Named after Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the country’s founding father, the Zayed National Museum is set to open in December 2025 in the Saadiyat Cultural District in Abu Dhabi. It will explore over 300,000 years of United Arab Emirates history.
Highlights will include a reproduction of an ancient Magan boat, a Bronze Age trading vessel, one of the world’s oldest pearls, and folios from the Blue Qur’an, a 9th-century manuscript renowned for its indigo-dyed parchment and gold Kufic script.
The museum’s mission is deeply rooted in the vision of Sheikh Zayed, who once said, “He who does not know his past cannot make the best of his present and future, for it is from the past that we learn”.
Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Department of Culture and Tourism, described the museum as “a tribute to Sheikh Zayed’s boundless belief in people and their ability to learn, to uphold the values of unity, compassion, and national pride… a promise to future generations… a beacon of our identity… it will carry our story forward for generations to come”.
Glimpses of the museum’s content have already been presented through a travelling exhibition entitled Introducing Zayed National Museum: The Foundations of Unity, organised by the department.
Inside, sandy tones and filtered natural light evoke the desert landscape. The museum will comprise six permanent galleries, a temporary exhibition space and an open-air gallery. Through these, it will pay tribute to nature, trade and the traditions of pearling and fishing at sea, as well as local customs and the Emirati lifestyle – all in the spirit of preserving national identity and culture. Workshops, tours, and guided visits will be offered.
Designed by the renowned architect Lord Norman Foster of Foster + Partners, the museum’s five feather-shaped steel structures, inspired by the wings of a falcon – the national emblem of the UAE – stand out in Abu Dhabi’s skyline. Although historically used for hunting, falcons remain central to Emirati culture today, and falconry is still honoured as a national sport. The city even hosts the world’s largest falcon hospital.
Beyond their symbolism, the towers also serve a practical function as wind chimneys, naturally cooling the building.
The museum is surrounded by Al Masar Garden, also known as ‘The Path’, a 600-metre outdoor gallery which tells the story of Sheikh Zayed himself.
According to the Abu Dhabi Media Office, the museum builds on Sheikh Zayed’s legacy “through immersive exhibitions, active research and community programming, embodying the values he championed, including humanitarianism and the preservation of Emirati culture and heritage”.
The Zayed National Museum aims to establish Abu Dhabi as a prominent cultural destination, showcasing its role as a crossroads of civilisations.
Once known as Ras Ghanada, a major docking point, the district is being reimagined as a global cultural hub. The museum joins other major projects in the area, including the Louvre Abu Dhabi and TeamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi. The Guggenheim, designed by Frank Gehry, and the Natural History Museum are due to open in 2026.
Each new institution will offer “a different way of understanding the world and our place in it, illustrating our cross-cultural similarities through time”, as a Saadiyat Cultural District spokesperson told Condé Nast Traveller Middle East.
