The Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi will open to the public on November 22.
The museum is already a landmark structure in Saadiyat Cultural District, spanning 35,000 square metres, making it the largest institution of its kind in the region.
Designed by the architecture firm Mecanoo, its facade echoes rock formations – a deliberate move to engage visitors with the natural world before they even enter.
The Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi will be home to some of the rarest specimens on the planet. Its galleries will span a 13.8 billion-year journey through time and space, from the beginnings of the universe to glimpses of a predicted future.
“The opening of the Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi marks a major milestone in our journey to shape the emirate’s cultural landscape,” said Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, chairman of the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi.
“The museum offers an immersive look at the story of life on Earth, framed for the first time through an Arabian lens, with the fauna, flora, and geological history of the region forming a prominent part of the visitor journey.
“By fostering engagement with the natural sciences, the Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi inspires future generations and contributes to a more sustainable future,” Al Mubarak said.
Dinosaurs and space debris
Highlights from the museum's collection include the skeleton of Stan, the world-famous 11.7-metre tall Tyrannosaurus rex that is one of the best-preserved and most-studied fossils of the late Cretaceous period predator.
Stan will be joined by a 25-metre female blue whale specimen, offering insight into marine biodiversity and ongoing evolution.
Another highlight is a specimen of the Murchison meteorite, which crashed-landed as a shower of stones in Australia in 1969 and has since revealed information about the early solar system.
The meteorite bears a variety of extraterrestrial organic compounds as well as pre-solar grains that formed more than seven billion years ago, long before our solar system existed.
Among the discoveries that originated from Abu Dhabi is an extinct species of elephant known as Stegotetrabelodon emiratus. An ancient member of the Elephantidae family, the elephant relative had tusks in both its upper and lower jaws, offering visitors a glimpse into the species's evolutionary journey.
Travel back in time
The institution will feature permanent galleries and exhibitions.
The main galleries include The Story of Earth, The Evolving World, Our World, Resilient Planet and Earth’s Future. Among the side galleries are The PalaeoLab, The Life Sciences Lab, Arabia’s Climate, Beyond the Horizon and The Human Story.
Visitors can also take part in the Interactive Theatre, which offers immersive experiences that transport viewers through time.
When the museum opens next month, it will feature two temporary international exhibitions. First is The March of the Triceratops, which showcases the world’s only touring Triceratops herd.
Also on display will be the 61st Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition, a showcase of international wildlife photography.
These exhibitions kick off the museum’s rolling international programme, which will feature scientific and cultural collaboration at both local and international levels.
The museum is global in scope, but its storytelling is anchored in the natural history of the region. After tackling key moments in Earth’s history – including mass extinction events – the journey turns towards the evolution of the Arabian Peninsula.
The museum will be like a time machine, with galleries that will transport visitors to the UAE capital as it was several million years ago.
The Late Miocene Abu Dhabi gallery, for instance, will house several one-to-one scale models of animals that once inhabited the emirate. Visitors will find themselves in the midst of a model environment with rivers of freshwater fish, crocodiles, turtles and even hippopotamuses that were unique to the region, smaller than their African counterparts.
It will house pieces from the famed Mleisa Elephant Trackway that was discovered in the western region of Abu Dhabi. The tracks were left by a herd of elephants as they crossed a muddy area in the Al Dhafra region seven million years ago.
Thinking ahead
The museum will join a global community of natural history institutions committed to public education. Scientists at the research facility will undertake studies in areas including zoology, palaeontology, marine biology, molecular research (DNA and proteomics), and earth and planetary sciences.
The primary aim will be to advance knowledge and increase understanding of the past, but also to create a think tank for emerging technologies and innovation.
Even before its opening, the Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi has already contributed to global scientific knowledge. In collaboration with the University of Manchester, the museum has led a study revealing how the internal structure of 150-million-year-old pterosaur wing bones could inspire aviation materials.
Using ultra-high-resolution X-ray imaging, scientists uncovered microscopic 3D-interlocking structures within the fossils. When applied through modern 3D metal printing, the ancient natural design could lead to aircraft components that are lighter, stronger and more fuel-efficient.
