UAE's Zayed National Museum to open in 2021

The Zayed National Museum, the most high-profile project in Abu Dhabi's cultural plan, will open in 2021 after the construction is completed, officials have announced.

Currently under construction, the national museum of the UAE located in the Saadiyat Cultural District on Abu Dhabi's Saadiyat Island, will narrate the story of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founding father of the UAE, and highlight the history of the region and its cultural connections with countries around the world.

Authorities made the announcement during a visit by Lt. General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, to the site of the Zayed National Museum.

Representatives of the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) briefed Sheikh Seif on the achievements to date and planned milestones of Abu Dhabi's five-year Culture Sector Strategy.

The Zayed National Museum's permanent galleries will display the best of national collections alongside loans from leading world museums, and a programme of special exhibitions will make it a vibrant part of the national, regional, and international cultural scene. The museum will be inclusive and educational and a must see for Emiratis, UAE residents and overseas visitors.

The national museum will honour Sheikh Zayed's strongly held values, which encompass a passionate belief in education, the environment, history, heritage and culture, all underpinned by his humanitarianism and deeply held faith.

Lord Norman Foster, winner of the Pritzker Architecture Prize and one of the most prolific architects of his generation, conceived the design of the museum after his practice, Foster +



Partners, won a worldwide pitch. Zayed National Museum's distinctive towers ('Wings') were inspired by Sheikh Zayed's passion for falconry and the rich tradition of this heritage practice in the Gulf.

The wings were sculpted aerodynamically to act as solar thermal towers - a contemporary reference to the traditional climatically responsive architecture of the region - and range in height from 83-123m.

The atrium of Zayed National Museum provides a welcoming space for all. It is here that the museum announces itself as a national institution, a cultural destination and a centre for learning.

The two galleries on the ground floor represent the heart of the museum. The extraordinary life of the late Sheikh Zayed and the foundations of the UAE are narrated in the main gallery, while the Landscapes and Life gallery shows how the nation's landscapes and rich natural resources were formed.

On the first floor of the museum, four pod-shaped galleries take the visitor on a journey through the history of the country, from the arrival of the first people and emergence of oases to the vibrant contemporary culture of the present-day UAE. A 400m landscaped narrative garden exploring key moments in the life of Sheikh Zayed connects the museum with the sea and other sites of the Cultural District.

Zayed National Museum will offer visitors a unique experience that engages the mind, raises questions and encourages dynamic and interactive dialogue while delving into the Founding Father's personality and vision.

The museum will give special attention to public education, with an educational programme currently being developed in alignment with the UAE's school curriculum. Zayed National Museum will also function as a centre for archaeological and heritage research.