Dubai is a cosmopolitan city with a rich tapestry of residents from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds. Its principles of inclusion, open-mindedness and tolerance have made it a hub and cultural destination, attracting people from all corners of the globe, culminating in the UAE declaring 2019 the Year of Tolerance.

EXPO 2020 Dubai is testimony to the success and promotion of the city as a centre and destination to learn, experiment and innovate, recognising the importance of collaboration across cultures and regions to drive progress.

It is against this background that the Bridge of Cultural Connectivity evolved, to celebrate Dubai as a centre for tolerance, collaboration and innovation, to recognize the power of man’s creative potential and aspirations and to connect with and care for future generations, the tenets of Dubai, as envisioned through its leadership.

The Bridge of Cultural Connectivity is a striking 175m long, 35m high pedestrian-friendly elevated linear Park across the Dubai Canal. It is a recreation, entertainment and educational destination, featuring a collection of gardens that occupy 5,000 m2, with plant families from East and West, a theatre for concerts and performances, two museums that are experience centres to showcase innovation and talent, past achievements and also looking to future generations and advances in science and technology. The Park also features cycling and running tracks, waterfalls and light shows, information centres, food trucks and shops to enhance the experience of its users and engage the city on a cultural and commercial level. Its 900 m2 of Solar Panels will harvest solar energy to power its water features, light shows etc.

The location and elevation of the Bridge provide spectacular views of the city and two of its most famous landmarks, Burj Khalifa to the West and Dubai Creek Tower to the East. The Bridge provides relief from the high-density, high-rise cityscape and creates a lively extension to its neighbour, the Dubai Design District (d3), where talented designers, artists and creative thinkers collaborate and innovate.

Darabeen Abu Nuwas is a cultural, retail and entertainment development, designed on a prime location along the Tigris River in Baghdad. It is a personal project conceived by Diar Consult’s Chairman, Samir Daoud, to give back to his homeland and the city he loves but had to leave some forty years earlier; a city that has experienced complete destruction in its recent history.

His vision was to create a nucleus for urban renewal, to replace redundant parks along the Tigris and help resurrect the Abu Nuwas Promenade that had once been Baghdad’s favourite destination. It would be a first step and start-up parcel, aiming to trigger a much needed revival of the city and inspire others to participate too.

Darabeen Abu Nuwas consists of two distinct parts, a traditional Eastern Zone and a contemporary Western Zone. Each Zone stretches for 350m along an embankment of the River Tigris on a combined site length of 1km. The Zones comprise waterfront cafés and restaurants, cinemas and theatres, shops, museums, galleries and libraries on two floors and are linked through a main public square and theatre, the aim being to provide a vibrant environment with a sense of identity and unity.

The size and scale of the built-form, its internal streets, alleyways and plazas create an urban fabric that is reminiscent of the traditional urban fabric of old Baghdad. The squares, streets and alleyways are named after prominent and talented Iraqi architects, artists and poets, paying homage to their remarkable contribution to the enrichment of Baghdadi society while providing a nod to Baghdad’s historical richness.