The history of Iran does not start from the Achaemenids!

The model of Cyrus’s Charter is displayed in the Iranian Tourism Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai, two Achaemenid soldiers guarding out of sight, and the capital of Persepolis is pushed aside so as not to impede the movement of visitors. And this is all the ancient civilization that was displayed from Iran at Expo 2020 Dubai.

I go back to the outside of the Iranian pavilion, where the palm trees stand, making Iran look like an Arab country. I see the surprise of Iranian visitors to the pavilion and the question that is often asked: “Why Nakhl, are we an Arab country !? According to archeological evidence, palm planting in Iran is nearly six thousand years old. It is said that palm planting in Iran dates back to ancient times and dates back to before the Achaemenid dynasty. The image of a palm leaf has also been seen on the pottery found, which is five to six thousand years old. However, there is no explanation near the palms and even in the Iranian pavilion, and it creates the impression in the minds of most audiences that this atmosphere is probably either related to the design of the expo itself, which was set up in an Arab country, or This external mentality, which often confuses Iran with Arab countries, emphasizes!

According to ISNA, about the architecture of the Iranian pavilion, the exterior of which is composed of strings with wooden beads like a rosary and consists of 9 interconnected rooms, and was supposed to narrate “Shahrzad the Storyteller” and in line with this year’s expo slogan, “Linking Minds, “Creation of the future” has been criticized many times, that the Iranian pavilion has remained stuttering in conveying the slogan of the expo and its meaning, and even that the Iranian pavilion has a stronger focus on selling souvenirs, carpets, Pistachio and saffron have also been criticized a lot, and the management of this collection has been repeatedly questioned in joining the concept and content of the 9 halls and the listed weaknesses that are still visible despite spending money and budget.

Exterior of Iran Pavilion, Expo 2020 Dubai

Despite all the criticisms that continue, and of course the officials of the Iran Pavilion have accepted some of them, and even the change of the director of the exhibition company, which is responsible for the Iran Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai, in order to correct the management and those shortcomings, the main point It is in the slogan on which the Iranian pavilion was formed, “Iran; Ancient and stable civilization: the diversity of ethnic groups and the host of nations “and this is while the Iranian pavilion has acted incompletely in expressing and transmitting this slogan in terms of content.

In the tourist hall of Iran Pavilion, which is located after the information and welcome section, it is expected to have the most emphasis and display of ancient civilization and climate diversity, but in the design of this hall to display a number of models from the Achaemenid period and of course one or two The object is enough from the Sassanid period and there is no news of an ancient and stable civilization. In another corner of the hall, whose walls are dark, a hologram screen is installed that shows the ritual dances of the Iranian people, but in the fourth month of the Dubai Expo 2020, at the same time as a group of reporters visited the Iranian pavilion, it was observed that some The holograms are burnt or incomplete and do not show a clear picture of the Iranian people, the costumes and the dances they perform. However, the Iranian pavilion official said that the long-burnt holograms were to be replaced on the occasion of Iran’s National Day at Expo Dubai (which was on February 7).

Tourist hall in Iran Pavilion, Expo 2020 Dubai and holograms that are incomplete and burnt

Of course, every 10 days or two weeks, Iranian ethnic bands under the direction of the Roudaki Foundation affiliated with the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance perform at the Iran Pavilion at Expo Dubai, some of which have been well received, but were local musicians and, of course. Well-known people who were not very satisfied with the performance of music in the Iranian pavilion and protested against the secrecy and the non-public announcement of the performance hours. Most of these groups are running the program without any prior explanation. Even the screen in Hall 8 (the venue) is mostly surrounded by companies’ advertisements, and it is not used to properly introduce these groups and explain them in Arabic and English. In most countries, music and performance venues are designed in a way that overlooks the streets of the expo and easily attracts the attention of a passing audience.

In the first months of the expo, two giant dolls were present in the Iranian pavilion, which the Roudaki Foundation said told folk tales, but after much criticism of the selection, performance and appearance of the dolls, they were sent to the pavilion.

