Timeframe: When a 140-million-year-old dinosaur named Einstein roamed Abu Dhabi airport

The skeleton exhibit stood 23-metres tall and weighed more than 4.5 tonnes

A January 2009 photo shows Einstein the dinosaur on display at the Abu Dhabi International Airport. Lauren Lancaster / The National

In July 2008, a 140-million-year-old dinosaur named Einstein arrived at Abu Dhabi International Airport, now known as Zayed International Airport.

The Apatosaurus skeleton was a sight to behold, standing 23-metres tall and weighing more than 4.5 tonnes. Einstein was exhibited at the airport as part of an initiative by Abu Dhabi Airports Company in collaboration with other companies in Abu Dhabi, including Masdar.

Displayed in the arrivals hall of Terminal 1, Einstein was one of the first things people saw as they flew in to the UAE capital, greeting hundreds of thousands of travellers during its three-month tenure. The skeleton was accompanied by an installation bearing statistics about the dinosaur.

Besides its formidable stature, Einstein was unique in that the skeleton comprised 85 per cent of the dinosaur’s original bones, making it one of the most complete Apatosauruses ever discovered.

Einstein was one of the most complete Apatosauruses ever discovered. Lauren Lancaster / The National

“We knew Einstein would attract the crowds and we are thrilled that visitors to Abu Dhabi International Airport are taking the time to see him,” Dan Cappell, who was ADAC’s vice president for non-aeronautical revenue at the time, told Wam in August 2008.

“We are also pleased to note that people are visiting the airport not just for travel this summer but some are simply coming to get a glimpse of Einstein. Clearly, he provides a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for many people, with families and children obviously enjoying the chance to see such an important part of history.”

Documentation is scarce about what happened to Einstein after the Apatosaurus’s time in Abu Dhabi. According to Wam, the dinosaur was set to be auctioned off in October 2008 at a reserve price of $2 million. Twenty per cent of the funds raised above the reserve price was slated to go to a charity for endangered species for Arabian wildlife.

Abu Dhabi is no stranger to dinosaurs. In 2022, Stan, the world's most famous Tyrannosaurus rex, was exhibited at Manarat Al Saadiyat. The exhibition showcased the collection of the coming Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi in the Cultural District on Saadiyat Island. A 70 per cent complete skeleton, Stan is 11.7 metres tall and dates back 67 million years. The skeleton will be one of the highlight’s of the museum’s collection.

Stan, the world's most famous Tyrannosaurus rex, exhibited at Manarat Al Saadiyat. Victor Besa / The National

Due to be completed next year, the Natural History Museum of Abu Dhabi will be home to some of the rarest specimens on the planet. Its galleries will span a 13.8 billion-year journey through time and space, from the beginnings of the universe to a glimpse at its possible future.

Stan will be joined by a specimen of the Murchison meteorite, which crash-landed as a shower of stones in Australia in 1969 and has since revealed new information about the early solar system.

The meteorite bears a variety of organic “stardust” compounds as well as pre-solar grains that formed more than seven billion years ago, long before our solar system existed.

The Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi, conceived in partnership with Miral, will also be a scientific research and teaching institution, featuring immersive displays beside curated collections of artefacts and specimens.

The Natural History Museum of Abu Dhabi on Saadiyat Island is due to be completed next year. Photo: DCT – Abu Dhabi