Dubai Metro is preparing for the opening of the Museum of Future by decorating its exterior to match the calligraphy featured on the UAE's newest landmark.
The Roads and Transport Authority released a video on Tuesday showing staff pasting the livery onto carriages, including the line "The most beautiful building on earth" in English and Arabic. The same lines also appear on all promotional materials including light shows on UAE landmarks as well as special stamps for visitors arriving in Dubai on Tuesday.
Emirates Towers station on the Red Line is connected directly to the museum by a 212 metre bridge.
The 14,000 metres of Arabic calligraphy that form the core of the Museum of the Future's design are by award-winning Emirati artist Mattar Bin Lahej, and based on quotes by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, about his vision for the city's future.
Translated into English, one reads: "We may not live for hundreds of years, but the products of our creativity can leave a legacy long after we are gone."
Another reads: "The future belongs to those who can imagine it, design it, and execute it … The future does not wait … The future can be designed and built today."
Anticipation has been building for the opening of the Museum of the Future, announced in 2015 by Sheikh Mohammed. Last week, Dubai Media Office released footage that showed a "spaceship" land inside the museum. In the promotional video shared widely on social media, an upper section of the structure opens to welcome what appears to be a landing spacecraft.
The unidentified flying object descends into the museum while traffic travels on Sheikh Zayed Road below.
On Monday, another video showed jetman Richard Browning flying between landmarks and surprising people in Downtown Dubai, at a school in Dubai and at Ain Dubai on Bluewaters Island by handing out invitations to the opening. The British inventor was then shown taking a lift to the top of the museum at the end of his journey.
A caption read: “How do you invite people to meet the future?"
Spread across seven floors with six exhibition floors and one administration floor, sitting on top of a three-storey podium and a food and beverage deck, the Museum of the Future promises visitors an immersive experience that helps them imagine all that is possible for the world.
Hours before the opening, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, posted a video on Twitter, offering more glimpses of the museum, including its interiors.
Award-winning design
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Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, watches the installation of the final piece of the facade of the Museum of the Future, in downtown Dubai. -
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, attends a ceremony to mark the completion of the facade of the Museum of the Future, accompanied by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Dubai Crown Prince, and Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed, Deputy Ruler of Dubai. -
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, attends the installation of the final piece of facade of the Museum of the Future, accompanied by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Dubai Crown Prince, and Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed, Deputy Ruler of Dubai. The Museum of the Future was named one of the 14 most beautiful museums on the planet by 'National Geographic' magazine. -
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, with Mohammed Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs, Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees and Managing Director of the Dubai Future Foundation, as Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, looks on. -
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, with Mohammed Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs, Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees and Managing Director of the Dubai Future Foundation. -
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, views the facade of the Museum of the Future. The facade consists of 1,024 plates manufactured entirely by robots, a first-of-its-kind venture in the Middle East. -
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, at the installation of the final piece of facade of the Museum of the Future. The stainless steel facade extends over 17,000 square metres. -
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, at the installation of the final piece of facade of the Museum of the Future. The facade is illuminated by 14,000 metres of Arabic calligraphy, designed by Emirati artist Mattar bin Lahej. -
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, stands in front of the spectacular facade of the Museum of the Future. Design and engineering software company Autodesk described the museum as one of the most innovative buildings in the world. -
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, stands in front of the Museum of the Future, accompanied by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Dubai Crown Prince, and Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed, Deputy Ruler of Dubai. -
The ceremony for the installation of the final piece of the facade of the Museum of the Future. The seven-storey pillarless structure stands 77 metres tall. -
The Museum of the Future will be home to a research centre with labs and classrooms, as well as showcasing exhibitions, immersive theatre and themed attraction. Organisers say it will invite visitors to 'look beyond the present to the possible'. -
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, at the installation of the final piece of facade at the Museum of the Future. He was accompanied by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Dubai Crown Prince, and Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed, Deputy Ruler of Dubai.
Even before its opening, the Museum of the Future already has a number of awards to its name.
Last year, it was named one of the 14 most beautiful museums on the planet in a list compiled by National Geographic magazine. The striking landmark was lauded for its dazzling design and cutting-edge technological innovation.
The museum also won the Tikla International Building Award last year as a unique architectural model. Engineering software company Autodesk described it as one of the most innovative buildings in the world.
Shaun Killa, partner at Killa Design and the architect who designed the museum, says its shape represents "Dubai's perpetual energy and a vision of the future."
Visitors will be able to book tickets to the museum from Wednesday.
