Expo Dubai 2020 unveils nine-metre giants to honour Arab explorers

Visitors to the futuristic Alif, the Mobility Pavilion at Expo 2020 in Dubai, will be overshadowed by nine-metre tall photorealistic figures from the Golden Age of Arab civilisation, including the ancient navigator Ahmad Ibn Majid and celebrated explorer Ibn Battuta.

Ahmad Ibn Majid, a great Muslim navigator, born in the 15th century in Julfar (present-day Ras al-Khaimah), and nicknamed 'The Lion of the Sea', wrote many works of literature on marine science and the movement of ships in his lifetime, when Arab sailors were considered among the best in the world.

Ibn Battuta was a great 14th-century medieval Moroccan Muslim traveller, who wrote a book about his adventures, 'El Rihla' ('The Voyages'). This celebrated work details his explorations, covering some 75,000 miles (120,000 kilometres), visiting many Muslim countries and as far as China and Sumatra (now part of Indonesia).

The Mobility Pavilion pays tribute to these giant Arab personalities through intricately crafted paintings, which offer stories of the innovations that helped drive global mobility over the centuries.

By discovering the stories of these historic Arab giants, visitors can explore the concept of mobility, its far-reaching power and influence, and discover the region's role in advancing human exploration.

These giants will become one of Alif's mega-attractions: the Mobility Pavilion, where visitors travel through time and space to discover how people, innovation, technology and data interact in increasingly complex ways. 

Text, photos and videos: Expo Dubai 2020.