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Zayed National Museum work inaugurated
Amid the applauses of hundreds of people, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, inaugurated the construction of Zayed National Museum here on Thursday.
The Queen and Shaikh Mohammed unveiled a plaque marking the inauguration.
The design of the museum was also unveiled, for the first time, at Emirates Palace.
Earlier, the Queen, accompanied by her husband, Prince Phillip, the Duke of Edinburgh, descended from a Range Rover on the beach of Emirates Palace, where she was greeted by Shaikh Mohammed, General Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.
A red carpet was laid on the beach, flanked by Emirati folk singers and schoolgirls performing a traditional dance. The royal visitors and hosts then began a ceremonial tour of the set-up presenting the future museum.
Large pictorial panels showed Queen Elizabeth not only the first achievements of not so distant past, which she already knew from her fist historical visit to Abu Dhabi in 1979, but also the progress of the country in these past 31 years and the future ambitions, all inspired by the vision of Shaikh Zayed.
Among the “guides” for the Queen’s tour, explaining the concept of the future museum, were Shaikh Sultan bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, chairman of the Tourism Development and Investment Company, the developer of the museum, and Neil MacGregor, director of the British Museum, which has been appointed the advisor for the design and concept of Zayed National Museum.
The queen, now 84, who enjoyed herself taking time to inspect the exhibits, concluded the tour with the unveiling of the plaque, reading: “Under the patronage of His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE President, this commemorative plaque was unveiled by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to mark the beginning of the construction of Zayed National Museum”.
Before leaving the West Lawn grounds, the Queen and her royal companions, walked by the crowds gathered especially to see her. She did not shake hands or waive at anyone, but she did stop to receive flowers from members of the public. “It was a great reason for missing school today,” 11-year-old Jamal Ollier told Khaleej Times.
“I’ve never seen the Queen before, but she always sounds so nice and kind. I wish to congratulate the UAE for the Queen’s visit.”
Katie Conlee, who came along with her young son, was waiving UAE and British flags.
“I only moved to Abu Dhabi recently from the UK,” she said.
“Today I came to see the Queen, of course, whom I saw once before, about five years ago, in Portsmouth, but it was from a long distance.”
At a time when the English nation is deeply concerned and in full preparations for the wedding of the century, of Prince William and Kate on April 29, 2011, and also at a time when Great Britain is severely affected by the financial crisis, Queen Elizabeth is very subtlety promoting trade.
Her visit here is meant to give a fresh polish to the UAE -UK historical relations.
“Both trade and political relations between the UAE and the UK are already very strong but now, after the visit of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, they will become even stronger,” said Shaikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler’s Representative in the Western Region of Abu Dhabi emirate.
A museum to tell UAE’s story
To be built on Sadiyat Island along with Louvre and Guggenheim, the Zayed National Museum will tell the story of the late Shaikh Zayed, his unification of the United Arab Emirates, the long history of the region and its cultural connections across the world.
As explained to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth during her royal visit of the unveiling of the museum’s design, this future cultural icon for Abu Dhabi is being organised in five galleries, each describing a different theme of Shaikh Zayed’s life. Falconry, a passion of Shaikh Zayed, is strongly reflected in the design.
The galleries will be individually devoted to UAE heritage, the environment, the transformation of the emirates, unity through leadership and education, as well as to the late leader’s legendary devotion to the universal ideals of humanitarianism and tolerance.
Spanning 345,000 square feet, the museum will also encompass a presidential library, falconry centre, family theatre, visitor services area, shops and cafés.
The exhibits will extend out of the two-floor building, throughout lush and densely layered gardens. Inspired by the theme of an oasis, the garden will connect the museum with the coast by a park and shaded pedestrian route. The landscaping will incorporate sculptural and symbolic elements celebrating Shaikh Zayed’s legacy of “greening the desert” and the garden city of Al Ain. The construction is set for completion in 2014.
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