Last month it was announced that there will be a further addition to the Saadiyat Cultural District in 2025, with a Natural History Museum. Big news for the capital, and very exciting obviously! It's intention is to set itself apart from others by telling the history of the earth through an Arabian lens. There will be a focus on the local fauna and flora and the geological history of this region but it will also house a scientific research center with an aim to inspire future generations interest for the natural world.
Already now, and until the middle of next month, you can see a part of what's coming in a small exhibition at Manarat al Saadiyat.
The main attraction is 'Stan', the world's most famous T-Rex!
Not only is Stan the most known T-Rex skeleton in the world. He was also the most expensive fossil ever sold at an auction back in October 2020 - when he went for $31.8 million.
Stan is 67 million years old, near complete at about 60%, and he has one of the best preserved T-Rex skulls ever found. You can see that it is displayed separately (with a replica taking its place for display) as it is way too heavy to mount together with the rest of the skeleton.
This skeleton was found in the US in 1987, by a paleontologist called Stan Sacrison, after whom he then got named. It stands about 4 meters tall, and is almost 12 meters long.
Another highlight is the Murchison Meteorite, which is going to be the oldest item in the new Natural History Museum. This crashed down in Australia in 1969, but it was formed over seven BILLION years ago. Proved by its variety of organic pre-solar compounds and grains. Mind-blowing!
The exhibition also showed a skull and tusks from the very special kind of four-tusked elephant that used to live here in the area about 7 million years ago - the Stegotetrabelodon Syrticus. This skull was excavated in Al Dhafra, here in the UAE. Back then this place was a lot more green and lush, reminiscent of the savanna actually, hard to believe.
Also we got to see skulls from a dugong and a gazelle, from more modern times here in Abu Dhabi.
How exciting! It's all happening here in Abu Dhabi!
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