Zayed National Museum

Info Experience a thoughtful blend of tradition, culture, and modern innovation at Zayed National Museum, the national museum of the United Arab Emirates. Located within the vibrant Saadiyat Cultural District in Abu Dhabi, the museum draws its inspiration from the life and values of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the Founding Father of the UAE.

The building was created by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Lord Norman Foster of Foster + Partners, who designed five striking steel towers inspired by the wings of a falcon in flight. The museum combines long-established Emirati building principles with advanced sustainable technologies suited to the local environment.

Visitors begin their journey along Al Masar Garden, a six-hundred-meter outdoor gallery filled with native and drought-tolerant plants. This landscape presents a curated timeline of key moments from Sheikh Zayed's life, set within desert, oasis, and urban settings.

Inside the museum, six permanent galleries guide visitors through the story of the UAE. The galleries explore the earliest human activity in the region, ancient trade networks, coastal and inland traditions, the natural environments that shaped daily life, and the legacy of Sheikh Zayed himself.

The museum holds more than three thousand objects, with over fifteen hundred items on display across two floors. Each gallery offers a deeper understanding of the history, culture, and achievements that have shaped the Emirates.