Today's Edition
ABU DHABI (ALETIHAD)
Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi combines breath-taking nature landscapes with the magic of art and culture, becoming a key attraction that offers visitors an unparalleled experience.
Spanning 27 km² and located 500 metres off the coast of Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat Island enables visitors to be immersed in the arts and culture scene, while living in harmony with the Island’s pristine white-sand beaches and diverse wildlife, such as Hawksbill turtles, bottlenose dolphins and Arabian gazelles.
The island offers a gateway to the world’s best art and history at Louvre Abu Dhabi and an array of top-rated resorts and museums set to open in 2025. Its wide variety of options cater to the diverse interests of visitors, cementing Abu Dhabi’s position as a leading destination for tourists from all over the world.
The magic of UAE’s islands is captured in Saadiyat Island at the heart of ‘World’s Coolest Winter’ campaign, which aims in its 4th season under the slogan ‘Unforgettable Stories’ to highlight the country’s nature sights, culture and heritage that leave residents and travellers mesmerized.
Journey Through Time
Saadiyat island houses the first overseas site for the famed Louvre Museum, the first universal museum in the Arab world boasting spectacular architecture and a rich permanent art collection.
The museum connects the rich and ancient Arab civilization with the Western world of art and culture, exploring the shared themes that reveal humanity.
Born out of an intergovernmental agreement signed between France and the UAE, Louvre Abu Dhabi provides a historical narrative of art that spans the entire history of civilisation and emphasises the shared human experience.
Opened in November 2017 on Saadiyat Island, in a building designed by architect Jean Nouvel, the museum’s 23 permanent galleries depict a wide range of cultures, traditions and eras in a unique side-by-side presentation. This enables visitors to discover shared influences and intriguing connections between different cultures.
The museum collection includes several significant works, including one of the finest examples of a standing Bactrian princess from approximately 2000 BCE; a 3,000-year-old Middle Eastern gold bracelet featuring a lion's head; and an 1878 painting by Osman Hamdi Bey titled Young Emir Studying.
Other important works include Paul Gauguin’s masterpiece Children Wrestling; the René Magritte painting The Subjugated Reader; a 1928 collage by Picasso titled Portrait of a Lady; nine canvasses by contemporary artist Cy Twombly; and the oldest known photographic representation of a veiled woman.
In the heart of the Saadiyat Cultural District, Guggenheim Abu Dhabi Museum is set to open in 2025, presenting a global collection with a specific focus on West Asia, North Africa, and South Asia.
Set to be the region’s pre-eminent museum of global modern and contemporary art, Guggenheim Abu Dhabi fosters a deeper understanding of how different art perspectives have shaped the interconnected histories and cultures of our time.
The museum offers a creative platform for local and international artists and sparks wider interest and awareness of global modern and contemporary art.
A notable neighbour will be the future Zayed National Museum, currently under development. Located at the heart of Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat Island Cultural District, it is set to be the national museum of the UAE set to celebrate the rich history, culture, and stories of the country.
In March 2022, the Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi was launched as the biggest project of its kind in the region. Once open in 2025, the museum will take visitors on a 13.8-billion-year journey through time and space and include a thought-provoking perspective into a sustainable future for planet Earth.
Cultural Centres
Manarat Al Saadiyat opened in 2009 as an exhibition centre and is today an active community space that contributes to the arts scene in Abu Dhabi.
With its year-round curated exhibitions, film screenings, performances, workshops and drop-in studio spaces, the centre continually engages with the community. It explores contemporary concepts and ideas that speak to all ages and serves as a space dedicated to experiencing the latest in the arts and popular culture.
Urbanity and popular culture lie at the core of Manarat Al Saadiyat, with a particular emphasis on photography and multimedia. Ongoing programmes explore film, music, animation, gaming, photography and media. It also provides room for expression and innovation, through art workshops for both children and adults in printmaking, self-portraits, figure drawing and ceramics.
The centre is home to the Photography Studio, Art Studio and three galleries for temporary exhibitions. It has an outdoor events terrace, a cafe and brasserie, a 250-seat auditorium, and a 100-seat theatre space. Located in the Saadiyat Cultural District, Manarat Al Saadiyat is a gateway to Louvre Abu Dhabi, the future Zayed National Museum and Guggenheim Abu Dhabi. It is also the primary location for Abu Dhabi Art and the Culture Summit.
Academic Institutions
Saadiyat Island is home to notable academic institutions such as NYU Abu Dhabi, which offers a comprehensive program in sciences, arts, and humanities.
The island also houses the first Middle East outpost of Berklee College of Music, which graduated about 300 Grammy winners.
In the realm of sports, Saadiyat Island comprises Monte Carlo Beach Club and Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, designed by golfing legend, Gary Player, and opened in 2010.
The island also houses five luxury beachfront resorts.
Abrahamic Family House
Abrahamic Family House, open to the public since March 2023, is a major landmark in Saadiyat Island. Encompassing a mosque, a church, a synagogue, and a Forum for gathering and dialogue, the Abrahamic Family House welcomes people from all walks of life to exchange knowledge and practice faith.
It also embodies the diversity of Abu Dhabi and the wider UAE, home to vibrant multicultural communities of various faiths.
Nature Reserves
Saadiyat Island Abu Dhabi, which is located within Al Saadiyat Marine National Park where the turtles were released, is home to a diverse ecosystem of protected marine and wildlife animals. Nature enthusiasts can expect to come close to endangered hawksbill turtles, bottlenose and Humpback dolphins, local Arabian gazelles, and more than 300 species of birds.
Efforts are dedicated to preserve Saadiyat Island’s unique natural ecosystem, marine and wildlife, with aims to strengthen the island’s standing as a sustainable and wide-ranging destination that immerses visitors in breath-taking nature of Abu Dhabi.
Development Plans
For the 12th consecutive year, Saadiyat has been titled as the “Middle East’s Leading Beach Destination” by the World Travel Awards, dubbed the “Oscars of the Travel Industry”, reaffirming its position as the Middle East’s Best Beach destination.
The island is undergoing constant development to increase tourist turnout. The Arabian Market 2022 saw the launch of a new vision, strategy, and brand for Saadiyat Island, positioning it as a leading beach, nature, and cultural destination, which bolsters the emirate’s tourism sector and supports the diversification of Abu Dhabi’s economy.
Saadiyat Island is expected to attract 19 million visitors and contribute Dh 4.2 billion in direct tourism revenue by 2025.
The Abu Dhabi Distribution Company (ADDC) supplies approximately 4.4 million imperial gallons of recycled water per day to the island’s community for landscaping, significantly reducing its reliance on desalinated water.
ADDC has also connected Saadiyat Island to the existing recycled water network from Yas Island.
