It’s everywhere. The ringed Expo 2020 Dubai logo can be seen all across the city, on vehicles and aircraft, sidewalks and on the big traffic management screens, on our social media feeds – even on landmark buildings. But do you know the story behind the amazing logo?

A ring found at a 4,000-year-old archaeological site in the desert in the Al Marmum area of Dubai became the inspiration behind the Expo 2020 Dubai logo.

In 2015, Dubai launched a competition to create the official logo for Expo 2020. The competition attracted 19,000 participants. His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, revealed the winning design in 2016. That’s when, for the first time, the logo was displayed on the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest tower.

“The design of the logo is inspired by a civilisation that existed 4,000 years ago in an area extending from Baynounah in Abu Dhabi to Saroug Al Hadeed in Dubai and from Maliha Valley in Sharjah to the mountains of Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah,” Sheikh Mohammed had then explained.

“This land connected ancient civilisations and we will continue to be a hub that connects the world,” he said.

The ring, the logo and the dome

In a breathtaking three-and-a-half-minute video, the team at Expo 2020 Dubai has put together a gripping narrative of how the ancient gold ring went on to become the logo and ultimately embody the Al Wasl Dome, the beating heart of the Expo.

“She (the Al Wasl Plaza) is the heart of the site,” says Reem Al Hashimy, UAE’s Minister of State for International Cooperation and Director-General of Expo 2020 Dubai. As Managing Director of Dubai’s World Expo 2020 bid, Al Hashimy oversaw Dubai’s historic success at the Bureau International des Expositions in November 2013. “She carries the original name of Dubai,” Al Hashimy says of the Plaza.

“She (the Al Wasl plaza) is the heart of the site,” says Reem Al Hashimy, UAE’s Minister of State for International Cooperation and Director-General of Expo 2020 Dubai.

“Developing Al Wasl was one of the toughest tasks,” says Ahmed Al Khatib, Expo’s Chief Development & Delivery Officer. “The pods where the projectors are placed came from Mexico. Steel came from Italy and East Europe. The fabric came from the US. It (the fabric) was shipped to China to be cut in a certain way,” he says. That makes the dome international.

But Amna Belhoul, Executive Creative Director of Expo 2020 Dubai, explains why the Dome is ‘very Dubai’. She explains that Al Wasl is the historical name of Dubai. It translates to ‘connection’ in English.

Amna Abulhoul, the Executive Creative Director of Expo 2020 Dubai, explains that Al Wasl is the historical name of Dubai. It translates to ‘connection’ in English

The trellis is the centrepiece of the site, connecting the three main zones of Opportunity, Mobility and Sustainability. “The top view of the Al Wasl Plaza reminds you of the (Dubai) Creek,” she says. “We created different special effects, including the smell,” she says. “We (also) thought of the smell of Al Wasl. During Maghrib, you’ll smell Oud… (Stepping into the Plaza) is exactly like stepping into an Emirati grandma’s house,” she says.