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A story from the past

Unknown to Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, he was redefining the world’s culture through his monuments during the 1628-1658 era. Today, the king’s rich cultural splendour, once again, shines bright at the Global Village — a place where juxtaposed cultures of the world vie to tell stories of the bygone eras.

Giving face to a culture that has survived ages, this story tells the tale of the noble king's cultural feats that have come alive at the Pakistan Pavilion at Global Village. A pavilion that stands tall as a replica of Shah Jahan's famous Shalimar Gardens.

At the Global Village this year, the Pakistan Pavilion tells the World how Shalimar Gardens — upon which the facade of the Pakistan Pavilion is based — came into existence. Bringing an era of the past to the World at the Global Village, the Pakistan Pavilion depicts the Water Gardens, Abode of the Bliss or the House of Joy as a historical place, rich in cultural splendour and Islamic architecture. Miniature paintings of Mughal kings on the walls of the Pakistan Pavilion tell romantic tales that took place during the emperor's reign. The pavilion tells the world that Shah Jahan, a notable patron of gardens, constructed Shalimar Garden in 1642.

In the story told by the Pakistan Pavilion, visitors can feel the vibrancy and thoughtfulness that was put in creating the gardens. Weaving images, visitors can almost see the water flowing under the bluster-legged throne and into tanks, edged with a lotus ornament. They can "hear" the musicians performing at the Mahtabi in the moonlight and the gangways from it leading to pavilions on graceful sandstone columns.

In this story, the visitors to the pavilion also learn that the king loved plants. Smelling the air, they can imagine that the gardens contained more than 100 species of plants, including evergreens, screwpines, roses, violets, sunflowers, cockscombs and several varieties of jasmines.

In the story told by the Pakistan Pavilion to the World at the Global Village, the king still holds a Durbar or a reception at the Shalimar Gardens at the Global Village every night.

• UAE