ABOUT US

Zayed National Museum is the national museum of the United Arab Emirates. Located at the centre of Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat Cultural District, it celebrates the rich history, culture and stories of the UAE and the timeless values of the country’s Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, whose enduring example continues to guide the nation and its people today. Through its exhibitions, research and public programmes, Zayed National Museum explores the origins of the values that Sheikh Zayed embodied throughout his life and their lasting influence on the country that he founded.

Zayed National Museum will provide a fascinating and engaging learning experience which will tell the story of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, his unification of the United Arab Emirates and the deep history and global connections of the country he founded."

OUR STORY

We honour the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan’s legacy by shining a light on the subjects that were important to him — above all, the history, culture and stories of the people of the United Arab Emirates.

An archaeological heritage

In the late 1950s, the late Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan Al Nahyan, then the Ruler of Abu Dhabi, invited a team of Danish archaeologists to excavate Umm an-Nar Island, where they discovered a Bronze Age site. Sheikh Shakhbut’s brother, Sheikh Zayed, visited and invited them to investigate sites he knew of at Jebel Hafit in Al Ain. They made many discoveries in the area, including a significant Iron Age site. A new generation of archaeologists in the UAE continues to build on these discoveries.