Hi everyone.
I’ve been working on some designs for some new EPCOT pavilions, and thought I could share them here.
Nothing here is meant to be all that realistic, in terms of whether these pavilions would/could actually be built someday, but I just wanted to have some fun with this stuff.
I picked 2 countries to start with: Yemen and Ethiopia.
Would love to know what you all think about these outlines…
Yemen:
Such a fascinating country in so many different ways. While the country nowadays has been plagued by conflict, there are many positive things the Yemeni pavilion would highlight, including: distinctive architecture, food, khat leaves, Mocha coffee beans (which were named for the Yemeni port city of Mocha), traditional dagger making (known as Janbiya), dhow sailing, as well as mysterious figures from history such as the Queen of Sheba.
This pavilion would be anchored by a mesmerizing dark boat ride called Khareef. Named for the Arabic term for a seasonal monsoon in this part of the world, the ride would be somewhat similar to Sindbad’s Storybook Voyage in Tokyo. The story of the ride begins with the Queen of Sheba’s voyage to Jerusalem to meet King Solomon. You, the rider, are part of her entourage, but things go wrong almost immediately after departing from the port in Yemen.
The ship—a traditional Yemeni dhow—is blown off course by the khareef, and you then encounter a series of further misadventures, including being attacked by ancient Arabian pirates as well as an encounter with the dandan, a sea creature found in Arabian mythology. Finally, the riders are shipwrecked on the island of Socotra, where they discover the incredible, exotic plant-life of this mysterious place, including the real-life dragon’s blood tree.
In addition to Khareef, the Yemen pavilion has a number of other things to experience.
Tucked away in one of the various narrow side-streets of Sana’a is the pavilion’s main restaurant, a casual cafe called Frankincense. Here, you can taste some of the absolutely delicious and exotic dishes from Yemen, including saltah (the national dish) and sabaya, a sweet bread dessert served with honey.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saltah
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bint_al-sahn
Besides Frankincense, there is also a traditional Yemeni coffee house, called Moonlight over Mocha. Here you can taste some of the delicious mocha coffee from Yemen, as well as other popular drinks such as black tea.
However, the real highlight of the Yemen pavilion is without a doubt the architecture. There are two main locales to be highlighted for their architecture here: first, the village of Shibbam, sometimes known as the Manhattan of the Desert, famous for building perhaps the world’s first high rises, built from mud in a traditional style all the way back in the 1500s. Pictured below:
Second, would be the Yemeni capital of Sana’a. The Old Town of Sana’a is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, highlighted by the Bab Al Yemen Gate, pictured below:
This famous gate, as well as some of the other features of the Old Town such as the bustling souqs, will be recreated in the Yemen pavilion.
Another architectural marvel featured would be the stunning Shahara Bridge, pictured below:
Finally, the minaret of the Al-Mudhar Mosque, located in Tarim, would tower over the narrow desert streets as the architectural centerpiece of the whole pavilion.
So, that’s the Yemen pavilion.
Next up is Ethiopia.
Since architecture is a key feature of all my pavilion designs, let’s start with that here. To highlight Ethiopian architecture, I’ve chosen the medieval city of Gondar.
Gondar was the capital of the Ethiopian Empire, and features some highly fascinating architecture, including the remains of a fortress-city called Fasil Ghebbi, pictured below:
In addition, the pavilion will pay homage to some of the famous rock-hewn churches of Hawzien, such as Abuna Yemata Guh:
Also featured are some more modern aspects of Ethiopian design, such as the Lion of Judah Monument, located in Addis Ababa:
Of course, what would a pavilion in EPCOT be without the food?
The Ethiopian pavilion will have two restaurant offerings, a nicer table service restaurant called Abyssinia, as well as a more casual cafe called Habesha.
Abyssinia also offers the traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony, surely one of the most fascinating aspects of Ethiopian culture…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffee_ceremony
Finally, we come to the rides.
The pavilion has 3 rides, highlighted by Memnon, a B&M Dive Machine. Memnon is named for the powerful Ethiopian king who aided the city of Troy during the Trojan War. Even though Troy ultimately was sacked by the Greeks, Memnon was a feared warrior who was said to be nearly as skilled in combat as Achilles.
The second ride is Blue Nile Rapids, a river rapids ride featuring a massive waterfall resembling Ethiopia’s Blue Nile Falls.
And last, we have The Obelisk of Axum, a drop tower ride themed to the famous Ethiopian obelisk. This obelisk was built sometime in the 4th century AD, then stolen and taken to Italy in the 1930s, and then finally returned to Ethiopia and re-assembled in 2008.
So, that's Ethiopia.
Thanks so much for reading!
I have a lot of other pavilion designs as well, so let me know if you’d like to see them.
