks of Palestine, its cities and civilization.
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