20 of the best museums & galleries in the Middle East
We take a look at some of the best museums and galleries across the region, from royal palaces to contemporary art spaces
The Middle East is home to several different museums and galleries, including some of the world’s biggest, boldest, and most talked-about attractions. While many of these are in the United Arab Emirates, exceptional heritage sites are located across the region. In addition, a new generation of museums for the Middle East is being developed as part of Saudi Arabia’s giga-projects.
Upcoming openings include the highly anticipated Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza. The Contemporary Art Museum and Museum of the Incense Road are expected to open at AlUla in Saudi Arabia in 2027.
Here’s our pick of the region‘s best museums, in no particular order.
Museum of Islamic Art, Doha, Qatar
The Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) in Doha, Qatar, exhibits one of the world’s most extensive collections of Islamic art across 18 gallery spaces. Works range from manuscripts and textiles to precious stones and ceramics. They reflect a broad spectrum of Islamic art over 1,400 years and three continents, including secular and religious artworks.
MIA was founded in 2008 by Qatar Museums in 2008, which runs a portfolio of attractions across the nation. In 2022, it announced plans for three further museums. MIA was designed by internationally acclaimed architect I.M. Pei, who also designed the iconic pyramid at the Louvre in Paris.
Its dramatic architecture blends tradition and cutting-edge innovation, with a stunning location on the Corniche waterfront. Inside, geometric patterns and panoramic views across the bay complement the collection displays.
The museum reopened to visitors in 2022 following a ten-month refurbishment of its gallery spaces in collaboration with Wilmotte & Associés. The project enabled over 1,000 objects to be displayed for the first time and enhanced interpretation with mobile and family-friendly resources.
The top floor is home to IDAM, Alain Ducasse’s first restaurant in the Middle East, with interior design by Phillipe Starck.
Louvre Abu Dhabi, UAE
Louvre Abu Dhabi is located in the Saadiyat Cultural District. This development is part of Miral’s portfolio and is set to become home to institutions such as the Zayed National Museum, a natural history museum, Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, and a teamLab destination.
Louvre Abu Dhabi opened in 2017 and has set a precedent for attractions in the district, having welcomed 2 million visitors in its first two years.
An agreement in 2007 between the UAE and French governments made the museum possible, which French President Emmanuel Macron described as a “decisive turning point” in the country’s partnership with the UAE. The collaboration seeks to bring together the UAE’s vision of cultural advancement and openness with France’s authority in the field of art and museums.
Louvre Abu Dhabi was designed by French architect Jean Nouvel and has 12 galleries, temporary exhibition spaces, and a Children’s Museum. Exhibits include works from its own collection, loans from prestigious international institutions, and temporary exhibitions developed in collaboration with its French museum partners.
In addition, it is applying rigorous criteria to acquire its own collection and exhibits over 600 artworks. The collection includes works of historical importance such as Virgin and Child by Giovanni Bellini, Untitled I-IX by Cy Twombly, Children Wrestling by Paul Gauguin and a Hand Axe dating from around 500,000 BCE.
Image credit: Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi / Photo Yiorgis Yerolymbos
National Museum of Qatar, Doha, Qatar
The National Museum of Qatar in Doha launched in 2019 with a star-studded opening ceremony.
Like the Louvre Abu Dhabi, the museum was designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Jean Nouvel. Nouvel envisioned a futuristic, free-form building resembling a giant desert rose. The rose’s petals act as walls within the space, encouraging fluid exploration of its displays.
The historic Palace of Sheikh Abdullah bin Jassim Al Thani sits within the contemporary building.
NMoQ is structured as a thematic and chronological series of galleries that lead visitors on a 1.5-kilometre journey through immersive, multisensory spaces that offer numerous perspectives. The museum shares the country’s heritage and culture through commissioned films and artworks, storytelling, objects, and music, blending extensive research with the oral histories of the people of Qatar.
Image credit: David Levene
Borderless Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
The much-awaited teamLab Borderless immersive art museum opened in June 2024 in Jeddah Historic District, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The museum, developed by internationally acclaimed art collective teamLab in collaboration with the Saudi Ministry of Culture, contributes to the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 goals.
The 10,000-square-metre space showcases more than 80 independent artworks that transcend physical borders and interact with one another, creating a borderless environment. Spaces like Borderless World, Athletics Forest, Future Park, Forest of Lamps, and EN TEA HOUSE encourage visitors to ‘wander, explore, and discover.’
This is the first teamLab museum to open in the Middle East. teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi is currently in construction and will be housed in the multisensory art experience at Saadiyat Cultural District.
