The logo and the ring are the connection between the past and the future.
Did you know that an artefact dating back to the Iron Age era found in the UAE desert was the inspiration behind the Expo 2020 logo? Back in March 2016, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, unveiled a 4,000-year-old gold ring found at Sarouq Al Hadeed site in Al Marmum area, an archeological site discovered by Sheikh Mohammed himself.
The logo and the ring are the connection between the past and the future. It aptly represented a young nation with connections to ancient civilisations.
The ring features a series of circles with loops encircling it, as a golden light shines in the middle. Undoubtedly, this brings an authentic Arab spirit to the design of the logo, which itself features circles and loops swirling around it.
Sheikh Mohammed said then: “The Expo 2020 logo represents our message to the world that our civilisation has deep roots. We were and will always be a pot that gathers civilisations and a centre for innovation. Over 4,000 years ago, the people who lived in this land had a deep creative spirit and today the people of this country are building the nation’s future for centuries to come.”
Reem Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Cooperation and Director-General of the Bureau Dubai Expo 2020, described the ring as “incredibly ancient, historically significant, culturally symbolic and astonishingly”. “This delicate circle is wonderful and conveys the message of our expo – connecting minds, creating the future.”
The ring was just one of over 10,000 artefacts discovered from the area, which extends from Baynounah in Abu Dhabi to Sarouq Al Hadeed in Dubai and from Maliha Valley in Sharjah to the mountains of Ras al Khaimah and Fujairah.
“From all the thousands of items found at the site, the artefact that resonated with Sheikh Mohammed was not a mighty sword or a giant piece of earthenware, but a tiny gold ring,” said Al Hashimy.
According to archaeologists, over 90 per cent of the area is still underground and further discoveries will reveal UAE’s ancient origins.
