Abu Dhabi has at all times been a gathering level of worlds the place East and West, previous and future, custom and ambition converge. This isn’t only a matter of geography. It displays who we’re: a society formed by the change of concepts, pushed by curiosity, and united by a deep perception within the energy of tradition to maneuver folks and concepts ahead.
That perception takes centre stage as we mark Worldwide Museum Day right this moment. This yr’s theme, The Way forward for Museums in Quickly Altering Communities, couldn’t be timelier. In an age outlined by technological acceleration, local weather disruption, and world uncertainty, museums are not simply guardians of the previous. They’re engines of progress the place creativity, inclusion and innovation come collectively to form extra resilient and related societies.
These values information the mission of Saadiyat Cultural District Abu Dhabi, one of many best concentrations of worldwide establishments. Its shared narrative is a celebration of cultural dialogue, inventive exploration and the human story that binds us throughout time and geography. The District is greater than a centre of worldwide cultural and artistic excellence: it’s a lasting dedication to a society the place information and creativity is nurtured, providing pathways to inspiration, empowerment and transformation.
HE Mohammed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman, Division of Tradition and Tourism–Abu Dhabi Photograph: © Division of Tradition and Tourism Abu Dhabi
Every of Saadiyat Cultural District’s establishments performs a definite position. When Louvre Abu Dhabi presents a Bactrian ‘princess’ from 2000BC beside a Tang Dynasty ceramic and a Mondrian masterpiece, it affirms that inventive brilliance transcends borders and eras. When the newly opened teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi explores the fusion of artwork, science, and know-how, it locations the UAE on the centre of tomorrow’s narratives. And when Zayed Nationwide Museum tells the story of the UAE’s transformation from a nation of pearl divers, farmers and merchants, to a knowledge-driven financial system, it affords a residing mannequin of resilience and reinvention.
But the ambition of our cultural technique reaches far past Saadiyat Cultural District. Throughout the emirate, a wealthy community of museums and cultural centres ensures that tradition is deeply rooted within the identification and each day lifetime of our communities.
Qasr Al Hosn, the oldest standing construction in Abu Dhabi, has been reworked right into a residing museum that tells the story of the capital’s evolution from a fortified watchtower to a vibrant world metropolis. In Al Ain, the birthplace of our Founding Father, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, each the Al Ain Museum, established by Sheikh Zayed in 1971, and his former house, Al Ain Palace Museum, stand as enduring symbols of our nationwide identification and Qasr Al Muwaiji, that has performed an necessary position within the historical past of the United Arab Emirates. Collectively, they replicate the values, imaginative and prescient and management that proceed to form the nation’s path ahead.
On the strategy to town centre, the newly restored Al Maqta Museum, housed in a historic watchtower, discover the defensive and maritime heritage of the area. In the meantime, Delma Museum, on one of many oldest repeatedly inhabited islands within the UAE, affords deep insights into the nation’s seafaring and pearling traditions.
The Zayed Nationwide Museum is among the museums set to open on Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat Island, and can inform the story of the UAE Laptop render: © Division of Tradition and Tourism Abu Dhabi
Every of those establishments is tailor-made to its group and context, enriching native delight whereas reinforcing a broader nationwide narrative. They embody our perception that cultural heritage in Abu Dhabi ought to be celebrated in all places, so that each customer, from schoolchildren to students, can see themselves mirrored within the tales they protect and share.
This strategy continues the legacy of Sheikh Zayed, who recognised lengthy earlier than the nation’s formation that tradition was important to constructing a cohesive and forward-looking society. Not solely to protect the previous, however to encourage future generations. That imaginative and prescient is extra related right this moment than ever earlier than.
We noticed it take one other step ahead this yr with the launch of the Abu Dhabi Assortment. Curated over a few years by DCT-Abu Dhabi, the Abu Dhabi Assortment brings collectively hundreds of works that replicate the depth and variety of our shared heritage. Spanning continents, centuries and civilisations, the gathering affirms that tradition shouldn’t be mounted or finite. It strikes throughout borders. It connects folks. And it belongs to us all.
As we navigate the complicated terrain of the twenty first century, from demographic shifts to local weather challenges, from exponential applied sciences to multipolar geopolitics, tradition affords one thing distinctive: the power to transform uncertainty into risk. It reminds us that each leap ahead begins with creativeness, and that each answer is rooted in human expertise.
On the event of this Worldwide Museum Day, Abu Dhabi reaffirms its perception in a future formed not solely by information or infrastructure, however by concepts, heritage and human connection. By funding in cultural establishments, inventive industries and group engagement, we not solely protect the previous, we additionally empower the current and encourage the long run. As a result of tradition stays humanity’s oldest survival technique, in addition to its most enduring supply of hope.
