Louvre Abu Dhabi - The Opening!

The shimmering dome of the desert that is the Louvre Abu Dhabi opened today after ten years in the making and it’s rivalling even that of the Louvre in Paris.

Being the first museum of it’s kind in the Middle East, the eight layered Louvre Abu Dhabi weighs a whopping 7,500 tonnes and it's design is made up of a tapestry of almost 8,000 unique metal stars, mimicking sunlight as it passes through palm fronds. The design protects visitors from the burning midday sun while also flooding the interior with natural light.

The museum is designed by the Pritzker Prize winning French architect Jean Nouvel who says that the museum provides “a welcoming world serenely combining light and shadow, reflection and calm” creating the perfect building for contemplation, meditation and reflection.

The sea-based museum on Saadiyat Island will display over 6000 artworks and artefacts over 23 galleries of it’s 55 detached, maze-like buildings inspired by the local architecture making it the cultural hub of the Middle East. Among some of the exhibitions include loans from thirteen of France’s top museums. The galleries will tell the story of human history in 12 eloquent chapters with works from modern-day artists to prehistoric artefacts. Each chapter will share a theme or collection of ideas resonating with humanity as a global community. The French President Emmanuel Macron has called the museum a “bridge between civilisations”.

Based on Saadiyat Island; Abu Dhabi’s new up-and-coming cultural district, the museum acts as a medina inviting visitors to explore it’s narrow streets. Not only this but there is also a café, boutique and restaurant with the museum reachable by transport links both by land and sea. Outside the promenade offers enchanting views of the Abu Dhabi skyline and surrounding sea.