Zayed National Museum


Zayed National Museum is a planned museum, to be located in Abu Dhabi, the UAE. It is designed as a memorial to the late Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founding father and first president of the UAE. The museum is planned to be the centrepiece of the Saadiyat Island Cultural District, and will showcase the history, culture, and economic transformation of the Emirates.
The museum is currently under construction and is expected to open in 2021.

History

The museum has been designed by Foster + Partners with five solar thermal towers that will act as chimneys to draw cool air through the building. The towers are shaped like falcon wings to commemorate Zayed's love of falconry.
In 2009, the Zayed Museum signed a ten-year contract with the British Museum. The British Museum would assist with curation and loan about 500 of its treasures to the Zayed Museum.
The museum was projected for completion in 2013, however, as of November 2017, construction has not yet begun. According to The New York Times, the British Museum thinks that it is unlikely that any items will be loaned under the current contract, which ends in 2019.