Today: 13 July 2025
1 October 2021
2 mins read

The Golden Ring of Connectivity

The ring, which is now decorating the social media profile pictures of UAE leaders and officials to mark the six- month fair, has inspired from a significant archaeological find, reports Asian Lite News

Aside from the 3,000-strong audience inside Al Wasl Plaza, millions across the globe tuned in to virtually view the eagerly awaited event.

With the golden ring of connectivity – the inspiration for the Expo 2020 Dubai logo – raised to the trellis of the magnificent Al Wasl Plaza, the beating heart of the Expo site and the spectacular setting for the captivating ceremony, the most inclusive World Expo ever was officially underway.

The Golden Ring of Connectivity

The ring, which is now decorating the social media profile pictures of UAE leaders and officials to mark the six- month fair, has inspired from a significant archaeological find.

In 2002, Sheikh Mohammed was flying in a helicopter over a patch of desert, 30 kilometres south of what is now the Expo site, when he noticed sand dunes with darker colours than their surroundings.

He returned to the area in 2002, with expert Emirati and international archaeologists, who established that it was inhabited by Arab tribes 5,000 years ago.

He spoke about his discovery with Dr Hussein Qandil, then director of Dubai’s Department of Archaeology, who began an initial exploration of the site, known now as Saruq Al Hadid, the National News reported.

ALSO READ: Sustainability at the centre of Expo

It was clear this was an archaeological site of huge significance.

What had caught Sheikh Mohammed’s eye proved to be the slag by-product from the ancient smelting of copper and iron, it was reported.

Dr Qandil carried out a small survey of Saruq Al Hadid, and three and a half metres further down, his archaeologists found a 50-centimetre seam of sand packed with “an impressive inventory of objects”.

That hoard included ceramics, dozens of beads, and copper and bronze artefacts, including arrowheads, axe heads, a fish hook, bracelets, knives and, intriguingly, snake figurines.

Expo 2020

The site, it is now believed, was connected to an ancient people who lived across south-east Arabia and revered snakes.

Five seasons of excavations led by Jordan’s Department of Antiquities followed, revealing “an extraordinary collection of Iron Age artefacts”.

But it was digs carried out in 2008 and 2009 by the Dubai Desert Survey, a joint project between American researchers and the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, that “transformed our interpretation of the site”, Dr Qandil and his colleagues wrote in the journal Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy in 2012.

EXPO 2020

“What was once perceived as an Iron Age centre of bronze production [had] been revealed to be a multi-period site with distinct site functions spread over more than three millennia.”

It was here that the ancient ring that inspired the Expo logo’s design was discovered, the National News reported.

Sheikh Mohammed unveiled the design of the logo at a prestigious ceremony in 2016, where it was projected in gold light on to the Burj Khalifa, it was reported.

Previous Story

Sustainability at the centre of Expo

Next Story

Ajman celebrates the world’s Greatest Show

Latest from -Top News

UAE rolls out red carpet for Indian start-ups

MoU signed with IIT Bombay’s SINE as CEPA Start-up Series aims to accelerate market access for Indian ventures In a bid to bolster cross-border entrepreneurship and innovation, the UAE-India CEPA Council (UICC),

Masdar powers ahead in UK

€15 billion clean energy alliance powers ahead with East Anglia THREE investment and Baltic Eagle energisation….reports Asian Lite News Masdar, the UAE-based global clean energy powerhouse, and Iberdrola, one of the world’s

Indian Doctor Gets Top Sharjah Award

The award was presented by His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Salem bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Deputy Ruler of Sharjah. In a moment of immense pride for the Indian diaspora, renowned paediatrician-turned-entrepreneur Dr.

Peace talks in the desert

President H.H. Sheikh Mohamed reiterated the UAE’s unwavering support for initiatives aimed at fostering sustainable peace, dialogue, and development in the South Caucasus. He also applauded the willingness of the Armenian and

World’s energy thirst to grow: OPEC

UAE sticks to 5 million bpd oil output goal as OPEC launches new World Oil Outlook at Vienna seminar…reports Asian Lite News Haitham Al Ghais, Secretary-General of the Organisation of the Petroleum
Go toTop

Don't Miss

UAE’s next space mission to explore Venus, 7 asteroids

The mission is scheduled for launch in 2028, with the

‘A bridge between civilisations’

Sherif Mahmoud Issa extended thanks and appreciation to the UAE