Museums are not just places; They are stories woven across time and country. The newly constructed Zayed National Museum in Abu Dhabi proves this as its five slender eagle wings rise dramatically above the horizon. Anchored inside is a 60-foot boat, with a bow 11 feet high – the same ship I once encountered in a school textbook on the Indus Valley Civilization. Reconstructed using wood, coir and bitumen with the help of university scholars, researchers and sailors from Kerala, the Magan boat is a marvel of the Bronze Age. It connects this desert country with Meluha, the maritime trading port of the Indus Valley Civilization.
Such boats carried copper across the Arabian Sea to ports on the west coast of India 3,000–4,000 years ago. Repurposed from materials described in engraved images and cuneiform writing on ancient tablets, without any nails, bolts or screws, the boat conducted two-day sea trials in the Arabian Gulf, covering a distance of 50 nautical miles, before being moored at the museum.
happy boat
more than petroleum land
The museum positions itself as a place where the world and civilization are interpreted through an Arab lens. “The history here is from a UAE perspective. It’s not the other way around. It’s not from a British perspective,” says Mohammed Khalifa Al Mubarak, chairman of Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture and Tourism.
Open gallery leading to the museum
With a massive 30-metre mound, the museum has been designed by British architect Norman Foster, taking into account the desert topography. The wingtips act as thermal chimneys, creating currents of cool air that pull warm air out of the building. Architects call them ‘Canadian vents’; Khalifa Al Mubarak ‘calls’ themBarjeel‘, an ancient wind-tower design that has long cooled homes and public spaces throughout the region.
“The Zayed National Museum tells the evolving story of the land and its people. It showcases the unifying power of our history and culture, providing a space where citizens, residents and visitors can see themselves reflected in the story of our people and our land. Connecting the past, present and future, it will help shape how we understand the UAE’s evolving cultural narrative.”Mohammed Khalifa Al MubarakChairman of the Department of Culture and Tourism of Abu Dhabi
Walking through the space, I realized that museums aren’t just about controversial objects; They are a culture speaking to itself, a collective memory that interprets the world and restores our place in it. Here, an old notion dissolves – the idea of ​​the UAE as a land of only petroleum, sand dunes, palm trees, sea and shopping malls, isolated from history. Instead, it evokes awe as it presents a tapestry linking oases, horses, coffee pots, date palms, water infrastructure and falconry, tracing the story of the land from the Palaeolithic period, the pre-Islamic era to the modern era. During the tour, Khalifa Al Mubarak says, “One of the surprises for me was finding a Bronze Age sword inside a burial mound in Al Ain. It was oxidized, but we discovered that people were buried with their personal belongings. The restored sword showed the warrior mentality of the people.” It is the order of the narrative that shapes the visitor experience.
A child standing inside the Zayed National Museum in Abu Dhabi. Photo courtesy: AFP
united arab emirates celebration
The museum houses 1,500 objects sourced from all seven emirates, within six permanent galleries, combining archaeological artefacts, historical objects, audiovisual and sensory experiences and contemporary installations and reconstructions. It also pays tribute to the life and times of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founder of the United Arab Emirates. The tour starts at the 600-metre outdoor Al Masr Garden, which features a khejri (Persian mesquite) tree from one of their residences. Inside, replicas of horses from the breeds he rode are on display, and a replica of his 1966 Chrysler Newport and his camel stick are on display.
Women stroll inside the Zayed National Museum in Abu Dhabi. | Photo courtesy: AFP
The story also celebrates the country’s enduring bond with falcons. “The falcons were the key to survival because they helped with hunting during difficult times. They are our family,” says the curator of a gallery depicting a land that is partly desert, partly sea and partly urban carnival. A diorama depicts the ancient Tethys Sea and the formation of fossil fuels, depicted through glass micro-organisms symbolizing the country’s modern wealth. Another exhibit presents one of the oldest known pearls, an 8,000-year-old find discovered on the island of Marwa in 2017, linking pearl-diving to the country’s long history.
falcon statue
cultural district
Built on Saadiyat Island, the museum joins a group of institutions reshaping the cultural landscape of the UAE. It is on an artificial island within walking distance of the Louvre Abu Dhabi, surmounted by a steel dome visible from space, which houses artworks ranging from Renaissance paintings to Tamil Nadu bronzes. The Guggenheim Abu Dhabi is under construction, while the Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi currently hosts Lucy, the 3.2 million-year-old skeleton considered the mother of humanity, on loan from Ethiopia.
a graveyard
By bringing together these interconnected human narratives, Abu Dhabi is crafting a new visual history of the country – one in which the Zayed National Museum asserts its authority over culture and our collective human heritage.
published – January 17, 2026 02:01 PM IST