Louvre Abu Dhabi will this weekend open to the public, a decade after it was first conceived and eight years after the first stone for its construction was laid in 2009 by then French president Nicolas Sarzoky. But the silver-canopied building, designed by the acclaimed architect Jean Nouvel, is much more than a museum. As the French president Emmanuel Macron said at Louvre Abu Dhabi's opening on Wednesday, it is a "temple for beauty". Its audacious creation, Mr Macron said, confirms the UAE's position as "the nerve centre of the East and West meeting". Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, spoke of the links between the museum's striking dome roof and the Sumerians and Babylonians who believed, thousands of years ago, that "the sky above us was a large dome". Under this new structure, he said, the "world can meet, talk and come together". The art within the museum's walls, he said, do not merely prompt "dialogue between civilisations" but stir us to forge "an alliance between civilisations".
In this feverish age of demagoguery, when our differences are magnified to breed and deepen antagonism, Louvre Abu Dhabi stresses our civilisational continuities and sheds light on our commonalities. Its galleries chart human history from the birth of the very first villages to the global village of the 21st Century. In between, the entire story of civilisation is spellbindingly conveyed. The message by the end is unmistakable: if there is such a thing as a universal civilisation, Louvre Abu Dhabi is both its repository and reminder.
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Museum where 'East meets West' opens to the world
Louvre Abu Dhabi: the long-awaited first look inside
Everything you need to know from tickets to opening hours
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Situated in a region identified with strife and conflict, Louvre Abu Dhabi speaks to the world of the regenerative potential of this region and the pioneering role this country is playing in preserving our cultural heritage. The vision that has given us Louvre Abu Dhabi will in the end prevail against the forces that destroyed Palmyra and other priceless treasures in our neighbourhood. It is fitting that the Louvre Abu Dhabi should pay rich tribute to the source of that vision, Sheikh Zayed, the founder of the UAE, by erecting a wall of porcelain tiles that depict hand-drawn concentric circles originating from his fingerprint. Had he not risen above differences to bring seemingly disparate peoples together to form this union, there would today be no museum here honouring the unity of the larger human civilisation of which we are all a part. As Sheikh Mohammed said on Wednesday, Louvre Abu Dhabi is an embodiment of the "legacy of Zayed". Its beauty and purpose, to borrow the phrase Mr Macron borrowed from Dostoyevsky, will inspire humanity to "save the world".
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At a glance - Zayed Sustainability Prize 2020
Launched: 2008
Categories: Health, energy, water, food, global high schools
Prize: Dh2.2 million (Dh360,000 for global high schools category)
Winners’ announcement: Monday, January 13
Impact in numbers
335 million people positively impacted by projects
430,000 jobs created
10 million people given access to clean and affordable drinking water
50 million homes powered by renewable energy
6.5 billion litres of water saved
26 million school children given solar lighting
Tenet
Director: Christopher Nolan
Stars: John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Dimple Kapadia, Michael Caine, Kenneth Branagh
Rating: 5/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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THE CLOWN OF GAZA
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Company name: Play:Date
Launched: March 2017 on UAE Mother’s Day
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Based: Dubai with operations in the UAE and US
Sector: Tech
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The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
SPECS
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