Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi, museum in the United Arab Emirates
The Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi is a natural history museum under construction on Saadiyat Island, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, with an expected opening in late 2025. Designed by Dutch architecture firm Mecanoo, it will display fossils, meteorites, minerals, and interactive exhibits covering the history of Earth.
Abu Dhabi began transforming Saadiyat Island into a cultural district in the 2000s, attracting institutions from around the world. This natural history museum is one of the later additions to that plan, joining venues like the Louvre Abu Dhabi that were already open to the public.
Saadiyat Island is home to several major cultural venues, and this museum will add natural science to a district already known for art and history. Visitors to the island can move easily between institutions, making it possible to spend a full day exploring very different subjects.
The museum is not yet open to the public, so a visit is not possible at the moment. When it does open, the site sits on Saadiyat Island alongside other cultural venues, making it easy to combine with a broader day out in the area.
One of the centerpiece exhibits will be a T-Rex skeleton named Stan, which is among the most complete of its kind ever found. Stan was discovered in the US in 1987 and sold at auction in 2020 for a record price before making its way to Abu Dhabi.
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