Image credit: teamLab, The Way of the Sea: Flying Beyond Borders © teamLab
AlUla, Saudi Arabia
AlUla is set to be the world’s largest living museum, and the development is expected to be complete by 2035.
In 2020, Saudi Arabia announced plans to develop the site, which is close to the Kingdom’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site, Hegra.
Under these plans, AlUla will become a major heritage, cultural, arts, and adventure tourism destination as part of Saudi Vision 2030. The masterplan includes five unique districts, five heritage sites, fifteen cultural assets, and ten million square metres of green space. Development will be phased over three stages in 2023, 2030, and 2035.
In 2023, AlUla announced that architects Lina Ghotmeh and Asif Khan have been selected by the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) to design the first two museums for the site, following an international competition.
The museum of the ‘incense road’ will be designed by Khan, and Ghotmeh will create a new contemporary art museum.
It was also announced in 2023 that RCU is partnering with Centre Pompidou in Paris on the new contemporary art museum, in an agreement that facilitates the ongoing exchange, acquisition, loan, and display of art works and artefacts between the two parties.
Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, Doha, Qatar
Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art is known as the leading modern and contemporary art museum in the Arab world.
Its collection was started by H.E. Sheikh Hassan bin Mohammed bin Ali Al Thani in the 1980s. It now includes over 9,000 works from the Arab World, the Middle East and wider geographies of Africa, Asia and Europe that are historically connected to Qatar and the Arab Peninsula. It is the largest specialised collection of its kind in the world.
The museum in Education City, Doha, opened in 2010 and shares displays from this collection. Led by director Zeina Arida, the museum hosts solo and group exhibitions by artists from the region and an artist-in-residency scheme. It also runs an extensive education programme and has made significant contributions to the scholarship and debate surrounding modern and contemporary art during the past decade.
Image credit: David Lavene
Msheireb Museums, Doha, Qatar
Msheireb Museums honour the history of four historic heritage houses in the oldest part of Qatar’s capital.
Msheireb Downtown Doha is a sustainable development project which boasts a wide array of cutting-edge living, working and entertainment spaces, such as Quest, Qatar’s first indoor theme park.
Msheireb Museums are a key component of the development, reflecting on the traditional community-based lifestyle of the old commercial centre and revealing unique aspects of Qatar’s cultural and social history. As such, the project has restored four heritage houses to create a series of world-class museums: Bin Jelmood House, Company House, Mohammed Bin Jassim House, and Radwani House.
These museums discuss themes of human exploitation, Doha’s history and architectural heritage, the pioneering Qatari petroleum industry, and traditional Qatari family life.
Oman Across Ages, Manah, Oman
Oman Across Ages opened in 2023 in the historical province of Manah in northeastern Oman.
The new Oman Across Ages Museum tells the story of the Sultanate of Oman, from its geographic pre-history through its 1970s Renaissance to the present day and beyond. The museum features an auditorium, permanent and temporary exhibition halls, a large garden, and many dining options, as well as an extensive library, the Knowledge Centre.
The museum site is enormous and is made possible by its desert location.
Eng. Al Yaqdhan bin Abdullah Al Harthi, director general of the Oman Across Ages Museum, told blooloop:
“We have an art piece, for instance, that is a reconstruction of a Magan ship. This is made of reed bundles painted with tar, with ropes of palm fibres and woollen sails, and is ten metres high.
“Everything is huge. The exhibition is, essentially, one open space. It is divided into many pavilions, but as an architectural piece, it’s one 10,000 square metre space.”
Oman Across Ages is predominantly an audiovisual museum, and was named by CNN as one of world’s five Future Museums.
“It’s aimed at everybody,” continued Al Harthi. “Our main target is young people. Their language is technology, so we have given them the history of our country through AV and interactive technology. We have had more than 350,000 visitors within nine months. This is an amazing number when you consider our business plan talked about reaching 200,000 in a year. Our peak was 11,800 visitors in one day.”
Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani Museums, Al Samriya, Qatar
Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani Museums (FBQ Museums) are a group of museums which share the private collection of one prodigious collector.
Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani is among the wealthiest people in the Middle East, and Al Faisal Holdings is one of Qatar’s leading private companies.
The FBQ Museum shows Sheikh Faisal’s personal collection, one of the world’s largest private collections. It reflects his interests and perspective and travels through its 30,000 objects and artefacts.
The diverse and curious collection spans the Jurassic period to the present day and covers 12 themes, such as Islamic art, Qatari heritage, vehicles, jewellery, currency, swords, and weapons.
The museum was founded in 1998 and occupies a purpose-built, traditional building that sets it apart from Qatar’s contemporary landscape. Inside, visitors can find a fully furnished, recreated traditional Syrian home as well as two model Qatari homes. FBQ Museum is currently being extended and is accompanied by the group’s specialist car and carpet museums.
