A new Natural History Museum, the largest of its kind in the region, has opened in Abu Dhabi with a majestic ceremony, attended by Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, and other UAE leaders and dignitaries, alongside international guests including Bollywood stars.
Located in the Saadiyat Cultural District, the 35,000-square-metre museum explores 13.8 billion years of history, from the birth of the cosmos and formation of the solar system, to the rise of dinosaurs and life as we know it today. It also serves as an innovative scientific platform, “uniting knowledge, discovery and exploration” through interactive exhibitions and immersive experiences designed to deepen public understanding of the Earth’s history and its key evolutionary stages. All under one roof.
Visitors can explore the evolution through dedicated galleries such as The Story of Earth, The Evolving World, Our World, Resilient Planet and Earth’s Future.
Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi will open in Saadiyat Cultural District on 22 November, featuring world-first dinosaur displays and a focus on the natural history of the Arabian region. pic.twitter.com/OOM969tkD7
— Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (@dctabudhabi) November 20, 2025
In addition, the Palaeolab houses a rare collection of fossils and meteorites, and the museum has a special centre dedicated to research in palaeontology, biology, and environmental sciences. The centrepiece is the renowned Murchison meteorite, which crashed in Australia over 40 years ago and is one of the world’s most extensively studied meteorites.
The museum’s core purpose is to be both an educational centre and a research hub, showcasing some of the most significant palaeontological discoveries. Among the artefacts on display is a complete herd of giant, long-necked sauropods, with five different species exhibited globally. The museum also displays one of the most complete Tyrannosaurus rex skeletons ever discovered, alongside a Triceratops specimen.
“This is the real Jurassic Park,” Salman Khan, the famous Indian actor, told The National News.
My brother Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed and I today toured the Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi, located at the Saadiyat Cultural District, and explored a range of scientific exhibits and interactive experiences that tell the story of the universe. The largest of its kind in the… pic.twitter.com/dg4PcaRVMN
— Hamdan bin Mohammed (@HamdanMohammed) November 20, 2025
The museum also takes visitors on a seven-million-year journey through Abu Dhabi’s ancient natural environment. It allows them to experience a time when the land was a green savannah, home to a variety of species, including the now-extinct giant four-tusked elephant.
Beyond the sciences, the museum features reimagined scenes of life in ancient Abu Dhabi, supported by interactive educational programmes.
During the opening ceremony, Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan emphasised the museum’s role in strengthening Abu Dhabi’s ambition to establish itself as a leading global centre for cultural and scientific research, integrating knowledge and discovery within the emirate’s broader cultural landscape.
Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, explained that “the museum offers a different perspective on the story of life on Earth, framed for the first time through an Arabian lens. We are building institutions that inspire curiosity, foster learning and connect us to the bigger questions, all the while reinforcing our belief in the power of culture to drive shared progress.”
Following the inauguration of Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi, our Chairman, H.E. Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, affirms its role in sparking curiosity and wonder through sharing the 13.8-billion-year story of our universe and our planet pic.twitter.com/g3Zmi7zsRL
— Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (@dctabudhabi) November 24, 2025
Sustainability is also at the core of the project. The museum stated that, guided by its humanitarian and scientific mission, it is dedicated to promoting environmental awareness and championing sustainability, grounded in the belief that protecting the planet begins with knowledge.
Al Mubarak further emphasised this commitment, saying that “understanding our planet’s past helps us protect its future, and that is the foundation of what we have built here.”
The building’s architecture was inspired by natural rock formations surrounded by water and vegetation, echoing life in the desert.
