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Covering a total area of 6,000 square meters, the Saudi Arabia pavilion at Shanghai World Expo is hard to miss: it’s a huge structure with a singular design, unique location, and a boat-like, design pointing in the direction of Makkah.

Saudi Arabia Pavilion, from the Shanghai World Expo Official Website

The Saudi Arabia Pavilion, the most expensive pavilion at Shanghai World Expo, is also one of the most popular, if not the most buzzed about pavilion of the event. Ever heard of the infamous 9-hour wait just to enter the pavilion?

Saudi Arabia Pavilion entrance at Shanghai World Expo, by Itamar Medeiros

Saudi Arabia Pavilion VIP entrance at Shanghai World Expo, by Itamar Medeiros

The main exhibition of the pavilion will be comprised three parts: the first part, called “a handful of sand” will serve as an introduction to Saudi Arabian history, geography, social life and cities.

Exhibits: The Giant Emerged Screen

The second part is the IMAX theatre with a 1,600 sqm screen — probably  the largest on earth; the third part is the transitional area in between the first and the second part to prepare visitors for shows to come. A moving belt connects the three parts together, allowing visitors to comfortably wander throughout the exhibition.

In the first part of the movie, titled “City and Society”, the visitors watch realistic pictures and images that present glimpses of the Saudi people and its civil and industrial renaissance as well as the features of its land, cities, and holy sites.

Then the second part of the film titled: “The Treasure Hall” begins, and it features a surround movie that carries the visitors to space between Earth and the Moon, and then descends gradually until it reaches the desert of the “empty quarter” before moving to another aerial view of the Holy Mosque in Makkah to show another impressive bird’s-eye view of the pilgrims around the Kaaba.

The IMAX movie, which is projected through 25 mega projectors surrounds the visitors from all sides, has become one of the most important factors behind the massive success that the pavilion has seen (from the Saudi Arabia Pavilion Official Website)

Since my photos of this exhibit came out really dark (it’s hard to take pictures with your jaw dropped all the way down!), check the video below from People’s Daily:

Exhibits: Arabian Oasis on the Moon Boat’s Rooftop

Tents were put up under the date trees for visitors to experience the feeling of ‘living in a tent’.

Saudi Arabia Pavilion at Shanghai World Expo: Living in Tents

The top deck is also a good spot for a nice riverside view.

Shanghai Skyline viewed from the top of the Saudi Arabia Pavilion at Shanghai World Expo

Read Also:

• Watch Carlo Ratti’s “Architecture that senses and responds” talk at TED
• Eco Design Fair: Showcasing innovation and sustainable design in Shanghai
• Watch Morgan Spurlock’s “The greatest TED Talk ever sold” talk at TED
• Watch Bjarke Ingels’ “3 warp-speed architecture tales” talk at TED
• Design in China: DreamWorks Plans Studio in Shanghai