Dubai: A new modern museum in Dubai to celebrate all things related to the 1971 founding of the UAE will be managed and operated by Dubai Culture.
To new Etihad Museum site is located under the iconic 123-metre tall UAE flagpole on Jumeirah Beach Road at the site of Dar Al Etihad, the historic site where leaders from the emirates gathered to declare the formation of the new country 45 years ago.
Etihad Museum was recently unveiled by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
The authority will manage the permanent and temporary exhibitions, education programmes and operations following the official inauguration ceremony by the end of 2016.
Abdul Rahman Mohammad Al Owais, Minister of Health and Prevention and chairman of Dubai Culture, said in a statement on Tuesday, “Etihad Museum celebrates the dedication and patriotism of our nation’s founders and invites individuals from all walks of life to follow their example in nation building. The museum will focus upon the political history and personal stories at a major event in the nation’s founding — that of the unification of the emirates in 1971”.
Al Owais added: “Our mandate at Dubai Culture is to enrich the cultural and artistic scene of Dubai and to preserve Emirati heritage in a unique and innovative way, through the creation, operations and management of museums, in partnership with relevant official UAE stakeholders — ultimately contributing towards achieving the goals of the Dubai Plan 2021, which aims to establish Dubai as a home for empowered and creative people who proudly celebrate their cultural identities.”
Etihad Museum will house exhibitions and educational programmes that explore an event timeline surrounding the signing of the agreement that culminated in the formation of the Union — using photos, films and documents from 1968 through to 1974 to showcase the crucial first moments of the nation’s history.
Etihad Museum is designed in the shape of a manuscript with seven columns that simulate the pen used to sign the declaration of the union in 1971.
