Realizing the Impossible Dream

In 1995, Arab, Israeli and Western scientists assembled in the Egyptian resort of Dahab for the Sinai Physics Meeting, an initiative to develop scientific cooperation in the region. It was there that the dream of creating a regional center of scientific excellence was born. Twenty years later, that dream is nearing reality as the SESAME laboratory prepares to commission its first two beam lines. This talk will trace the journey from dream to reality.