The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) has reaffirmed that the Saadiyat Cultural District, including its cultural institutions, is scheduled to be completed in 2025.
Saadiyat Cultural District is a global platform that draws on a rich cultural heritage, celebrates traditions, and promotes equitable culture. It embodies empowerment by showcasing museums, collections, and narratives that honor the region’s history while promoting a diverse global cultural landscape.
When completed, the diversity of Saadiyat Cultural District’s institutions will make it one of the most distinctive cultural platforms. It is already home to the Louvre Abu Dhabi, the Arab world’s first universal museum, which displays artworks from various cultures side by side while telling a story about human connections. Since its opening in 2017, the Louvre Abu Dhabi has welcomed 5 million visitors and is known for its breathtaking architecture and innovative narrative. Berklee Abu Dhabi, located nearby, offers year-round music, performing arts, and educational programs.
Manarat Al Saadiyat also serves as a creative artistic expression center and is home to two major initiatives on Abu Dhabi’s cultural calendar: Abu Dhabi Art and Culture Summit Abu Dhabi.
The current construction progress for the soon-to-open institutions in Saadiyat Cultural District is 76 percent. The Zayed National Museum, the national museum of the United Arab Emirates, will celebrate the country’s rich history and culture while also honoring the legacy of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the country’s founding father. Furthermore, teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi invites visitors on an ever-changing journey that will push the boundaries of their imagination.
It will be joined by the Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi, which will house a research and education facility that will take visitors on a 13.8 billion-year journey through the history of our universe and planet. The Guggenheim Abu Dhabi Museum will celebrate art from the 1960s to the present, as well as the most significant artistic achievements of our time.
Saadiyat Cultural District honors the legacy of the late Sheikh Zayed, who defined the cultural agenda and revealed the UAE’s history to the world through archaeological excavations and discoveries. This legacy began in 1971, when the Al Ain Museum, the UAE’s first museum, opened. The Cultural Foundation was established in 1981. Sheikh Zayed’s legacy grew under the leadership of the late Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Today, President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and H.H. Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, are continuing to build on this legacy.
Mohamed Al Mubarak, Chairman of DCT Abu Dhabi, said, “Culture transcends mere connections; it shapes our very evolution and broadens our perspectives. Here in Abu Dhabi, we embrace this influence, fostering a deep appreciation that resonates throughout our community. Saadiyat Cultural District embodies ‘cultural hope’. The District will convey a message of cultural diversity that will become more powerful over time, creating global connections, inspiring cultural exchange, and fostering new ways of thinking to support the region, the global South and the world. Saadiyat Cultural District is somewhere people can come to learn from the past, understand our present and focus on our future.”
Saadiyat Cultural District exemplifies Abu Dhabi’s dedication to preserving heritage while embracing a forward-thinking vision. The District welcomes the world to engage with diverse cultures, encouraging dialogue and exchange, and providing a global cultural space that empowers the region and the global south.
DCT Abu Dhabi has also launched a compelling campaign titled ‘Be Moved in a Thousand Ways’, introduced by philanthropist, talk show host and author Oprah Winfrey and broadcaster Mona El Shazli. The campaign film delivers an inspirational message on the transformative power of culture to unite, inspire, and open minds. Contributors to the campaign include Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of DCT Abu Dhabi; Zaki Nusseibeh, Cultural Adviser to the UAE President and Chancellor of the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU); Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi, Minister of State; Norman Foster, Pritzker Architecture Prize-winner and architect of the Zayed National Museum; Mariët Westermann, Director and CEO of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation, celebrated artists Mohammed Ibrahim, Najat Makki, Afra Al Dhaheri from the UAE; multi-award winning Actor, Musician and Entrepreneur Idris Elba OBE; legendary pianist Lang Lang and many more.