Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has endorsed the construction of the Union Museum project at a cost of AED500 million ($136 million).
Sheikh Mohammed, also UAE Vice President and Prime Minister, has backed plans for the 25,000 square metre museum which will be built next to the Union House, the site of the signing of the treaty establishing the UAE federation in 1971.
He was briefed by the members of the board of the Union House on the final designs and external components of the museum and the timeline to implement the project, news agency WAM reported.
Union Museum, which will tell the federation formation story and will cover the events from 1968 to 1974, will feature an entrance designed in the shape of a manuscript with seven columns that represent the pens used to sign the declaration.
The museum will include permanent and temporary halls, a theatre, educational area, recreational area and the administration offices.
The project also includes restoring the Union House to its original state, WAM said.
The museum will be constructed underground and connected with the Dar Al Dheafa and the Ministry House with the landscape of the area being restored to its state in 1971.
The project also will add new waterfront and a 123 metre flag pole to substitute the old one that was built in 2001.
Dubai’s Road and Transport Authority will supervise the project and Dubai Culture and Arts Authority will operate the museum once completed.
The Union Museum will feature a total of eight permanent pavilions in addition to one temporary pavilion to exhibit items from international museums.
The pavilions include a documentary movie about the history of the UAE, an interactive timeline, a visual tour to understand the background of the formation of the union, a digital copy for the UAE Constitution and an open gallery offering an insight into the new-born nation.
In March, Al Shafar General Contracting Co (ASGC) said it was awarded an AED488 million contract from the RTA to build the Union Museum.
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