emirates7 - Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman, Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, said that museums today are redefining their role as guardians of culture and laboratories of knowledge, creativity and discovery.
"They are deepening our understanding of humanity’s shared story, from the origins of life on Earth to the creative and cultural forces that shape our future. This vision, already embodied in the institutions of the Saadiyat Cultural District and beyond, demonstrates how museums can serve as living platforms for research, education, and dialogue."
In statements today, Al Mubarak said, "The UAE’s commitment to museums finds its origin in the foresight of our Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. In 1969, even before the nation was formally established, he commissioned the UAE’s first museum in the oasis city of Al Ain. Sheikh Zayed acted on a fundamental and timeless truth, that “a nation without a past is a nation without a present or a future.”
This month, the United Arab Emirates hosted the 27th General Conference of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) in Dubai. "As a milestone moment for our nation and the wider region, the event presented the perfect opportunity to make a distinctively UAE contribution to the global discourse on museology and culture. The conference theme, “The Future of Museums in Rapidly Changing Communities,” posed urgent questions about the indispensable role museums play as communities confront social, economic, and environmental challenges," he said.
"For over five decades, we have built upon that foundational commitment by living our values and weaving cultural infrastructure into the very fabric of our communities. Today, across the UAE, we are working together to ensure that our cultural treasures and heritage remain a living part of our shared future," he added.
In the UAE, he continued, " Our conviction in the essential value and enduring importance of museums remains absolute. We firmly believe that when museums operate with a genuine mandate to serve their communities, they transcend their institutional walls. They become powerful catalysts for opportunity, fostering profound human connection, driving societal transformation, and, crucially, empowerment of the next generation.
"We have continued to build an authentic, ambitious and comprehensive museum ecosystem from the ground up because we possess an unwavering belief in the power of these institutions as critical infrastructure for cultural vitality, deep understanding and shared belonging."
Over the past decade, he explained, "Abu Dhabi has accelerated its cultural development with purpose and clarity. We have successfully advanced and are on the verge of delivering major national museum projects in Saadiyat Cultural District, including the Zayed National Museum and the Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi, the first of its kind in the region. Guggenheim Abu Dhabi will follow soon, joining the existing Louvre Abu Dhabi, the first universal museum in the Arab world, and teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi in the same district.
"We have also renovated and reopened heritage institutions such as the Al Ain Museum an Qasr Al Hosn. At the same time, we have deepened cooperation with our national partners on safeguarding the UAE’s intangible heritage, advancing the UNESCO list that honours living traditions across all emirates. Through a growing archaeology programme, we continue to uncover remarkable discoveries, from paleontological and fossil sites to early Christian artefacts, that enrich our understanding of the historic and diverse cultures that once flourished on this land.
"These achievements reflect Abu Dhabi’s long-term commitment to building one of the most active and forward-looking cultural landscapes globally. As Abu Dhabi advances its own long-term cultural vision, it does so as part of a unified national ecosystem, meshed by a dynamic creative landscape, deep-rooted museum tradition, and the cultural energy of all emirates."
He noted that museums in the UAE, are also spaces of belonging, "where the 200 nationalities that call the UAE home can find common ground and shared human experience. Our museums are powerful platforms for socio-economic opportunity, supporting creative careers, sustaining cultural industries, attracting cultural tourism and inspiring future generations. Our museums help define identity for young people who seek to understand their roots while navigating a rapidly changing world. Even as we build a museum network up from the grassroots level, they are becoming an integrated and inseparable part of the same dynamic ecosystem as our communities."
"They are deepening our understanding of humanity’s shared story, from the origins of life on Earth to the creative and cultural forces that shape our future. This vision, already embodied in the institutions of the Saadiyat Cultural District and beyond, demonstrates how museums can serve as living platforms for research, education, and dialogue."
In statements today, Al Mubarak said, "The UAE’s commitment to museums finds its origin in the foresight of our Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. In 1969, even before the nation was formally established, he commissioned the UAE’s first museum in the oasis city of Al Ain. Sheikh Zayed acted on a fundamental and timeless truth, that “a nation without a past is a nation without a present or a future.”
This month, the United Arab Emirates hosted the 27th General Conference of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) in Dubai. "As a milestone moment for our nation and the wider region, the event presented the perfect opportunity to make a distinctively UAE contribution to the global discourse on museology and culture. The conference theme, “The Future of Museums in Rapidly Changing Communities,” posed urgent questions about the indispensable role museums play as communities confront social, economic, and environmental challenges," he said.
"For over five decades, we have built upon that foundational commitment by living our values and weaving cultural infrastructure into the very fabric of our communities. Today, across the UAE, we are working together to ensure that our cultural treasures and heritage remain a living part of our shared future," he added.
In the UAE, he continued, " Our conviction in the essential value and enduring importance of museums remains absolute. We firmly believe that when museums operate with a genuine mandate to serve their communities, they transcend their institutional walls. They become powerful catalysts for opportunity, fostering profound human connection, driving societal transformation, and, crucially, empowerment of the next generation.
"We have continued to build an authentic, ambitious and comprehensive museum ecosystem from the ground up because we possess an unwavering belief in the power of these institutions as critical infrastructure for cultural vitality, deep understanding and shared belonging."
Over the past decade, he explained, "Abu Dhabi has accelerated its cultural development with purpose and clarity. We have successfully advanced and are on the verge of delivering major national museum projects in Saadiyat Cultural District, including the Zayed National Museum and the Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi, the first of its kind in the region. Guggenheim Abu Dhabi will follow soon, joining the existing Louvre Abu Dhabi, the first universal museum in the Arab world, and teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi in the same district.
"We have also renovated and reopened heritage institutions such as the Al Ain Museum an Qasr Al Hosn. At the same time, we have deepened cooperation with our national partners on safeguarding the UAE’s intangible heritage, advancing the UNESCO list that honours living traditions across all emirates. Through a growing archaeology programme, we continue to uncover remarkable discoveries, from paleontological and fossil sites to early Christian artefacts, that enrich our understanding of the historic and diverse cultures that once flourished on this land.
"These achievements reflect Abu Dhabi’s long-term commitment to building one of the most active and forward-looking cultural landscapes globally. As Abu Dhabi advances its own long-term cultural vision, it does so as part of a unified national ecosystem, meshed by a dynamic creative landscape, deep-rooted museum tradition, and the cultural energy of all emirates."
He noted that museums in the UAE, are also spaces of belonging, "where the 200 nationalities that call the UAE home can find common ground and shared human experience. Our museums are powerful platforms for socio-economic opportunity, supporting creative careers, sustaining cultural industries, attracting cultural tourism and inspiring future generations. Our museums help define identity for young people who seek to understand their roots while navigating a rapidly changing world. Even as we build a museum network up from the grassroots level, they are becoming an integrated and inseparable part of the same dynamic ecosystem as our communities."