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First look: Strikingly green UAE pavilion at Expo 2023 Doha features over 6,600 plants

It takes visitors on a multisensory experience that depicts the bond between the people of the UAE and the nation’s natural landscapes

Published: Thu 5 Oct 2023, 12:02 PM

Updated: Thu 5 Oct 2023, 6:26 PM

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The UAE pavilion, which narrates the Emirati story of sustainable agricultural legacy, has opened at the International Horticultural Expo 2023 in Qatar.

The pavilion takes inspiration from the Ghaf tree and its complex root structure, with rammed earth walls and palm-leaves roof creating a striking architectural space. The guest experience was designed by Atelier Brückner, a visual interdisciplinary firm whose other notable work includes Dubai’s Museum of the Future.

Called ‘Nurturing Legacy, the pavilion features an expansive garden, where guests can explore native and non-native plants found in the UAE. The garden includes a total of 6,609 plants across 65 species, with groupings of edible plants, fruit trees, medicinal plants, flowers, spices, shrubs, grasses, industrial plants, and perennials.

It features six engagements - Early Dreamers, Our Founding Father and His Fellow Rulers of the Nation, Our Land, Our Core, Dreamers Who Do, and Our Legacy.

The pavilion takes visitors on an informative, multisensory experience that depicts the enduring bond between the people of the UAE and the nation’s natural landscapes.

It also sheds light on the people of the UAE who have embraced their role as custodians of the land, protecting its natural treasures and cultivating food security.

Presidential visit

The UAE President, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, visited the pavilion following the official opening of Expo 2023 Doha.

Mariam Al Mheiri, UAE Minister of Climate Change and Environment, inaugurated the pavilion.

“We are proud of this historic moment as Expo 2023 takes place in Qatar for the first time in the Middle East and North Africa, and we are pleased to celebrate the opening of the UAE Pavilion under the theme ‘Nurturing Legacy,’ where guests will learn the remarkable story of the UAE and its harmonious interconnectedness with our land and sea,” she said.

“Our story celebrates the rich legacy of the UAE’s Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, whose words resonate with us today: ‘Give me agriculture and I assure you of civilisation.’ These words became our guiding vision, particularly with the UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) hosted by the UAE only two months away. Presently, horticulture and agriculture are of the utmost international importance, critical to unlocking food security and addressing climate change,” she added.

The UAE Pavilion at Expo 2023 is administered by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs in partnership with the Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation and the National Projects Office.

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