Zayed National Museum UAE-wide outreach programme connects communities through conversations on Emirati history and heritage

Zayed National Museum has completed the inaugural edition of its national outreach programme From Museum to Community: A Living Cultural Dialogue Across the Emirates, that brought conversations around the UAE’s history and heritage into communities across the country. Through partnerships with cultural institutions and community organisations, the initiative created opportunities for audiences to engage with stories, research and collections that shape the museum’s core narrative and the national’s past and present.

Delivered between April and June 2026 under the museum’s Multaqa Zayed National Museum initiative, which brings communities, experts and cultural practitioners together to exchange knowledge and perspectives on the UAE’s history and heritage, the programme featured a series of public dialogue sessions and workshops, across all seven emirates, with sign language interpretation provided throughout to support inclusive participation. Drawing on archaeology, heritage, community memory and contemporary cultural practice, each stop explored stories rooted in its local context while contributing to a broader understanding of the UAE's shared national narrative.

Nassra Al Buainain, Director of Learning and Public Engagement at Zayed National Museum, said: "As the national museum of the United Arab Emirates, our responsibility extends to creating spaces for dialogue and shared understanding and this programme enabled us to engage directly with communities across the country. By bringing together archaeological discoveries and cultural knowledge, along with a lineup of experts in their fields, we explored the many stories and perspectives that shape our nation while reinforcing the idea that history and heritage is not only preserved in collections but also carried forward through people and community memory.”

The programme kicked off in Dubai at Al Shindagha Museum, moderated by Rashed Alsuwaidi, Public Events Specialist at Zayed National Museum and Fatema Alhammadi, Curator at Zayed National Museum, bringing together maritime heritage researcher and author Juma Khalifa Bin Thalith to explore the UAE’s rich seafaring traditions.

A second Dubai session, developed in partnership with Alserkal Advisory as part of Alserkal Art Month, brought Dr Peter Magee, Director of Zayed National Museum, Moaza Matar, Director of Curatorial and Collections Management and Nassra Al Buainain to Alserkal Avenue, where a session moderated by Fiza Akram, Director of Alserkal Advisory, traced how symbols, motifs and patterns on objects and architecture across the Arabian Peninsula conveyed identity, belief and trade connections.

The programme continued in Ajman at Majlis Ameen Al Shurafa, centred on Carnelian bead discoveries from the emirate. Speakers Maitha Saad Al Suwaidi, Director of Archaeology, Heritage and Museums at the Department of Tourism, Culture and Media, Ajman and Ali Abdu Rahman Al Meqbali, Archaeological Research Unit Head at the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi, joined Ammar Al Banna, Associate Curator at Zayed National Museum, to explore what these objects reveal about early trade networks and Ajman's connections to the wider Gulf.

In Al Ain Region, ahead of International Museum Day and in the spirit of the UAE Year of Family 2026, the session brought an intergenerational conversation about how museums strengthen community bonds and preserve cultural memory, with Dr Khawla Al Marri, Head of Education and Community Engagement at Al Ain Museum, joining Rashed Alsuwaidi from Zayed National Museum's team.

In Sharjah, a session at the House of Wisdom moderated by Amna Al Hammadi, Community Engagement and Accessibility Section Head at Zayed National Museum, saw Nassra Al Buainain join Marwa Al Aqroubi, Executive Director of the House of Wisdom, to examine how museums and contemporary knowledge spaces serve communities by educating future generations and safeguarding cultural memory.

Ras Al Khaimah's session at the Ras Al Khaimah Cultural Development Centre turned to UAE's mountain communities, bringing independent researcher and heritage expert, Fatima Al Mughni in conversation with Fatema Al Hammadi, to explore oral traditions, collective memory and the enduring spirit of life in the emirate's highland landscapes.

Fujairah's session, held at Al Rumaila Palace in the presence of His Highness Shiekh Mohammed bin Hamad Al Sharqi and moderated by Amna Al Hammadi, brought Dr Peter Magee into dialogue with Hessa Al Falasi, Project Manager of the Faces of Fujairah initiative, to examine how personal narratives preserve local memory and how communities contribute to the museum's own storytelling.

The programme concluded in Umm Al Quwain at Majlis Al Neefah, in collaboration with the Department of Tourism and Archaeology, Umm Al Quwain, where the session examined the historical significance of Ed-dour as a prominent coastal trading port during the 1st and 2nd centuries CE. Ammar Al Banna and Rania Kannouma, Acting Director of the Department of Archaeology and Heritage at the Department of Tourism and Archaeology, Umm Al Quwain, presented key archaeological discoveries deepening understanding of early trade networks, systems of authority and cultural exchange in the region.

From Museum to Community: A Living Cultural Dialogue Across the Emirates is one of several ways in which Zayed National Museum engages audiences beyond its galleries. Through travelling exhibitions, research initiatives, partnerships and public programmes delivered across the UAE, the museum works to share knowledge, foster dialogue and deepen understanding of the nation’s history with communities throughout the country.