Zayed National Museum to officially open its doors in December

Zayed National Museum will open to the public in December in Abu Dhabi's Saadiyat Cultural District.

The landmark institution honours the UAE's Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, and his commitment to education, identity and belonging.

The museum’s collection features artefacts from across the UAE, including donations related to the heritage of the UAE, in addition to domestic and international loans.

Visitors will explore six permanent galleries across two floors, spanning 300,000 years of history, as well as a temporary exhibition gallery.

Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Lord Norman Foster, the five steel structures are inspired by the wing of a falcon in flight.

"This museum is more than a place of preservation; it is a promise to future generations, a beacon of our identity, and a space where our story is told not just through objects, but through emotion, memory and vision. This institution will carry our story forward for generations to come," said Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi.

Sheikh Zayed held a deep conviction that an understanding the past was essential to shaping the nation for the benefit of future generations. His passion for exploring the UAE’s ancient heritage and celebrating the diverse influences that shaped Emirati culture led to the establishment of the country’s first museum in Al Ain in 1971, followed by the opening of the Cultural Foundation in 1981.

The museum’s collection includes Palaeolithic, Neolithic, Bronze and Iron Age artefacts, many of which were uncovered by archaeological teams over half a century ago. These discoveries, from the world’s oldest falaj irrigation system to traces of Bronze Age copper mining, stand as enduring evidence of the ingenuity and resilience of the UAE’s earliest communities and reflect Sheikh Zayed’s commitment to bringing the nation’s ancient history to light.

The museum highlights will include the Abu Dhabi Pearl, one of the world’s oldest natural pearls, shedding new light on the history of pearling in the Arabian Gulf; the Blue Qur’an, one of Islamic art’s finest manuscripts; and a recreation of an ancient Magan Boat, the outcome of the museum’s first research partnership with Zayed University and New York University Abu Dhabi.

As part of Saadiyat Cultural District’s mission to foster diverse dialogue and promote cultural equity. It will stand alongside several globally renowned cultural institutions within the district, including Louvre Abu Dhabi, teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi, the upcoming Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi and Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.