Expo 2020: Touch the moon; meet Egyptian mummies 3.2 million years ago-News

The 2020 World Expo has 190 national pavilions and a staggering number of events and exhibits were held in six months.

But the Expo brought some of the rarest and most rare items to Dubai. Here are some things you should not miss.

Meet your oldest ancestor

Expo 2020 may be about the future and innovation. But if you want to go back and explore your origins, the Ethiopian Pavilion is your best choice. A fossil from 3.2 million years ago—considered the oldest trace of mankind—is on display in the pavilion. The fossil was nicknamed “Lucy” by anthropologist Donald Johnson and his student Tom Gray, and was discovered in 1974 in the labyrinthine canyon of Hadar in northern Ethiopia. The reconstructed skeleton is made up of about 40% of small women, and her brain is only more than one meter high. Johnson named Lucy’s species Australopithecus afarensis, which means “Afar’s Australopithecus”.

Moon rock

If you love outer space, then a visit to the US Pavilion is a must. You can get close to a lunar rock 3.8 billion years ago. In 1972, Apollo 17 astronauts brought this work to Earth during their last mission to the moon.

It is considered to be one of the largest samples brought back from the moon. Samples of Martian meteorites discovered in Antarctica from 2012 to 2013 will also be displayed in the exhibition hall. At the 1970 World Expo in Osaka, Japan, the United States exhibited the moon rocks collected by the Apollo 12 mission in November 1969 and brought to the earth. At the end of the World Expo, more than 18 million people saw the moon rock.

The Quran owned by the President of the United States

A rare copy of the Quran is displayed in the United States Pavilion, once owned by former US President Thomas Jefferson.

This is the first time for the holy book to travel outside the United States. The two-volume collection was printed in London in 1764. The book has two volumes and a framed map of Mecca in a custom wooden box with four-inch pads and custom trays. There is also a sensor to detect vibration and temperature changes.

Jefferson’s “Quran” will be the first object that guests can see after coming out of the sound and light experience that demonstrates the principles of the founding of the United States. Jefferson’s Quran was displayed as a symbol of American multicultural and religious diversity.

Space X rocket model

The U.S. Pavilion displays a one-to-one replica of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, the tallest project at the 2020 World Expo. Falcon 9 is 14 stories high and is the first orbital-grade rocket capable of re-flying. The Falcon 9 is the most-flighted combat rocket in the United States, surpassing expendable rockets launched in decades. The towering structure can be seen from a distance, and at night, the structure becomes a visual spectacle of American space technology achievements.

Say hello to Egyptian mummies

The Egyptian Pavilion displays exact replicas of royal mummies and royal remains over three thousand years old.

A set of modern replicas of King Tutankhamun and the coffin of priest Psamtik are also on display. This mummy was one of the 22 parade of the world that was transferred from the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in Fustat on April 3 this year.

-anjana@khaleejtimes.com

Anjana Sankar

Anjana Sankar is a journalist based in the UAE, focusing on stories of global conflict, immigration and human rights. She has reported on the front lines of the wars in Yemen and Syria, and has written numerous articles about refugee crises in Bangladesh, Iraq and Europe. From interviewing Daesh militants to joining the UAE army in Yemen, to earthquakes, floods, terrorist attacks and elections, she came out of the most dangerous conflict zone in the world without incident. With more than 14 years of experience, Anjana is currently an assistant editor of Khaleej Times and leads the reporting team. She often talks about women’s empowerment on a Facebook page with more than 40,000 fans.