Long before the UAE became defined by towers and futuristic developments, structures such as Union House, Deira Clock Tower and the Cultural Foundation helped shape the identity of a newly formed nation.
Built during the UAE’s formative decades, many of these sites still stand today, woven into the memories of generations who passed through their classrooms, hospital corridors, government halls and public squares. Yet, as cities across the country continue to evolve rapidly, many of these buildings are increasingly at risk of disappearing altogether.
That growing urgency is what led the Ministry of Culture to launch the National Register of Modern Architectural Heritage in April, an initiative aimed at documenting and protecting buildings from the country’s post-1960s development era.
Shatha Al Mulla, assistant undersecretary for the National Identity and Arts Sector at the Ministry of Culture, says the register is about recognising that the UAE’s modern architecture carries cultural weight far beyond its age.
“Our modern architectural heritage may be relatively young, but its significance is profound,” Al Mulla tells The National. “These buildings tell the story of our nation’s formative decades, a period marked by extraordinary ambition, rapid urbanisation and cultural transformation.”
The register forms part of the broader National Policy for Preserving the Modern Architectural Heritage, approved by the UAE Cabinet in 2024. Its first phase includes 10 sites across the country, from Union House in Dubai, where the UAE’s founding agreement was signed in 1971, to educational institutions such as the Islamic Institute Complex at United Arab Emirates University in Al Ain and Al Qasimia School in Sharjah.
Together, the buildings trace a period when the UAE was rapidly defining itself through new public institutions, infrastructure and urban planning. Schools, hospitals and cultural centres became symbols of a young country investing in education, healthcare and civic life.
“The urgency to preserve them lies in the speed at which our cities continue to evolve,” Al Mulla says. “Many modern-era buildings are increasingly vulnerable to irreversible alteration, demolition, or replacement by newer developments.”
Unlike older heritage preservation efforts that often focus on forts, archaeological sites and traditional architecture, the new register centres on buildings constructed between the 1960s and 1990s. The ministry defines them as places that capture the country’s social and architectural evolution during the modern era.
The selected sites were evaluated not only for their design, but also for what they represent historically and socially. Criteria included architectural significance, engineering innovation, environmental adaptability and connections to key events and communities that shaped the UAE’s development.
Among the most symbolic additions is Union House, which Al Mulla describes as representing “the birth of the nation itself”. Other buildings reveal quieter, but equally important chapters of the country’s growth.
Saqr Hospital reflects the expansion of public healthcare during a period of rapid population growth and modernisation, while Al Qasimia School documents the evolution of educational infrastructure and school design during the 1980s.
For the ministry, preserving these buildings is also a way of preserving lived experience.
“These places are valued not only as architectural landmarks, but also as symbols of our collective memory, identity and progress,” she says.
The initiative also reflects a broader shift in how heritage is being framed in the UAE. While the country is often internationally associated with ambitious contemporary architecture, the register highlights the structures that laid the groundwork for that transformation.
“Modern UAE architecture represents a unique intersection of local identity, regional climate responsiveness and international design influences,” Al Mulla says.
The ministry believes that preserving these sites can also deepen cultural tourism by offering visitors a more layered understanding of the UAE’s development beyond its modern skyline.
“These buildings tell stories of nation-building, social progress, innovation and community development during the UAE’s formative decades,” she says.
Future phases of the register will expand through annual nomination cycles led by local governments across the emirates, while researchers, academics and communities will also be encouraged to contribute documentation and historical research.
For now, the register marks an attempt to ensure that as the UAE continues to build for the future, it does not lose sight of the spaces that helped shape its earliest modern identity.
