Not only do museums fascinate and inspire, they also serve an essential social function. Museums codify and strengthen collective identities. Take the institutions that line the National Mall in Washington DC. These visitor attractions do more than just house artefacts. They are the physical embodiments of the culture and history of America. In young countries with deep historical roots, such as the UAE, museums spur the evolution of identity and help decipher dominant cultural narratives.
The Saadiyat Cultural District has the potential to become our equivalent of the National Mall. Set close to the future homes of the Louvre and the Guggenheim, the Zayed National Museum is the pearl of this ambitious project.
As The National reported yesterday, the Zayed National Museum will play a central role in furthering the UAE's national identity. For citizens and residents alike, the museum will afford a chance to mesh with the very fabric of our dynamic history.
More importantly, the museum will encourage research into our region. The pivotal role that the Arabian Peninsula played in the evolution of mankind remains an under-researched topic and the museum’s existence will go a long way towards correcting this problem.
For visitors, the museum will impart the full breadth of our history with particular attention given to the legacy of Sheikh Zayed, the founding president of the UAE.
Museums aren’t just wood floors and white walls. They are places of discovery that unite society through shared history and common values. Once finished, the Saadiyat Cultural District will stand as a physical representation of who we are as a people and a nation.
