Construction of the region’s largest museum is now 65 per cent complete.
Saadiyat Cultural District will soon host a new museum and scientific research centre, showcasing natural history spanning 13.8 billion years and covering an area of over 35,000 square metres, making it the largest of its kind in the region. Entitled the Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi, the project was officially launched by HH Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, member of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Office, in 2022. And now, recent updates reveal that the Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi has reached 65 per cent completion and is expected to be open to the public by the end of 2025.
Upon completion, not only will it present some of the rarest natural history specimens ever found, but it will also include a thought-provoking perspective into a sustainable future for planet Earth, thereby inspiring and empowering younger generations to protect the planet through curiosity and discovery. A highlight of the collection will be the world-famous ‘Stan’, a remarkable, mostly complete 11.7-metre Tyrannosaurus rex, which is one of the best preserved and most studied fossils of this iconic predator from the Late Cretaceous Period. Known by scientists around the world, years of scientific studies of ‘Stan’ have furthered our knowledge of countless aspects of T. rex.
‘Stan’ will be joined by an extraordinary Murchison Meteorite specimen, which famously crash-landed in Australia more than 40 years ago and has since revealed new information about the early solar system. Containing a huge range of organic ‘stardust’ compounds as well as pre-solar grains that formed over seven billion years ago – long before our current solar system existed – the meteorite provides ancient insight into the very building blocks of life. The museum’s collection will also feature numerous significant artefacts as part of its curatorial vision, as well as fascinating experiences being created by a dedicated team in Abu Dhabi, supported by strategic partnerships with world leading scholars and natural history experts.
In addition to global natural history, the Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi will present the history of life on Earth through an Arabian lens for the first time, with local natural assets of fauna, flora and the geological history of the region set to be part of the visitor journey. It will join a global community of natural history museums committed to public education and the development and sharing of scientific research. Within the museum, the innovative scientific research facility will undertake studies in areas including zoology, palaeontology, marine biology, molecular research (aDNA and proteomics), and earth sciences.
Lead architecture firm Mecanoo has designed the Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi to resonate with natural rock formations, reflecting the museum’s goal of improving understanding of and engagement with the natural world. Every element of the design uses geometry as an overriding theme, with pentagonal shapes resembling cellular structures. Also playing an important role in the design are water and vegetation, potent symbols of life in the desert.
The Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi is due to be completed at the end of 2025.
GO: Visit www.abudhabiculture.ae for more information.