In 2010, the Ministry of Arts, Culture, and Heritage designated the museum as one of Qatar’s cultural landmarks as part of the ‘Qatar Capital of Culture’ programme.
Grand Egyptian Museum, Giza, Egypt
The Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza is set to be the world’s largest museum dedicated to a single civilisation and will explore around 3,000 years of Ancient Egyptian history.
The project has been in development for several years and was initially expected to open in 2011. However, due to a number of challenges, most notably the COVID-19 pandemic, this launch date has been pushed back multiple times.
The museum is located approximately 2km from the Giza Pyramid complex and includes a glass wall offering views of the pyramids. The development forms part of the Giza 2030 master plan, which seeks to support tourism to the destination and includes new infrastructure, such as a new metro line from the capital.
The new Grand Egyptian Museum will span 500,000 square metres and show 100,000 objects. Many are coming from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, which will remain open once the new museum launches, benefitting from increased space for selected displays.
The Tutankhamun collection will be a centrepiece, with a dedicated 7,000-square-metre exhibition hall displaying all 5,600 pieces discovered in his tomb together for the first time.
The museum began running limited tours in the spring of 2023 while it tested site readiness.
Image credit: Balkis Press/ABACAPRESS.COM
Sharjah Art Foundation, Sharjah, UAE
Sharjah Art Foundation was founded in 2009 and builds on the success of the Sharjah Biennial, which began in 1993 and is the UAE’s longest-running contemporary art event.
The foundation is led by president and director Hoor Al Qasimi and vice president Nawar Al Qassimi, and works to present a diverse range of contemporary art and cultural programmes to audiences in Sharjah, the UAE, and the region. The programme includes work by Arab and international artists, performances, music, film screenings, artist talks, and education initiatives for kids, adults, and families.
The foundation champions the preservation of historical sites in the city and their conversion into spaces designed to foster and accelerate cultural and artistic ideas. These spaces have been used for Sharjah Biennials and exhibitions, as well as for developing studios and educational spaces. The foundation is exploring ways to roll out this model across the Emirate.
Qala’at Al-Bahrain (Bahrain Fort) Site Museum, Manama, Bahrain
Qala’at Al-Bahrain (Bahrain Fort) Site Museum opened in 2008 and tells the story of five different historical periods at the ancient site, which is believed to have been occupied since approximately 2300 BCE.
The museum is located next to Qala’at Al-Bahrain, one of the region’s most significant historical political and military fortifications. The fort is part of the Qala’at Al-Bahrain Site, which was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2007 and marks the location of the Ancient Harbour and Capital of the Dilmun Empire.
The museum seeks to conserve the site and the objects found there and has been designed to highlight key features of the World Heritage Site, which include a sea tower, thought to be an ancient lighthouse, a 16-hectare archaeological tell (mound), a sea channel and palm groves.
This area of Bahrain has avoided urban development, and the museum is located on the seafront amid beautiful countryside. It offers five galleries, café, retail, and education spaces.
Bahrain National Museum, Manama, Bahrain
The Bahrain National Museum opened in 1988 and has become one of the island’s most significant cultural landmarks. The building was designed by Gunnar Krohn and Eigil Hartvig Rasmussen of KHR Architecture, one of Denmark’s oldest design studios. The museum stands on its own artificial peninsula and features two buildings with nine galleries fronted by a striking white travertine marble façade.
The museum has established a reputation as one of the finest museums of its kind in the Gulf region. Its collection tells Bahrain’s history over 6,000 years. Exhibits include a reconstitution of the UNESCO World Heritage Dilmun Burial Mounds and an exhibition that examines burial traditions from the Dilmun period, fine crafts from the 2nd and 3rd centuries BCE, the country’s pearling heritage, and more.
Fire Station, Doha, Qatar
Fire Station is a contemporary art gallery in the centre of Doha. The building dates from 1982, and was originally the headquarters for Qatar’s first civil defence authority. It was adapted in 2014 by architect Ibrahim Al-Jaida, who incorporated original details such as the building’s tower and distinctive honeycomb façade to preserve this example of the city’s early-modern architecture.
Today, it is home to studios and workshops, a shop and café, and a cinema, in addition to gallery spaces which show work from both international names and artists in residence. Previous exhibitions have included works by Virgil Abloh, Picasso, KAWS and Ai Weiwei.
In addition, Fire Station is home to one of the Al Markhiya Gallery’s locations. Al Markhiya Gallery is dedicated to promoting Arab art and culture in the region and worldwide.
