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
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies direct from Dubai to Rio de Janeiro from Dh7,000 return including taxes. Avianca fliles from Rio to Cusco via Lima from $399 (Dhxx) return including taxes.
The trip
From US$1,830 per deluxe cabin, twin share, for the one-night Spirit of the Water itinerary and US$4,630 per deluxe cabin for the Peruvian Highlands itinerary, inclusive of meals, and beverages. Surcharges apply for some excursions.
EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 3
Danilo (16'), Bernardo Silva (34'), Fernandinho (72')
Brighton & Hove Albion 1
Ulloa (20')
ANDROID%20VERSION%20NAMES%2C%20IN%20ORDER
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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The Byblos iftar in numbers
29 or 30 days – the number of iftar services held during the holy month
50 staff members required to prepare an iftar
200 to 350 the number of people served iftar nightly
160 litres of the traditional Ramadan drink, jalab, is served in total
500 litres of soup is served during the holy month
200 kilograms of meat is used for various dishes
350 kilograms of onion is used in dishes
5 minutes – the average time that staff have to eat
Zayed Sustainability Prize
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
The specs
Engine: 4 liquid-cooled permanent magnet synchronous electric motors placed at each wheel
Battery: Rimac 120kWh Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide (LiNiMnCoO2) chemistry
Power: 1877bhp
Torque: 2300Nm
Price: Dh7,500,00
On sale: Now
The 10 Questions
- Is there a God?
- How did it all begin?
- What is inside a black hole?
- Can we predict the future?
- Is time travel possible?
- Will we survive on Earth?
- Is there other intelligent life in the universe?
- Should we colonise space?
- Will artificial intelligence outsmart us?
- How do we shape the future?
RESULTS
Main card
Bantamweight 56.4kg: Mehdi Eljamari (MAR) beat Abrorbek Madiminbekov (UZB), Split points decision
Super heavyweight 94 kg: Adnan Mohammad (IRN) beat Mohammed Ajaraam (MAR), Split points decision
Lightweight 60kg: Zakaria Eljamari (UAE) beat Faridoon Alik Zai (AFG), RSC round 3
Light heavyweight 81.4kg: Taha Marrouni (MAR) beat Mahmood Amin (EGY), Unanimous points decision
Light welterweight 64.5kg: Siyovush Gulmamadov (TJK) beat Nouredine Samir (UAE), Unanimous points decision
Light heavyweight 81.4kg: Ilyass Habibali (UAE) beat Haroun Baka (ALG), KO second round
MATCH INFO
What: Brazil v South Korea
When: Tonight, 5.30pm
Where: Mohamed bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Tickets: www.ticketmaster.ae
Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
COMPANY%20PROFILE%3A
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More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The years Ramadan fell in May
The Saga Continues
Wu-Tang Clan
(36 Chambers / Entertainment One)
More on Quran memorisation:
