Photos: Visitors flock to Louvre as museums, cultural hubs reopen in Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi - Strict health and safety guidelines and precautionary measures have been put in place at all these sites.

Read more...
"It was in February that I arrived here in Abu Dhabi. I have wanted to visit this place ever since because I know the Louvre of Paris very well. I used to go to Louvre in Paris regularly and wanted to see the one in Abu Dhabi. This is a wonderful opportunity after the confinement and to be one of the first visitors here after the reopening. I am very happy with measures taken by the Abu Dhabi Government to ensure our safety and well-being during this pandemic. I feel very safe here and confident to visit the wonderful museum and the art Louvre Abu Dhabi has to offer," Chilovsky said.
Margarita Ivanova, a Russian expatriate visiting the Louvre Abu Dhabi, said she was excited as cultural sites have reopened at last."I have been to Paris several times but never had an opportunity to see the Louvre there, so this is a unique experience for me. I really wanted to visit this place.
Advertising
Advertising
At the Louvre was also a group of frontline medical workers from the US, who had come to serve at Sheikh Shakbout Medical City in Abu Dhabi. The team, which will be returning home on Sunday, was thrilled at the opportunity of seeing cultural places in Abu Dhabi and unwind a bit.
At the Louvre was also a group of frontline medical workers from the US, who had come to serve at Sheikh Shakbout Medical City in Abu Dhabi. The team, which will be returning home on Sunday, was thrilled at the opportunity of seeing cultural places in Abu Dhabi and unwind a bit.
"I was here for work as a nurse. It's been wonderful to be in the UAE. I have been to a desert safari. But every other place was closed and today is the first day of reopening. I had to see this place before I returned home. Louvre Abu Dhabi is beautiful," Amy Falzone said. Visiting the place with her were her colleagues Morgan Poste, Jane Dennison, Madinah Durrani, Breanna Eastman and Sara Eter, who echoed her sentiment.
"We are starting to explore Abu Dhabi bit by bit. We are happy places have reopened just in time for us to see them before we return. We needed such days to relax and have fun," Falzone pointed out.
The other sites to reopen include Qasr Al Hosn, and the Cultural Foundation's exhibition and Artists in Residence studio, outdoor areas of Al Ain Oasis, Qasr Al Muwaiji, Al Jahili Fort and Al Ain Palace Museum.
Strict health and safety guidelines and precautionary measures have been put in place at all these sites.
Most cultural sites are operating under new opening timings: 10am to 7pm (2pm to 7pm on Fridays), with Louvre Abu Dhabi opening from 10am to 6.30pm, except on Mondays when the museum is closed.
Text: Ashwani Kumar | Photos by Ryan Lim

Published: Wed 24 Jun 2020, 12:00 AM

Last updated: Thu 25 Jun 2020, 9:06 AM

Recommended for you