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A monumental masterpiece awaits the UAE

Abu Dhabi - The Louvre Abu Dhabi will do more than house some of the world's most precious treasures - it is a centre for culture and international communication

It is a monumental moment for the UAE, as the Louvre Abu Dhabi is only days away from opening its doors to the public. The museum has huge symbolic significance, not only in the world of art history, but also in our current climate filled with conflict and intolerance.
On Tuesday morning, the Louvre Abu Dhabi welcomed a slew of local and international media entities, for an exclusive preview of the museum and its galleries.
As soon as one enters the room, the contrast between nature and the man-made structure can instantly be felt.
The turquoise waters surrounding the floating-like museum, the palm trees around the building - an imperative cultural reminder of where this Louvre actually stands - as well as the sounds of birds chirping around the 8,000 arabesque 'stars' made out of the electrifying 7,500 tonne dome - are all nothing less than overwhelming.

Light flickers through the mathematically designed peek-holes in the room, which appear randomly before our eyes, yet have been precisely studied and designed piece-by-piece for the past ten years.
What is now known as the 'rain of light' entering through the larger-than-life dome, has somehow become a signature of the man and the genius behind this magnificent museum, French architect and Pritzker Prize winner Jean Nouvel.
Photos: First glimpse at Louvre Abu Dhabi
The French architect's innovative design proposes a chronological trait - the museum opens almost like a magnificent book with 12 larger-than-life chapters hosting the priceless artworks. "I want this museum to be lived by these objects. I've been very emotional, because after 11 years of hard work, we have finally seen this project turn from a dream to reality," he said.
A museum for the world
The Louvre Abu Dhabi is not just a museum housing some of the world's most recognised and precious treasures, it is center for education, culture, international communication and more crucially, a symbolic gesture that represents tolerance, unity and peace between all mankind.
"Guests from all over the world will enter this museum and feel connected. They will feel one with each other and with this world," said Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, chairman of the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi.

"Every single person in this room has something in this museum that will directly speak to them. This is what is so special about this museum - it's a museum for the world. The Louvre Abu Dhabi is a gift from the UAE to the world," he said.
Al Mubarak said he thus believes the future generations will become better generations, because of a place like the Louvre Abu Dhabi. "Today, culture wins, and that has been the strategy from day one. The Louvre Abu Dhabi is not a place, it's not a person, it's a culture - and we truly believe that culture will make a better future and better generations."
Jean François Charnier, the scientific director of Agence France-Muséums, said the Louvre Abu Dhabi is meant to present more questions than answers for those who visit it. "We just want the visitors to ask themselves a question when they are visiting the museum," he noted.
"The museum is not just a visual exercise, it's a reflection on history; it opens a window to rethink culture and civilisation," he added.

Charnier said the museum is a place of emotion, pushing people to learn and research the past, the present and what the future may hold. "It's a place to understate that our world has a commonality, despite its different cultures and identities."
The universal theme of unity will certainly be felt by all visitors - a theme that simply reminds us that we are all connected, despite the different paths we may have travelled and endured.
jasmine@khaleejtimes.com