Abu Dhabi and the Louvre That Floats on Water

Abu Dhabi and the Louvre That Floats on Water

Abu Dhabi is ninety minutes from Dubai on the E11 highway, and the Louvre Abu Dhabi on Saadiyat Island is the reason to make the drive. Designed by Jean Nouvel, the museum sits beneath a dome of 7,850 aluminum stars that filter the desert sun into a "rain of light" — dappled patterns that move across the galleries and the water that surrounds the building as the sun crosses the sky. The effect is a building that feels like it was designed by the weather.

The collection spans 12,000 years and every civilization — Egyptian, Mesopotamian, Chinese, European, Islamic — arranged chronologically in galleries that refuse to separate cultures by geography, so a Chinese Buddha sits beside a Christian Madonna beside a Hindu Shiva, and the conversation between them is the museum's thesis.

Practical notes: Drive or take a bus from Dubai (DARB E101, 25 AED). The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is twenty minutes from the Louvre and is free to visit — the white marble, the gold calligraphy, and the world's largest hand-knotted carpet make it one of the most beautiful buildings in the Gulf. Budget a full day for both.