Overview
- DCT Abu Dhabi confirmed the launch date, with the Mecanoo‑designed, rock‑inspired museum spanning more than 35,000 square metres in the Saadiyat Cultural District.
- Star displays include Stan, a nearly complete Tyrannosaurus rex, a 25‑metre female blue whale, and the Murchison meteorite containing seven‑billion‑year‑old grains.
- Galleries spotlight the Arabian Peninsula’s natural history with Late Miocene Abu Dhabi reconstructions, the Mleisa Elephant Trackway, and species such as Stegotetrabelodon emiratus.
- An on‑site research facility will conduct studies in zoology, palaeontology, marine biology, molecular research, and earth sciences, building on a published collaboration with the University of Manchester on pterosaur bone microstructure.
- Opening programming features two temporary exhibitions: The March of the Triceratops touring herd and the 61st Wildlife Photographer of the Year.