Born of a conviction that museums are not merely silent walls but living incubators of national memory — records that document the journey and evolution of society across time — the idea for the "UAE Museums Guide" took shape. The national project was conceived to meet a pressing need in the UAE's cultural landscape: to create a unified national reference that brings together government museums under a single publication, documenting their histories, collections, and knowledge-based roles.
Emirati researcher Latifa Sahou Al Suwaidi told Al Bayan how the idea for the guide emerged in parallel with a notable wave of museum activity in the UAE and a growing international presence, embodied in Dubai's hosting of the ICOM Dubai 2025 conference and the annual celebration of International Museum Day.
These developments made publishing the guide a strategic step toward highlighting the standing of UAE museums and their role in promoting cultural dialogue and transmitting knowledge between generations. Al Suwaidi noted that the guide aligns fully with the nation's ambitious vision of investing in culture and knowledge.
Al Suwaidi affirmed that this national cultural project was the fruit of joint and distinguished efforts by a group of researchers and specialists in the field of cultural heritage, who worked alongside her: Sheikha Aisha Al Qasimi, Sheikha Shaikha Al Qasimi, and Ali Dimas Al Suwaidi.
The team sought to document this vital sector and highlight its role in preserving heritage and transmitting it to future generations, in line with the great importance the UAE places on culture and heritage.
Al Suwaidi expressed deep appreciation for the substantial support the project received from the Ministry of Culture through the National Programme for Culture and Creativity Grants 2025, stressing that this support was the single most significant factor in transforming the idea into a fully integrated national project executed according to a scientific methodology and high professional standards. It also reflects the Ministry's commitment to empowering initiatives that contribute to strengthening cultural identity and enriching knowledge content.
Regarding the journey of research and documentation, Al Suwaidi conveyed the research team's admiration for the breadth of diversity and richness that UAE museums possess in terms of specialisations and collections. She outlined the contours of the museum movement's development in the country since the establishment of Al Ain Museum as the first museum in the UAE.
This trajectory extends to modern, specialised museums with a global presence, such as the Museum of the Future, the Union Museum, the Louvre Abu Dhabi, the Zayed National Museum, the Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi, and the anticipated Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
On the methodology used in preparing the guide, the researcher explained that the work relied on a unified scientific documentation approach, which included designing a comprehensive form distributed to more than 20 cultural and museum institutions across the various emirates of the country. She added that data was verified with precision through official sources and direct communication.
On the challenges faced, she noted that the greatest difficulty lay in standardising data received from multiple entities and keeping it continuously updated, while praising the extensive and constructive cooperation shown by cultural and museum institutions in overcoming these obstacles and completing this integrated work.
In closing, Al Suwaidi affirmed that publishing the guide in both Arabic and English makes it a comprehensive reference accessible to researchers, students, and visitors from inside and outside the country, thereby contributing to the support of both the cultural and tourism sectors.
She expressed her aspiration that the guide become a sustainable national reference that is updated periodically to keep pace with the sector's continuous growth, and that it continue to fulfil its mission as a tool supporting learning and cultural dialogue, documenting the story of UAE museums and their achievements — cementing culture and heritage as a fundamental pillar of sustainable development in the United Arab Emirates.