EXPO 2000

One of the Ministry of Information and Culture’s important roles is to promote and support the country's cultural activities, at home and abroad. The Ministry has under its administration 11 public libraries throughout the country's seven emirates. This is in addition to 30 cultural groups, which perform dance, drama and music during festivals and hold exhibitions and demonstrations in the UAE or outside the country. The Ministry's Cultural Department also plays an important role, publishing books related to heritage, culture, art and theatre, organising lectures, seminars and other cultural activities and participating in international book fairs. The Ministry's Exhibitions Department participates in international exhibitions, which serve to introduce the UAE’s rich heritage to a global audience.
The Ministry’s flagship project in 2000 was the UAE’s pavilion at EXPO 2000 which opened on 1 June 2000 in Hanover, Germany, with the theme ‘Man, Technology and Nature’.
The imaginative pavilion, modelled on the Al Jahili fort in Al Ain, featured a characteristic large round tower and a number of interconnected buildings protecting an extensive courtyard. The pavilion housed a series of exhibits, beginning with a ‘Walk Through Time’ that brought the visitor on a skilfully interpreted journey through the different periods of the UAE's past stretching back millions of years, showing the way in which man in the Emirates has interacted with nature, using the evolving skills of technology. Guests were guided from there to a traditional village complete with local craftsmen. The sounds and smells of the suq filled the nostrils whilst boatbuilders, fishermen and pearl divers chanted in the background. Sand and date gardens added to the unique atmosphere and a specially-commissioned film screened in the round tower showed the integration of traditional and modern life in the Emirates through the fascinated eyes of two children.
Visitors were asked to fill out an entry form in the illustrated brochure on the UAE which was handed to everyone who came into the pavilion and a draw was held every Friday where numerous prizes of holidays in the UAE were won by delighted contestants.