Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC), the developer of Abu Dhabi's Saadiyat Island Cultural District, yesterday announced the signing of an agreement with the British Museum to provide expert advice and counsel on the development of the Zayed National Museum.

Lee Tabler, Chief Executive Officer of TDIC, and Neil MacGregor, Director of British Museum, signed the agreement during a short ceremony attended by TDIC Chairman Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoun Al Nahyan, Secretary-General of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council Mohammed Al Bawardi and British Museum Chairman Niall Fitz Gerard.

The British Museum will serve as a consulting partner to the Zayed National Museum's operating body and will advise on a range of issues, from design, construction and museography to educational and curatorial programming as well as training. The museum is scheduled to open in 2012-13 as the cornerstone project in the Saadiyat Island Cultural District, planned to be the largest concentration of premier cultural institutions.

The 12,000 square metres museum will recall the life and values of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (1918-2004), the Late Founder and President of the United Arab Emirates. An international statesman and award-winning pioneer of environmental conservation, Sheikh Zayed forged a federated nation out of seven independent emirates and led this new state into a peaceful engagement with the modern world, while strengthening his people's respect for their centuries-old heritage.

Conceived as a place for discussion, learning and inspiration for the Arab region, the Zayed National Museum will feature the story of Sheikh Zayed to explore the history and culture of the UAE, and the story of the UAE to illuminate life throughout the Middle East.

The Zayed National Museum will carry out this mission in part through a schedule of temporary exhibitions but primarily through an ensemble of permanent galleries in which visitors will be introduced to five themes of Environment, Heritage, Unity, Education and Humanitarianism.

ENVIRONMENT: Sheikh Zayed's interest in protecting the environment will establish the key questions addressed in this theme. It will explore the physical landscapes, flora and fauna, and mineral resources of the UAE and the wider Middle East. It will be shown how humans have interacted with and shaped the environment, and how resources have been exploited to make products that have been traded across the region.

HERITAGE: Sheikh Zayed was born into Abu Dhabi society before it had been modernised, but he held traditional values close to his heart throughout his life. This pavilion will feature the pre-modern communities in the desert and on the coast, and examine particular aspects such as life around the oasis and pearl fishing. These are contrasted with traditional lifestyles elsewhere in the Middle East.

UNITY: Sheikh Zayed's role in uniting the emirates allows an investigation of this accomplishment in the context of other forms of political and social unification known from the archaeology and history of the Middle East. Displays will use objects from across the region to explore political and cultural unity from the Sumerians to modern times.

EDUCATION: By establishing education for all in the UAE, Sheikh Zayed was building on a 7,000-year old Middle Eastern tradition, perhaps the region's greatest legacy to the modern world. The first writing, cuneiform, was developed in southern Iraq and Iran and spread to other areas of the Middle East. Islamic learning preserved and developed ancient knowledge - Mesopotamian, Egyptian and Greek – passing it to the West.

HUMANITARIANISM: Sheikh Zayed's belief in and support of Islamic values and religious tolerance is central to understanding the modern UAE. An examination of regional faiths at the time of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) provides the background to the core of the exhibition. This explores the revelation of Islam and the breadth of Islamic art and culture in the Middle East and the wider world.

The gallery will conclude with an exploration of Sheikh Zayed's humanitarian works across the globe.

The architectural design of the Museum is by Foster + Partners, London, under the leadership of Norman Foster. An unveiling of the design will be held in Abu Dhabi later in 2009.

"In developing this project, which is so significant not only for us but for the entire Middle East, we could have no better advisor than the British Museum," stated Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoun Al Nahyan, Chairman of TDIC and of the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage. "This great and historic institution, known for its unsurpassed expertise in every field and its profound respect for every culture, will help us make the Zayed National Museum a place of inspiration and pride for Emiratis, a beacon for the people of our region, and a source of information and understanding for our visitors from around the world."

"We warmly welcome this opportunity to work with TDIC on a project of profound significance to the people of Abu Dhabi and the UAE and of extraordinary interest to the international community," stated Neil MacGregor, Director of The British Museum.

"The British Museum has gained hugely through the reciprocal relationships it has formalised in recent years with cultural organisations and governments worldwide. We look forward to forging productive new friendships, and gaining new perspectives on our own collection, through this partnership with TDIC."

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