Dates to be confirmed

Visitor Centre

Where the journey begins

The orientation point at the museum's entrance and the intended first stop of any visit. The experience opens with traditional Emirati hospitality — Arabic coffee (gahwa) and fresh dates served in an elegantly styled majlis, where visitors can also try on traditional Emirati attire. Here you collect a site map, receive wayfinding guidance, buy tickets if not booked online, and find information on exhibitions, workshops, guided tours and programmes, with knowledgeable Emirati cultural guides included with every ticket. Given a site this large — 22 pavilions across dozens of historic houses — the Centre is less a formality than a necessity: the place to plan a route through a museum too big to see in a single day, and it runs workshops of its own, such as paper-lantern making during seasonal programming.

Al Shindagha Museum