Ciao!
I’ve been working on some designs for some new EPCOT pavilions, and thought I could share them here.
Nothing here is meant to be all that realistic, in terms of whether these pavilions would/could actually be built someday, but I just wanted to have some fun with this stuff.
I picked 2 countries to start with: Yemen and Ethiopia.
Would love to know what you all think about these outlines…
Yemen:
Such a fascinating country in so many different ways. While the country nowadays has been plagued by conflict, there are many positive things the Yemeni pavilion would highlight, including: distinctive architecture, food, khat leaves, Mocha coffee beans (which were named for the Yemeni port city of Mocha), traditional dagger making (known as Janbiya), dhow sailing, as well as mysterious figures from history such as the Queen of Sheba.
This pavilion would be anchored by a mesmerizing dark boat ride called Khareef. Named for the Arabic term for a seasonal monsoon in this part of the world, the ride would be somewhat similar to Sindbad’s Storybook Voyage in Tokyo. The story of the ride begins with the Queen of Sheba’s voyage to Jerusalem to meet King Solomon. You, the rider, are part of her entourage, but things go wrong almost immediately after departing from the port in Yemen.
The ship—a traditional Yemeni dhow—is blown off course by the khareef, and you then encounter a series of further misadventures, including being attacked by ancient Arabian pirates as well as an encounter with the dandan, a sea creature found in Arabian mythology. Finally, the riders are shipwrecked on the island of Socotra, where they discover the incredible, exotic plant-life of this mysterious place, including the real-life dragon’s blood tree.
In addition to Khareef, the Yemen pavilion has a number of other things to experience.
Tucked away in one of the various narrow side-streets of Sana’a is the pavilion’s main restaurant, a casual cafe called Frankincense. Here, you can taste some of the absolutely delicious and exotic dishes from Yemen, including saltah (the national dish) and sabaya, a sweet bread dessert served with honey.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saltah
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bint_al-sahn
Besides Frankincense, there is also a traditional Yemeni coffee house, called Moonlight over Mocha. Here you can taste some of the delicious mocha coffee from Yemen, as well as other popular drinks such as black tea.
However, the real highlight of the Yemen pavilion is without a doubt the architecture. There are two main locales to be highlighted for their architecture here: first, the village of Shibbam, sometimes known as the Manhattan of the Desert, famous for building perhaps the world’s first high rises, built from mud in a traditional style all the way back in the 1500s. Pictured below:
Second, would be the Yemeni capital of Sana’a. The Old Town of Sana’a is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, highlighted by the Bab Al Yemen Gate, pictured below:
This famous gate, as well as some of the other features of the Old Town such as the bustling souqs, will be recreated in the Yemen pavilion.
Another architectural marvel featured would be the stunning Shahara Bridge, pictured below:
Finally, the minaret of the Al-Mudhar Mosque, located in Tarim, would tower over the narrow desert streets as the architectural centerpiece of the whole pavilion.
So, that’s the Yemen pavilion.
Next up is Ethiopia.
Since architecture is a key feature of all my pavilion designs, let’s start with that here. To highlight Ethiopian architecture, I’ve chosen the medieval city of Gondar.
Gondar was the capital of the Ethiopian Empire, and features some highly fascinating architecture, including the remains of a fortress-city called Fasil Ghebbi, pictured below:
In addition, the pavilion will pay homage to some of the famous rock-hewn churches of Hawzien, such as Abuna Yemata Guh:
Also featured are some more modern aspects of Ethiopian design, such as the Lion of Judah Monument, located in Addis Ababa:
Of course, what would a pavilion in EPCOT be without the food?
The Ethiopian pavilion will have two restaurant offerings, a nicer table service restaurant called Abyssinia, as well as a more casual cafe called Habesha.
Abyssinia also offers the traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony, surely one of the most fascinating aspects of Ethiopian culture…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffee_ceremony
Finally, we come to the rides.
The pavilion has 3 rides, highlighted by Memnon, a B&M Dive Machine. Memnon is named for the powerful Ethiopian king who aided the city of Troy during the Trojan War. Even though Troy ultimately was sacked by the Greeks, Memnon was a feared warrior who was said to be nearly as skilled in combat as Achilles.
The second ride is Blue Nile Rapids, a river rapids ride featuring a massive waterfall resembling Ethiopia’s Blue Nile Falls.
And last, we have The Obelisk of Axum, a drop tower ride themed to the famous Ethiopian obelisk. This obelisk was built sometime in the 4th century AD, then stolen and taken to Italy in the 1930s, and then finally returned to Ethiopia and re-assembled in 2008.
So, that's Ethiopia.
Thanks so much for reading!
I have a lot of other pavilion designs as well, so let me know if you’d like to see them.
Ciao!
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