From December, after many criticisms of the stuttering of the Iranian pavilion in expressing the concept and slogan chosen by the expo and the pavilion itself, as well as reports of visitors wandering in the Iranian pavilion, tour guides joined the pavilion. This section is managed by the Deputy Minister of Tourism of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts, who sends a number of guides, mostly fluent in English, almost every 15 days. It is said that these guides volunteer in the Iranian pavilion to guide visitors, and the pavilion officials also believe that their presence has regulated the visits. Most of these guides are located in Hall No. 1 or the Information and Welcome Department or Hall No. 2 or the Tourism Department, and their explanations are inevitably taken from what is displayed in the Iranian pavilion, the Achaemenid models, dance holograms that are incomplete, and Pictures of Iran’s tourist attractions that are installed on a semicircular screen in the tourist hall. As a result, a complete picture and explanation of the civilization of ancient Iran, contemporary Iran and even the future Iran, which was the emphasis of the Expo, is still not provided. However, the presence of guides has to some extent been able to cover the shortcomings of the Iranian pavilion in the use of new technology and tools that have been properly used in the pavilions of other countries.

Tourism hall in Iran Pavilion, Expo 2020 Dubai

Some tour guides who have experience in attending the Iranian pavilion also criticize the mere emphasis on Achaemenid history and ask why the designer of this hall, despite his connections with the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts, Archaeologists and cultural heritage experts have not been consulted and only one historical period of Iran, despite having a seven-thousand-year-old civilization, has been emphasized and an incomplete interpretation of Iranian history has been provided?

Although tourism officials have also seen the Iranian pavilion and noticed its shortcomings and shortcomings and have had numerous consultations and negotiations to establish tourist guides, but so far no reform has been made in the content of the tourist hall and adding guides has only been done.

Showcase of Achaemenid models in Iran Pavilion Tourism Hall, Expo 2020 Dubai

Moreover, after four months, parts of the Iranian pavilion have been consumed not only in the tourist hall but also in other halls. In Hall No. 2, where a screen was installed on a part of the roof and was supposed to show the architecture and decorations of Iranian ceilings, the screen was so weak that even though the lights of this hall were dark and off, it did not attract attention and the images It is also not clear.

Poor expression and incomprehensible presentation can be clearly seen in other halls of Iran Pavilion, halls where the static duration of visitors does not reach even a few seconds, including the hall of industry and mining.

Industry and Mining Hall, which is located after the tourist hall

At Expo 2020 Dubai, emerging and emerging countries such as the UAE, Saudi Arabia or even Kuwait, and of course countries with older backgrounds such as Egypt or developed countries such as China, South Korea and the United States, with such finesse, history and past. Have linked themselves to the future, the observation of which makes this defect of the Iranian pavilion more prominent; With a past confined to a historical period and a future lost among the nine nested rooms, and contemporary honors of which there is no news.

Although many criticisms and criticisms of the Iranian pavilion are attributed to its designer, Nashid Nabian, one of the designers of the Iranian pavilion, in several conversations, considered this objection as structural and managerial and said that the consultant of interior design, content production and The overall content scenario of the project was set aside, and the objection was more structural than the employer, and in the definition of such projects and inter-organizational communications, the content was in charge. Answer 80 million and keep all of them happy, content management was still out of everyone’s control.

Science and Technology Hall, which, despite the use of touch screen screens, considering the entertainment aspects of science, but is incomplete in conveying the concept, and many visitors do not understand the efficiency and concept of this room.

In response to the numerous criticisms leveled at the Iranian pavilion, the pavilion officials are of the opinion: “These criticisms are mostly the voice of Iranian visitors, and foreign visitors have not had any critiques so far, and they enjoy the details of the Iranian pavilion and the content they receive.” This familiar reaction is also observed in most foreign tourists who travel to Iran, often because they find a far-fetched image in Iran, they do not have high expectations and usually do not object to the lack of travel facilities and challenges; Because in the minds of most of them, Iran is a sanctioned country that has no paved and clean streets, tall buildings, bridges, dams and highways, and even human social relations are different from their ideas and knowledge, and this gap of information and awareness is greater than that of visitors or tourists. Complains and criticizes the lack of facilities in Iran, which surprises and even surprises. Therefore, it was expected that the opportunity of Expo 2020 Dubai, which is attended by more than 190 countries, would be used correctly and delicately to show a true and correct image of Iran, whose ancient civilization and power are frequently talked about and suffering from Iranophobia. .

Welcome hall where visitors stamp the expo passport

Iran Pavilion Welcome Hall

Tourism hall in Iran Pavilion, Expo 2020 Dubai

The carpet hall, which is located after the tourist hall and usually attracts the attention of visitors, especially children, because of the colors and patterns more than other sections.

Carpet store located after the carpet salon

Iran Souvenir and Handicraft Store

Iran Pavilion Restaurant, whose kebabs are the best-selling among other foods

Part of the Iranian pavilion and carpet carpet that has been woven since the beginning of the Dubai Expo

Source: ISNA
Photos by Somayeh Hassanlou