TAARIQ HALIM (ABU DHABI)

The year 2025 has been an unprecedented year for Abu Dhabi's arts, culture and tourism sector growth with the opening of no fewer than five museums.

The emirate significantly enhanced its ambitions of being a global cultural centre this year with the inauguration of Al Maqta'a Museum, teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi, Al Ain Museum, the Natural History Museum and the Zayed National Museum.

The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) plans to continue that trajectory in 2026 with the addition of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi to its offering of world-class attractions.

Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of the DCT Abu Dhabi, said these iconic landmarks, alongside another of the UAE capital's crown jewels – Louvre Abu Dhabi – completed the "constellation of cultural beacons" in the Saadiyat Cultural District, underlining its status as a global centre for knowledge, creativity and cultural exchange.

They also reaffirm Abu Dhabi's commitment to preserving, promoting, and protecting the UAE's rich cultural heritage.

teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi

teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi – developed by Japan's internationally acclaimed art collective teamLab in collaboration DCT Abu Dhabi – opened its doors to the public on April 18 in the Saadiyat Cultural District. 

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The 17,000 square metre multi-sensory art experience features massive transformative exhibits that engage sight, sound and touch, inspiring visitors to reimagine the way they feel, connect, and interact with the world around them.

Founded in 2001, the teamLab concept navigates the confluence of art, science, technology, and the natural world. Through art, the interdisciplinary group of specialists, including artists, programmers, engineers, CG animators, mathematicians, and architects, aims to explore the relationship between the self and the world and new forms of perception.

Al Maqta'a Museum

Abu Dhabi Police and DCT Abu Dhabi launched Al Maqta'a Museum on May 2, following a full restoration and renovation of the site.

Visitors to the museum can explore key cultural landmarks in the capital, including Al Maqta'a Tower, Al Maqta'a Building, and Al Maqta'a Bridge.

 

The building, formerly known as Al Maqta'a Fort, has a rich history deeply intertwined with the protection and development of Abu Dhabi Island. 

The museum is housed within Al Maqta'a Fort, which is a reconstruction of the former Customs House built in the 1950s to monitor entry to Abu Dhabi Island when the first causeway was built linking it to the mainland. 

The fort was heavily restored in 2002 and transformed into a museum to celebrate its socio-cultural and historic importance. 

It is located within Al Maqta'a Conservation Area, which comprises buildings and structures of the pre-oil, transitional, and post-oil periods and the naturally formed waterway (Khor) between Abu Dhabi Island and the mainland. 

These elements contributed to the political and strategic significance of this area for the founding of Abu Dhabi City. 

Al Ain Museum

DCT Abu Dhabi reopened Al Ain Museum to the public on October 24. Originally established in 1969 by the UAE's Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Al Ain Museum is the nation's first museum and remains the centre of knowledge on the history and heritage of Al Ain Region.

 

Following extensive redevelopment, the museum, designed by Dabbagh Architects, expanded its total area from 1,200 to 8,000 square metres.

The museum's major restoration and redevelopment project introduced 10 main galleries, each equipped with high-tech audiovisual and interactive display systems, as well as new visitor and research facilities, a research centre, conservation laboratories, educational spaces, a reading room, café, retail area and a hall for temporary exhibitions.

The collection of Al Ain Museum traces the human inhabitation of Al Ain Region, featuring archaeological artefacts dating back more than 8,000 years, material culture objects that highlight the customs and practices of its people, and exhibitions that explore the area's cultural heritage through to the present day.

Natural History Museum

Opened on November 22 in the Saadiyat Cultural District, the museum spans more than 35,000 square metres and is the largest of its kind in the Middle East. 

With a special focus on the Arab region, it features state-of-the-art scientific displays and immersive exhibits that chronicle 13.8 billion years of natural history, from the Big Bang and the formation of our solar system to the evolution of life, dinosaurs, and the biodiversity of our planet.Designed by renowned Dutch architectural firm Mecanoo, the museum's building rises from the Saadiyat Island landscape, its silhouette mimicking natural rock formations.

Zayed National Museum

Inaugurated on December 3 on the occasion of Eid Al Etihad, the national museum of the UAE is the centrepiece of the Saadiyat Cultural District, offering visitors a journey through the history of the UAE, from the earliest evidence of human habitation to the civilisations that shaped its culture and identity. 

The museum serves as a cultural bridge connecting the seven emirates, highlighting their shared history and heritage. It reflects how the story of Sheikh Zayed is deeply intertwined with that of the UAE, presenting his life as a lens through which to explore the values and aspirations that underpin the nation. 

The museum showcases a collection of more than 1,500 objects within its six permanent galleries, combining archaeological artefacts, relics, audiovisual and sensory experiences, as well as contemporary installations and authentic reconstructions.

Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Lord Norman Foster of Foster + Partners, the structure features five soaring steel towers, inspired by the wings of a falcon in flight. It is both a symbol of heritage and a feat of modern engineering.

Guggenheim Abu Dhabi

Construction is reportedly near completion, and Guggenheim Abu Dhabi is expected to open its doors in 2026, with a date to be announced in the near future.

Guggenheim Abu Dhabi is a collaboration between DCT Abu Dhabi and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, which also operates the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, and the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao. 

 

 

The famous contemporary art museum brand is set to bring some of the world's most celebrated art to the UAE capital.

The museum will house 28 galleries with a total of 12,080 square metres of interior space, and an additional 23,000 square metres of exterior exhibition spaces in the atrium, plazas and terraces encircling the building.

The museum will feature the work of artists from across the globe in a variety of mediums. The emphasis will be on modern and contemporary art, highlighting work produced from the 1960s to the present.

Presenting an international collection of more than 970 artworks by 429 artists from over 70 countries, with a specific focus on West Asia and the wider region, the collections will show how different art perspectives have shaped the histories of our time.

The museum's unique architecture was designed by Pritzker-prize-winning architect Frank Gehry, who passed away on December 5, 2025.

The eye-catching structure features stacked, geometric volumes and 11 large, conical galleries inspired by traditional Islamic wind towers.