UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has officially opened the Zayed National Museum in Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat Cultural District, in the presence of the Supreme Council Members and Rulers of the Emirates.
This event was part of the UAE’s celebrations for the 54th Eid Al Etihad.
The museum tells the story of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the UAE’s founding father. It explores the land and its people from ancient times to today, offering an immersive experience combining cutting-edge technology with soundscapes, visual narratives, artefacts, and historical objects.
New museum for Saadiyat Cultural District
The building itself, from British studio Foster + Partners, is inspired by a falcon's wings, symbolising the UAE’s aspirations and its strong ties to cultural heritage and nature.
The Zayed National Museum is a tribute to the late Sheikh Zayed's legacy, highlighting his leadership, vision, and lasting humanitarian principles.
It links the UAE’s historic past with its current achievements and future aspirations, acting as an entry point for visitors to discover and appreciate the nation's culture, heritage, and traditions across different generations.
The new museum’s collection includes over 3,000 items, with 1,500 on display, each contributing to the story of the UAE and its people. It includes a dedicated area for temporary exhibitions, as well as Al Masar Garden—a 600-meter-long outdoor gallery that showcases the landscapes, stories, and history that influenced the UAE.
See also: Building the future on the foundations of the past: Abu Dhabi’s cultural vision after ICOM 2025
Six galleries explore history & heritage
There are six permanent galleries.
Our Beginning traces Sheikh Zayed's life and legacy using voice recordings, photos, items, letters, videos, and installations. It explores the UAE's formative years and the influences that shaped his vision, from his early life in Al Ain to the Emirates' unification and inspiring stories.
Through Our Nature is an interactive journey through the UAE’s diverse environments, exploring how its landscapes have shaped sustainable living over centuries, featuring multisensory displays, specimens, and art.
To Our Ancestors showcases archaeological discoveries that emphasise thousands of years of ongoing human presence and civilisation on the land.
Through Our Connections highlights the region’s early communities and examines how science, technology, and shared knowledge have influenced identity, progress, and social bonds.
By Our Coasts is a tribute to the UAE’s deeply rooted maritime traditions, showcasing the coastal life and seafaring heritage that helped shape the nation’s cultural and economic foundations.
To Our Roots is a space that celebrates Emirati identity through traditional lifestyles, customs, values, and the economic activities that once thrived in the country’s interior regions.
To celebrate the opening, the museum is introducing a cultural programme that includes live performances, interactive workshops, guided tours, and creative activities.
Journey, a global design and innovation studio pioneering multidimensional experiences (MDX), helped tell the story through over 200 exhibits, ranging from intimate single-speaker soundscapes to vast 11-metre-wide LED screens.
Spread throughout six main galleries and across 16 interior and exterior spaces, this is the most ambitious project in Journey’s history – driven by cultural integrity, immersive storytelling, and the desire to enable visitors to connect with a nation’s history.
Saadiyat Island is also home to the newly opened Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi, Louvre Abu Dhabi, teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi, and the soon-to-open Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
