A look at the Louvre Abu Dhabi by the numbers

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People walk at the Louvre Abu Dhabi in Abu Dhabi.
People walk at the Louvre Abu Dhabi in Abu Dhabi.

Abu Dhabi - The vast project claims to be the first museum of its kind in the Arab world.

By AP

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Published: Wed 8 Nov 2017, 11:18 AM

Last updated: Wed 14 Dec 2022, 10:47 AM

The Louvre Abu Dhabi, the first museum to bear the Louvre name outside France, presents around 600 pieces in a modern, light-filled structure in harmony with its desert-island setting.

Flagged as "the first universal museum in the Arab world", it sits on the low-lying Saadiyat Island, a developing tourism and culture hub 500 metres (1,600 feet) off the coast of Abu Dhabi.


It is the first museum to open on the island, also the site of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, which is still under construction.

First look: A sneak peek into Louvre Abu Dhabi


The site comprises 55 white buildings reminiscent of traditional Arab medinas.

Two-thirds of the museum is covered by a dome, 180 metres in diameter, which provides welcome shade from the scorching sun.

Pierced with 7,850 star-like openings formed by the layering of the building's structure, like interwoven palm leaves, the dome is intended to resemble silver lace.

The vast project claims to be "the first museum of its kind in the Arab world: a universal museum that focuses on shared human stories across civilisations and cultures".

The museum's price tag was initially estimated at $654 million, to be put up by Abu Dhabi under a deal signed with France in 2007.

Here's a look at the Louvre Abu Dhabi by the numbers:

  • - 97,000 square meters (1,044,108 square feet): The total built-up area of the museum
  • - 6,400 square meters (68,890 square feet): The permanent gallery space of the museum
  • - Eight: The number of layers in its dome
  • - 180 meters (590 feet): The length of its dome
  • - 7,500 tons: The weight of its dome
  • - 7,850: The number of unique "stars" inside its dome
  • - 55: The number of buildings inside the museum's dome
  • - 3,900: The number of panels that make up the museum's buildings
  • - 17: The number of glass ceilings among the museum's ceilings
  • - 620: The number of artworks and artifacts on display
  • - 235: The number of pieces on display owned by the Louvre Abu Dhabi itself
  • - 12: The number of "gallery chapters" telling what the museum refers to as the world's "universal narrative"

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