Abu Dhabi gears up for first natural history museum in Gulf region
The Natural History Museum in Abu Dhabi, which is being built and is due to open in 2025, organized an exhibition as a preview of the rare natural specimens the museum will house.
Abu Dhabi is gearing up for the opening of the Natural History Museum in 2025, according to the Department of Culture and Tourism in Abu Dhabi. The museum will be the first of its kind in the Gulf region and in the Arab region, with the exception of Lebanon, which has its own museum of marine and wildlife.
The Department of Culture and Tourism held a special exhibition in April and May providing a preview of the museum that will be located on the tourist island of Saadiyat, about 500 meters (1,640 feet) from the coast of Abu Dhabi.
A source in the department's media, told Al-Monitor that the exhibition, which ended May 12, included about 12 rare natural history specimens.
“The highlight of the exhibition was a 39-feet-long fossilized Tyrannosaurus rex, nicknamed Stan after Stan Sacrison, a fossil hunter who made the initial discovery of the T. rex bone fragments in 1987. Stan is one of the five most complete dinosaur skeletons that likely roamed the world 65-67 million years ago. Stan’s age is estimated at 22 years and the skeleton shows puncture wounds on the back of the skull, which is believed to be the cause of death,” the source added.
