UAE is home to a plethora of museums and you can visit several of them online…

While we patiently wait for the opening announcements of our museums in the UAE, why not check them out virtually from the safety of your homes.

Monday May 18 marks International Museum Day, and to help you celebrate, we’ve put together a small list of museums you can visit across the country.

Abu Dhabi

The Louvre Abu Dhabi

Home to an incredible collection of important art and historical artefacts, Louvre Abu Dhabi has a new app where you can take a digital tour of the museum’s highlights, complete with a virtual tour guide. The app is free to download on Google Play and the App Store, and you can tune into over 150 audio clips about the cleverly curated exhibits. You can even watch videos on the app too, including one that shows an eight-year timelapse of Louvre Abu Dhabi’s construction.

Explore The Louvre Abu Dhabi on the App Store and Google Play.

Al Ain Palace Museum

Al Ain Palace Museum weaving loom

Al Ain Palace Museum is one of the oldest museums in the UAE and was established under the leadership of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan in 1969 to chart the history of Al Ain from the Stone Age through to the foundation of the UAE. In this virtual tour, you can visit the museum and see displays ranging from an ancient weaving looms, historic photographs and several other artefacts, some of which date back to the sixth and fifth millennia BC.

Take the virtual tour of Al Ain Palace Museum. 

Dubai

Dubai Museum

Dubai Museum

Located in Old Dubai in the Al Fahidi district, this museum will always have a line of tourists and residents waiting to enter its gates. The building is one of the oldest existing building in Dubai and contains artefacts, drawings, audio and video displays pertaining to the history of Dubai. In this virtual tour, you can visit the museum’s courtyard, see the Bedouin way of life, learn about their professions, and much more.

Take the virtual tour of Dubai Museum. 

Etihad Museum

Another great museum to visit through Dubai360 is Etihad Museum. You can learn about the story of the founding fathers of the UAE, see local art, artefacts from across the seven emirates and more. Take your time to go through this virtual tour as you may miss a pavilion that contains a number of treasures waiting to be discovered.

Take the virtual tour of The Etihad Museum. 

Sharjah

Sharjah Art Museum

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Cultural capital of the Arab World, Sharjah is home to a number of museums and thanks to the Sharjah Museums Authority, there are a series of online initiatives that you can virtually visit from the safety of your homes. You can view more than 100 Arab artworks in this gender-balanced exhibition at Barjeel Art Foundation from prolific artists, including Mona Hatoum, Gazbia Sirry, Jewad Selim and Shakir Hassan Al Said, alongside other lesser-known artists.

Take the virtual tour of the Sharjah Art Museum. 

Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilisation

The museum is one of Sharjah’s finest and most architecturally striking museums, housing more than 5,000 artefacts from the Islamic world. In partnership with Museum With No Frontiers (MWNF), the museum has put some of its most treasured pieces online for public viewing. You can find everything from bracelets to enamelled vases with verses of the Holy Quran, amazing calligraphy and more. Each item has a detailed description that comes along with it, such as the name, date of the item, and period/dynasty. Don’t forget to view one of the standout pieces, a curtain for the door of the Holy Kaaba in Makkah.

Take a virtual tour of the Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilisation. 

Images: Provided/Screenshot