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Saudi Arabia World Expo 2010 pavilion Turkey Pavilion The Cradle of Civilization

They will plant 150 date palms, which are common in the desert country, on the roof of their pavilion.

The trees were transplanted to Zhejiang Province and will be replanted on the roof of Saudi Arabia Pavilion as soon as construction is finished.

So far 200 million yuan (US$29.3 million) has been spent on the pavilion, which is now 20 percent complete. It may end up being the most expensive pavilion at World Expo 2010 as the Middle-East country said it has no budget limit, according to Mohammed Alisssan Al-Ghamdi, executive director of Saudi Commission Expo 2010 Shanghai China.

Construction of the pavilion is to be finished by Chinese New Year.

The pavilion is a combined effort of Chinese and Saudi designers. The pavilion has a "moon boat" shape and is surrounded by deserts and seas, just like Saudi Arabia.

The first floor of the pavilion is a garden with both Chinese and Saudi trees growing, a symbol of the friendship between the two nations.

The pavilion's main attraction will be a huge cinema screen. The 1,600 square-meter screen will be larger than any other cinema screen on earth.

The Turkey Pavilion unveiled its design yesterday and its theme "The Cradle of Civilization" was inspired by one of the first known settlements in the world, said Sencar Ozsoy, commissioner general of Turkey.

The main inspiration for the exterior of the 2,000-square-meter rented pavilion was also derived from settlements called "Catalhoyuk" in Turkish, which were the center of advanced culture in the Neolithic period.

The pavilion looks like an amazing red and beige box with an animal sculpture, inviting visitors to explore a maze of dreams.

The first section of the pavilion will take visitors through a journey of time to learn about Turkey's historical firsts. A map indicating the ancient sites of Turkey, the world's first mirror and the world's first man-built dam will be featured here.

Istanbul's infrastructure will also be introduced.

In the middle section, a 360-degree movie will display scenes from the streets of Istanbul to reflect the pride of the city as the European Capital of Culture.

Visitors will then encounter the future in the final section, which is represented by a symbolic figure of the phoenix, a mythical bird which dies in flames and is reborn from the ashes, to embody aspirations for the future.

Every visitor to the pavilion will get a cat's eye stone as a present.