First look: Inside Zayed National Museum, an awesome landmark befitting the UAE’s rich history

Only after stepping inside the Zayed National Museum will visitors truly understand its scale

President Sheikh Mohamed, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Prime Minister, and Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, UAE Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, tour the Zayed National Museum. All photos: UAE Presidential Court

President Sheikh Mohamed; Sheikh Mohamed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai; Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Court; Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, UAE Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah; Sheikh Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi, UAE Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Fujairah; Sheikh Saud bin Rashid Al Mualla, UAE Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Umm Al Quwain; Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, UAE Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah; and Sheikh Ammar bin Humaid Al Nuaimi, Crown Prince of Ajman, stand for a photograph during the inauguration of the Zayed National Museum

President Sheikh Mohamed and other UAE leaders tour the Zayed National Museum

President Sheikh Mohamed and other UAE leaders were visiting before the museum opened its doors to the public

Performers participate during the museum inauguration

The visiting dignitaries are show the Magan boat during the inauguration

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence; and Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, tour the Zayed National Museum.

President Sheikh Mohamed and other UAE leaders attend a majlis reception prior to the museum inauguration

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence; and Sheikh Hazza bin Zayed, Ruler's Representative in the Al Ain Region

President Sheik Mohamed and other UAE leaders are shown round the new museum

Performers participate during the inauguration of the Zayed National Museum

Sheikh Saif bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, at the inauguration

One of the exhibits on display at Zayed National Museum

The Magan boat on display

Its oblong wings loom over the architectural panorama of the Saadiyat Cultural District, forming a new landmark on Abu Dhabi’s skyline, but Zayed National Museum stands apart from its impressive neighbours by more than its silhouette.

While other cultural institutions built displays with international collaboration, Zayed National Museum’s collection has come predominantly from local sources. Cultural organisations and private collectors from across the UAE have pooled their artefacts to tell the country’s history in a way that has never been done before.

The museum represents a nationwide effort that resonates with the name of UAE Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. This symbolism will be underscored when the museum opens to the public on Wednesday, a day after the UAE celebrates its 54th anniversary.

Guide to Zayed National Museum: Timings, tickets, accessibility and artefacts

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It is “a museum of the history of the United Arab Emirates as a country and as a land,” said Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, chairman of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi.

To tell the story of the UAE, the museum linked up with cultural institutions, archeological institutions and museums, Al Mubarak explained. Emirati families, whose heirlooms and lived experiences play a vital role in the museum’s displays, have also contributed.

Our Beginning highlights the story of Sheikh Zayed and his vision for the UAE. Victor Besa / The National

Much of the UAE's history – and what came before over the past few hundred years – has been passed verbally from one generation to the next, said Al Mubarak. Bringing those stories together to share in the museum created “fantastic community exchanges”, he added, describing the process as “very beautiful”.

The museum displays old doors from a house in Ras Al Khaimah, artefacts from the UAE’s maritime past and footage of Sheikh Zayed roving along steep dunes in a Chrysler sedan among myriad archival material. Personal journals, postcards and documents are animated through interactive screens, which let users flip through testimonies from citizens and residents.

The museum interior is designed with rounded edges and features globular structures. Victor Besa / The National

“Our cultural strategy is embedded in showcasing and enhancing the history, culture and heritage of the land and its people,” Al Mubarak said, adding that he means “all the people of this land, not just Emiratis”.

The museum experience begins in its outdoor gallery, Al Masar Garden – a lush walkway that traverses through oases and deserts. The 600-metre path stretches from the Saadiyat coast, between Louvre Abu Dhabi and National History Museum Abu Dhabi, up to the entrance of Zayed National Museum.

Inside, the museum inspires awe from its atrium. While its monumental size is evident from its exterior, it is only after stepping inside that visitors will begin to truly understand its scale.

The museum's opening featured a perforamnce by the UAE National Orchestra. Ryan Carter / UAE Presidential Court

The Magan boat is presented here. The 18-metre reproduction of the ancient vessel is the culmination of a project launched in 2021 with researchers from New York University Abu Dhabi and Zayed University. It was built exactly as it would have been 4,000 years ago using raw material available at the time, including reeds, date palm fibre rope and goat hair.

The first gallery is dedicated to Sheikh Zayed. It highlights his life and vision for the UAE, as well as the initiatives he took to help better the lives of the country’s people. Some of his personal items are exhibited here, including his copy of the Quran and his rattan stick. A replica of his famous Chrysler is also presented.

A replica of Sheikh Zayed's famous Chrysler is on display at the museum. Ryan Carter / UAE Presidential Court ---

The next gallery delves into the various biomes of the UAE, including its marine and coastal environments, as well as the desert and the mountains. Artistic displays show the different elements that make up the land, its minerals, rock formations, types of sand as well as marine life.

This Paleolithic stone tool found in Jebel Hafit, Abu Dhabi, is thought to be more than 300,000 years old. Victor Besa / The National

The galleries on the upper floor delve into the ancient history of the land. To Our Ancestors traces the Middle East's history over 300,000 years up to the Bronze Age. Artefacts show how tribes in the Middle East started by moving out of Africa, searching for water and following the changing climate. Pottery, copperware and a replica of the Hili Grand Tomb, give insights into the Umm an-Nar culture that flourished between 2,600 and 2,000BC.

Through Our Connections goes on to trace developments from the Iron Age to the spread of Islam. Artefacts, particularly coins, provide clues to historic cross-cultural exchanges. The Abiel Coin is one example. Presented behind a magnifying glass, it represents the connection between ancient Arabian and Hellenistic cultures.

A small ceramic cup, unearthed in Hili in Al Ain, shows how the 3,000-year-old falaj irrigation system – still found across the country – was significant to ancient communities. The gallery concludes with the founding of Islam in the 7th century, showing how the faith profoundly impacted life and culture in the region and beyond.

A model Arabian taher on display, representing the region's wildlife. Victor Besa / The National

By Our Coast explores the country's maritime history. The gallery opens by highlighting the contributions of Aḥmad ibn Majid, the 15th-century navigator and cartographer from Julfar, present-day Ras Al Khaimah.

The gallery explores pearl diving traditions and the economy that predated the oil boom. It showcases boatbuilding techniques and delves into the minutiae of the daily lives of seafarers, pearl divers and the women who supported their journeys.

Al Mubarak believes several aspects of the museum's collection will take visitors by surprise. One that he is particularly fond of is a warrior woman who was excavated in Marawah Island.

This model of the warrior woman excavated from a stone tomb on Marawah Island dates back 8,000 years. Victor Besa / The National

“We found her in this beautiful stone tomb, an amazing burial ground from 8,000 years ago,” he said. “She could have been a chief. She was definitely somebody held in very high regard.

“What she had around her was amazing. She had a necklace with shark teeth, so she was probably a warrior. Next to her hands were human bones that were fashioned as weapons. She had this beautiful red pigment of paint around her, most likely an ancient version of henna. She would have been surrounded by beautiful feathers when she was buried.”

The museum is not a static display of the country’s history. About 1,500 artefacts are on display, but will be periodically cycled to reveal the whole 3,000-strong collection. The museum is also encouraging and supporting further research and studies into the country’s past.

This camel figurine from Syria, dating from 1-324 CE, is on loan from the Louvre in Paris. Victor Besa / The National

Al Mubarak stressed that the museum's purpose is not to attract tourists. It is explaining and celebrating the country's history and culture. “That culture in itself is the true building block of any forward-thinking society,” he said.

“There's a very famous quote by Sheikh Zayed that underlines this effort: ‘If you do not know your past and you cannot know your future’. That quote is embedded in the walls of this beautiful space.”