Manial Palace Museum, Cairo, Egypt
The Manial Palace was the summer residence of Prince Muhammad Ali Tawfik, son of Khedive Tewfik I who ruled Egypt and Sudan from 1879 to 1892. The palace was built between 1900 and 1929 and represents a significant period in modern Egyptian history and architecture. As such, the museum is one of Egypt’s most beautiful and important historical sites.
The Manial Place is surrounded by gardens and features an opulent reception area, clock tower, Sabil, mosque, hunting museum, living quarters, glittering throne hall, private museum, and golden hall. It is one of the largest private residences in Cairo.
Its modern Islamic style draws from many different architectural styles, and combines Persian and Mamluk features with inspiration from Syrian, Moroccan, Andalusian motifs, and Ottoman design.
Royal Automobile Museum, Amman, Jordan
The Royal Automobile Museum in Amman is a tribute to the late King Hussein, who was renowned for his passion for cars, while sharing key events from Jordan’s modern history.
The museum, founded by his son, His Majesty King Abdullah II, opened to visitors in 2003. It was the first museum of its kind in the Arab region.
Eighty cars, motorcycles, and other vehicles are on display, accompanied by historical photography, texts, and a multimedia presentation that explores key moments from the late King’s 47-year reign.
The oldest vehicle on show dates from 1909, and exhibits include a Rover P4 75 (the King’s first car), as well as models from Aston Martin, Rolls-Royce, Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, DeLorean, Buick, and many more.
Museum of World Cultures, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
The Museum of World Cultures is part of the Royal Arts Complex, which is set to open in Riyadh in 2026.
The Royal Arts Complex will focus on seven distinct cultural areas, each of which reflects Vision 2030’s goal of inspiring talent and enriching the cultural sector. It will extend to over 500,000 square metres, and alongside the museum will also feature a 2,300 seat theatre, amphitheatre, specialised library, artist studios, three cinemas, and the Royal Institute of Traditional Arts.
Construction began in 2022. The complex is designed by Spanish architect Ricardo Bofill and at 110 metres high, the museum will be its tallest building.
In 2024, Hartwig Fischer was announced as the founding director of the Museum of World Cultures. Fischer is the former director of the British Museum.
Etihad Museum, Dubai, UAE
In contrast to the Dubai Museum, the city’s Etihad Museum tells the story of the founding of the UAE in 1971 and seeks to inform visitors about the UAE’s constitution, specifically the rights, privileges and responsibilities it grants its citizens.
The museum building includes the site where the UAE was founded. Its façade resembles a manuscript and was designed by Canadian firm Moriyama and Teshima Architects. This draws inspiration from the Unification Agreement and is accompanied by seven leaning pillars, which represent the seven pens that signed the constitution’s declaration.
Visitors move through a series of pavilions to explore the events leading to the unification. Immersive and interactive exhibitions include the Dreams of Unity gallery, which features film, special effects and an expressive soundscape; a 3D hologram display in the Seeds of Unity gallery; and the gilded gallery dedicated to The Constitution, among others.
Museum of the Future, Dubai, UAE
The Museum of the Future in Dubai opened in 2022 and asks visitors to imagine a world 50 years from now. Its unique architecture is home to a series of immersive exhibitions that it says aims to create a hopeful vision of the future.
The multisensory spaces combine science, technology and spirituality in an uplifting and engaging experience.
Lath Carlson, the museum’s executive director, told blooloop: “When they hear ‘Museum of the Future’, a lot of people envision robots, flying cars and shiny gadgets. But that’s not really what we’re about.
“Some of those things are fantastic and creative and innovative. If they address a big challenge like climate change, we want to show them off. Really, though, it is about the storytelling, and how we effectively deploy technology in the service of storytelling.”
In 2023, the museum revealed that it is partnering with Dubai space centre in an announcement from the International Space Station (ISS). The partnership aims to highlight the AUE’s achievement in the space industry.
Sheikh Abdullah Al Salem Cultural Centre, Salmiya, Kuwait
Sheikh Abdullah Al Salem Cultural Centre is named after the late leader of Kuwait, Amir Sheikh Abdullah Al Salem. It works to champion the arts and promote Kuwait as a cultural destination. It comprises four world-class museums, accompanied by a fine arts centre and theatre, and is one of the most significant cultural projects in the world.
Its museums include the Natural History Museum, Science and Technology Museum, Arabic Islamic Science Museum, and Space Museum. Together, these facilities foster innovation and intellectual growth in science, technology, geology, and the environment.
The centre aims to celebrate diverse international cultural achievements. It has 22 galleries that show more than 3,000 exhibits. It is notable for its extensive partnership network, which spans 13 countries and over 95 specialist organisations.