The UAE’s museum landscape continues to expand, with Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, announcing plans for the five-storey Dubai Museum of Art, said to “float” on the waters of Dubai Creek.
The museum will join a growing list of recently opened and soon-to-launch institutions, each immaculately designed by leading architects to offer everything from state-of-the-art exhibitions exploring humanity’s relationship with nature and science to galleries tracing the history of the UAE and global civilisation, as well as contemporary art that links the region with Africa and Asia.
From Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat Cultural District and Al Ain to Dubai Creek, these institutions strengthen the UAE’s standing as a global cultural hub.
1. TeamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi
A 17,000-square-metre multi-sensory experience with several different installations focusing on the relationship between humans and the natural world.
Launched in April, the venue is divided into dry and water zones and features interactive installations that use distinct light, sound and movement to give each section its own identity and story to tell.
Saadiyat Cultural District, Abu Dhabi
2. Al Maqta’a Museum
Ensconced within the restored Al Maqta’a Fort, the museum launched in April and offers insights into Abu Dhabi’s early years as a trading post and border checkpoint.
Formerly the site of a 1950s customs house and police station connecting the island to the mainland, it is now an interactive space highlighting the emirate’s social and policing history, with exhibitions featuring vintage vehicles, archival documents and a temporary show on the Umm an-Nar archaeological site. Programming also includes children’s activities and family workshops.
Al Maqta’a Conservation Area, Abu Dhabi
3. Al Ain Museum
First opened in 1971, the UAE’s oldest museum has reopened this month after a major restoration that added new exhibition spaces within its preserved original structure. Located near Al Jahili Fort, its programming focuses on the Garden City’s archaeological and ethnographic heritage, from ancient desert settlements to early Bedouin life.
The renovated galleries feature artefacts from sites such as Hili Archaeological Park and Qattara Oasis, along with displays on the legacy of UAE Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who inaugurated the museum more than five decades ago.
Central District, Al Ain
4. Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi: Opening November 22
Spanning 35,000 square metres, it will be the largest institution of its kind in the region. Designed by the architecture firm Mecanoo, 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.
Highlights from the museum's collection include the skeleton of Stan, the world-famous 11.7-metre-tall Tyrannosaurus rex, one of the best-preserved and most-studied fossils of the Late Cretaceous predator.
Stan will be joined by a 25-metre female blue whale specimen, offering insight into marine biodiversity and ongoing evolution.
Saadiyat Cultural District, Abu Dhabi
5. Zayed National Museum: Opening December 3
The museum was established to preserve local culture and heritage. It will tell the story of the UAE over a timeline spanning 300,000 years. Its collection will include more than 3,000 pieces, with 1,500 set to go on display upon opening.
Designed by UK architecture firm Foster+Partners, its five steel structures already forms part of the skyline of the Saadiyat Cultural District and inspired by the country’s tradition of falconry and each is shaped like a feather.
The museum will house artefacts including one of the world’s oldest natural pearls, called the Abu Dhabi Pearl, five folios from the Blue Quran, as well as a Magan boat, an 18-metre reproduction of the ancient vessel, which will be displayed in the building's atrium.
Saadiyat Cultural District, Abu Dhabi
6. Guggenheim Abu Dhabi: Opening 2026
Designed by renowned architect Frank Gehry, the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi is set to be the final museum to open as part of the Saadiyat Cultural District.
With former NYU Abu Dhabi vice chancellor Mariet Westermann appointed as director and chief executive of the Solomon R Guggenheim Museum and Foundation, and Stephanie Rosenthal serving as project director for Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, the museum is envisioned as a centre for modern and contemporary art from the 20th and 21st centuries. Its collections will highlight artistic and cultural connections across West Asia, North Africa and South Asia, alongside commissions created to complement the museum’s distinctive cone-shaped galleries.
Saadiyat Cultural District, Abu Dhabi
7. Dubai Museum of Art: Opening TBA
Announced this month and to be built on the banks of Dubai Creek, the five-storey structure will be designed by Japanese architect Tadao Ando, known for the minimalist Church of Light in Osaka and the Museum of Modern Art in Fort Worth.
It will feature galleries across two floors and a restaurant, accessible through a waterfront promenade below. While details of its contents will be revealed at a later stage, it is envisioned to be a place to showcase contemporary works from Dubai’s artists and wider creative community.
Dubai Creek, Dubai
