UAE National Day 2025: 7 museums to visit on Eid Al Etihad to learn the country’s history

Dubai: Eid Al Etihad (UAE National Day) is the perfect time to explore the country’s rich history, heritage and cultural identity. Across the emirates, national museums offer immersive experiences that trace the journey from ancient civilisations to the formation of the UAE in 1971 and beyond.

From interactive exhibitions to archaeological discoveries and traditional Emirati life, these museums provide a deeper understanding of how the nation was shaped.

Here is a detailed guide to the key national museums across the UAE that bring the country’s story to life.

Location: Jumeirah, Dubai
Highlights: UAE formation, founding fathers, interactive exhibitions

Etihad Museum tells the story of how the seven emirates came together to form the United Arab Emirates. Located in Jumeirah, the museum focuses on the key years between 1968 and 1974, using photographs, films and interactive displays to bring the nation’s founding period to life.

The museum is built beside Union House, where the UAE Constitution was signed in 1971. Its distinctive design by Canadian architects Moriyama and Teshima features a curved white roof inspired by the shape of the Constitution, with seven columns symbolising the pens used to sign the agreement.

Spread over 25,000 square metres, Etihad Museum also includes a library, education centre, temporary exhibition hall and a restaurant.

Tickets: Individual tickets to Etihad Museum cost Dh25. The ticket per person in a group of 5 or more costs Dh20. Students aged 5-24 pay Dh10 and children aged 4 and below can enter for free. 

Location: Dubai Creek
Highlights: Dubai’s transformation, creek life, archaeology

Set along Dubai Creek, Al Shindagha Museum traces the dramatic transformation of the city over centuries. Its flagship experience, Dubai Creek: Birth of a City, uses multimedia displays, videos, photographs and artefacts to show how families once lived by the waterways and how maritime trade shaped livelihoods.

Within the museum complex, visitors can also explore the Saruq Al-Hadid Museum, which displays thousands of artefacts discovered in the Rub Al-Khali desert in 2002. These include iron tools, stoneware, bronze pots, gold jewellery, beads and fossils dating back thousands of years. A 3D excavation experience allows visitors to step into the role of an archaeologist.

Tickets: Adult tickets are priced at Dh50 and student tickets at Dh20 (ages 5 to 24), a group ticket for up to five people starts at Dh40

Location: Al Ain, Abu Dhabi
Highlights: UAE’s oldest museum, early human settlement, archaeology

Al Ain Museum offers one of the deepest journeys into the UAE’s ancient past. Established in 1969 by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan as the country’s first museum, it sits beside the historic Sultan Fort.

Following extensive redevelopment, the museum reopened on October 24 2025 with an expanded immersive experience. Its exhibitions trace human habitation in Al Ain from the Palaeolithic and Neolithic periods through pre-Islamic and modern times, revealing how early settlers built water systems, formed communities and survived in harsh desert conditions.

The museum displays 1,800 artefacts across carefully designed galleries.

Tickets: General admission starts at Dh47.25, with free entry for visitors under 18. Senior citizens over 60, ICOM members, and Fazaa and Esaad card holders qualify for complimentary access with a valid ID.

Location: Sharjah
Highlights: Traditional Emirati life, crafts, customs and celebrations

Housed in a restored 18th-century pearl merchant’s home, Sharjah Heritage Museum explores Emirati culture through six galleries covering landscape, lifestyle, celebrations, livelihoods, traditional knowledge and oral traditions.

Visitors can see rare objects and displays in both Arabic and English. The museum is especially engaging for families, with folk tales, proverbs and puzzles for children.

It also shows how Emiratis once lived across coastal, mountain and agricultural environments, and how this shaped crafts, marriage traditions, hospitality and scientific knowledge.

Tickets: Dh20 for individuals above 13 years old, Dh10 for children between the ages of 2 to 12 years old, children under two entre for free.

Location: Ras Al Khaimah
Highlights: Ancient trade routes, long human settlement

Ras Al Khaimah is one of the longest continuously inhabited places in the world. Its National Museum houses an important collection of archaeological and ethnological artefacts that highlight civilisations dating back to 5000 BC.

Tickets: Entry is Dh5 per person.

Location: Al Bustan, Ajman
Highlights: Fort museum, pearl trade, ancient burial site

Ajman Museum is housed inside an 18th-century fort that once served as the ruler’s residence until 1970. The museum showcases daily life in the emirate through centuries-old manuscripts, weaponry, dhow models and traditional irrigation systems.

One of its most notable displays is an excavated cemetery from Al Muwaihat, featuring pottery and jewellery dating back to 3000 BC. A dedicated section also explores the pearl trade, while the fort itself stands as a striking example of traditional Emirati architecture.

Tickets: Dh5 per person

Zayed National Museum, the national museum of the UAE, will open on 3 December 2025 in Saadiyat Cultural District. Designed by Lord Norman Foster of Foster + Partners, the museum honours the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and his vision for heritage, education and national identity.

The museum will display more than 1,500 artefacts chosen from a collection of over 3,000 pieces. The visitor journey begins at Al Masar Garden, a 600-metre outdoor gallery representing desert, oasis and urban landscapes, complete with a working falaj system and timelines of Sheikh Zayed’s life and UAE history.

Key galleries include Our Beginning, Through Our Nature, and To Our Ancestors, which together trace 300,000 years of human life on this land. The museum will stand alongside institutions such as Louvre Abu Dhabi, teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi, the Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi and the upcoming Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.

Tickets: Adults pay Dh70, while children under 18 enter free. UAE university students and teachers pay Dh35, and People of Determination, senior Emiratis and residents receive free entry.

Note: Museum opening hours ticketing may vary during National Day and public holidays. Visitors are advised to check the official museum websites or contact the venues directly before planning their visit.