Etihad Museum, Dubai
This place and this museum are important to Emiratis. It is the site where the country that we know today as the United Arab Emirates, was founded. The rulers of six of the Emirates came together on 2 December 1971 to sign the Unification Agreement.
The occasion is echoed in the architecture of the newest building on the site, the Visitors Pavilion. The structure is gently wrapped in white cladding in a form that evokes a curled sheet of manuscript paper.
The ambience throughout is quiet and contemplative, encouraging the visitor to take some time out from the hubbub of Dubai to absorb and reflect.
Displays and stories explore the impetus for the coming together of what were formerly strongly independent states, and the personalities that drove these changes. A copy of the constitution signed by the Founding Governors is prominently displayed in a golden alcove, while later galleries highlight photographs, documents and objects that illustrate community identity.
Beyond the hyper-contemporary galleries, are the historic locations that provided the stage-set for Unification.
Most notable is the Union House, a small round building comprising a central room and a verandah. The inner space has room for little more than the circular meeting table and the chairs for the leaders who signed the Agreement around it. On the day of the ceremony, it was standing room only as suggested by photographs from the time. This building is small but exudes big ambitions.
The Guest Palace in contrast is bigger, and shinier. Its style owes much to its function as a hall of welcome and entertainment for guests of the former Ruler of Dubai, the Late Sheikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum. The rooms exude all the elements that we expect from a majlis of such significance. The capacity of the dining room was 300 guests. Restored back to 1971, notable elements are the golden features, the chandeliers and the wallpaper, and Sheikh Rashid’s desk.
And finally, there is the flagpole. A new country of course needed a new flag, and so the current green, red, white and black flag accompanies the various red and white flags of each emirate. Apparently a few months before the Union was formed, an ad was place in the local newspaper calling for suggested designs. 1,300 people submitted their ideas, and the winner was a young 19 year old Abdullah Mohammad Al Ma’enah.
The most popular photo spot at the Etihad Museum
The flagpole is exactly where the new flag was raised in 1971. The most famous photograph from this time is of the rulers lined up at this very spot, and it is an image that almost every visitor recreates for their special memory of their visit.
And by the way, if you are wondering, Ras Al Khaimah, the 7th emirate, joined the UAE some weeks later on 10 February 1972.
Address 1 Jumeirah Street (corner of 2nd December Street), Al Mina, Jumeirah 1, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Opening hours Daily 1000-2000
Telephone +971 80033222
Email Etihad.Museum@dubaiculture.ae
Website https://etihadmuseum.dubaiculture.gov.ae/en/pages/default.aspx