Turkey pavilion a hit at Wxpo 2010 Shanghai

Titled the "Cradle of Civilizations," the Turkish pavilion at Expo 2010 Shanghai is attracting a great deal of interest, drawing over 50,000 visitors on the expo's opening day. This year's world expo is the largest ever. With "Better City – Better Life" as its theme, the international fair and exposition, which opened on Saturday and runs through Oct. 31, spans 5.28 kilometers and welcomed nearly 350,000 visitors on its first day. With 194 countries and 44 cities and organizations participating, it is expected that the total visitor count will exceed 70-100 million by the time its doors close in the fall. The expo's Turkish pavilion is supported in part by the 2010 European Capital of Culture Agency and hosts a number of cultural highlights that enliven the event. The pavilion is set up on a 2,000-square-meter area and greeted nearly 52,300 visitors on May 1 – making it the third-most-visited pavilion at the event. Seen as a prime opportunity to showcase Turkey's cultural riches, the pavilion focuses on the past, present and future as part of its theme of Anatolia as a cradle of civilizations. The pavilion's first section takes visitors on a journey through time to learn about Turkey's historic firsts. A map showing ancient sites in Turkey, the world's first mirror, and its first man-made dam are featured here. In the middle section, a 360-degree movie shows scenes from the streets of Istanbul to reflect the pride of the city as a 2010 European Capital of Culture. Visitors 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 but is reborn from the ashes, to embody aspirations for the future.