The Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi is coming to Saadiyat Island, and we can’t wait.
The project is set to bring some of the rarest natural specimens from billions of years ago to the capital, including “Stan”, a 67-million-year-old tyrannosaurus rex skeleton that is one of the best preserved and more intact dinosaur specimens. Roar.
The new UAE museum is slated to open in late 2025 in the Saadiyat Cultural District.
Wondering what to expect? Here’s everything you need to know about the new opening.
What exhibitions will be at the Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi?
The Natural History Museum promises to showcase earth’s natural history spanning a whopping 13.8 billion years (yes, billion). The journey through the galleries will take visitors from the formation of the earth to modern times, plus, it will highlight what the future could look like and seek to provide solutions to problems. The intent is to inspire younger generations to protect our incredible planet.
The Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi will set itself apart from others because it will tell earth’s history through an Arabian lens, highlighting local flora and fauna, and the geological history of the region.
The Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi will be the largest of its kind in the region and bring some of the rarest specimens across the world to the UAE capital. Besides “Stan” the T-Rex, visitors to the Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi, will be able to see the Murchison Meteorite.
The specimen crash-landed in Australia more than 40 years ago, and is famous because it has organic stardust compounds and pre-solar grains dating back to over seven billion years ago.
The Abu Dhabi Natural History Museum was officially announced on Wednesday March 23, 2022, by His Highness Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, member of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Office. The exciting new development promises to be a family-friendly space of learning for all ages.
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The Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi will also have a teaching institute and scientific research centre that will undertake studies in zoology, palaeontology, marine biology, molecular research, and earth sciences. The aim being to inspire everyone’s curiosity and passion for the natural world.
In addition to the main gallery display areas, the museum will also have exhibition spaces for special events and theatre facilities.
When will the Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi open?
As previously mentioned, the National History Museum Abu Dhabi is expected to open at the end of 2025, and it is currently under construction. The forthcoming Abu Dhabi museum promises to be as captivating outside as inside.
The cultural development will cover approximately 35,000 square metres in the Saadiyat Cultural District on Saadiyat Island. Lead architects Mecanoo has designed the Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi to “resonate with natural rock formations”, as part of the museum’s goal of increasing engagement and understanding of the natural world.
Water and vegetation will also be integral parts of the museum’s façade. Previews of the design show greenery-topped, organic-shaped buildings that blend with the rocky shores of Saadiyat.
The Saadiyat Cultural District is a fast-developing area of Abu Dhabi that will soon be rich with museums and places of learning and wonder. Besides the Louvre Abu Dhabi, visitors to Saadiyat Island can now also visit The Abrahamic Family House and will soon have the chance to explore modern art at the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi along with the national museum of the UAE, the Zayed National Museum.
Coming 2025. Saadiyat Cultural District, Saadiyat Island.
