The Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi: the Next Milestone in the Emirate’s Cultural Strategy

The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) recently announced plans to develop the Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi, a landmark project which will inspire audiences with some of the rarest natural specimens ever found here on planet Earth. This is the latest major milestone in our journey to realise our ambitious cultural vision for the emirate.

?Driven by a firm belief that culture should be the foundation of any progressive society, we have prioritised the culture and creative industries in our overarching plans for Abu Dhabi, excited by the sector’s potential to drive significant economic and social development. We recognise culture’s power for positive impact, and its correlation with intellectual development; as well as its role as a tool for fostering unity and understanding – not only here at home, but also in the context of the wider world.

?The DCT Abu Dhabi mandate includes not only preserving and sharing our cultural heritage with the world – a responsibility we take very seriously – but also continuing our emirate’s evolution as a place for knowledge production, collaboration and creativity. For many of our assets and programmes, we are keen to ensure that whilst they respect their Abu Dhabi roots, they are also keenly engaged with intercultural dialogue on a global scale.

?Part of this strategy to transform the emirate into an outward-looking centre for culture, arts and creativity has been to conceive and build the Saadiyat Cultural District, which when complete will boast the highest concentration of cultural experiences anywhere in the world. This District already includes the iconic Louvre Abu Dhabi, and construction is underway for both the Zayed National Museum and Guggenheim Abu Dhabi – designed by leading architects Foster + Partners and Frank Gehry, respectively. The development of this stunning collection of museums reflects the government’s commitment to the culture and creative sector, part of a total investment of AED 30+ billion earmarked over ten years.

?But it is the latest addition to the Saadiyat Cultural District that may be the most important part of the ‘jigsaw’ yet: our newly announced Natural History Museum. In a rapidly changing world, unlocking the lessons of the past could be the key to securing a successful future for life on planet Earth, and the Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi will, as part of its mandate, focus on these critical issues. As we race to address the many challenges impacting the planet today, never before in human history has an understanding of our changing natural world been so important.

?The largest museum of its kind in the region, the Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi will have a core mission to ignite a life-long passion for the natural world in visitors of all ages. With a stunning, carefully curated collection of some of the world’s rarest natural wonders, combined with immersive, tech-led experiences, the museum will take visitors on a 13.8-billion-year journey through time and space, from the beginning of the universe to a thought-provoking perspective into Earth’s future. Visitors will encounter collection highlights including 67-million-year-old ‘Stan’ the Tyrannosaurus rex, one of the best preserved and most studied fossils of this iconic predator, and the 7-billion-year-old Murchison Meteorite, which famously crash-landed in Australia in 1969 and provides ancient insight into the very building blocks of life.?

?These incredible artefacts, and thousands more, will bring together the local, national, regional and international communities, encouraging the sharing of knowledge in a bid to inspire a new generation of advocates to appreciate, understand and protect our natural world.

?Crucially, the Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi will also be a world-class research and teaching centre, taking its place as part of a global community of institutions committed to public education and working together to develop and share scientific research, for the good of all. As mankind explores the very limits of knowledge, we are confident that the Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi will play a leading role in forging new understanding of our past, the world we live in today, and the possibilities we have in front of us.

?The Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi is due for completion in 2025, but for those keen, an exhibition open to the public will run from 6th April to 12th May at Manarat Al Saadiyat, where visitors will be able to get a first glimpse of ‘Stan’, the 7 billion year-old Murchison Meteorite, as well as experience a curatorial narrative of plans for the museum. ?