Touch a piece of the moon in Abu Dhabi: Natural History Museum offers a rare experience

In Abu Dhabi, visitors have a unique opportunity to touch a piece of the moon in The Natural History Museum. This lunar meteorite, known as Ash Shaqqah 002, was ejected from the lunar surface by an asteroid impact and eventually found its way to Earth's desert sands. The museum, which opened in 2025 on Saadiyat Island, is the largest of its kind in the Middle East, spanning 35,000 square metres of galleries, laboratories, and public spaces.

Upon entering the Story of Earth gallery, visitors are greeted by an illuminated model of the Sun and displays of meteorites. Among these is Ash Shaqqah 002, a rare piece of the moon that can be touched by museum-goers. Nearby, the Evolving World gallery features the famous Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton "Stan," a 67-million-year-old predator that lived during the Cretaceous period. The museum also showcases a four-tusked elephant, the Stegotetrabelodon emiratus, which roamed the region seven million years ago.

Other highlights include a life-sized replica of a blue whale, the largest creature to inhabit Earth, and the Resilient Planet gallery, which explores the environmental challenges facing our planet today. The museum's architecture, designed by Dutch firm Mecanoo, is inspired by the region's geological features and is meant to evoke a sense of descending into a rock formation.

With its vast collection of fossils, meteorites, and lifelike wildlife displays, the Abu Dhabi Natural History Museum offers an immersive journey through billions of years of Earth's history.