The Role of Contemporary Biographical Museums in Heritage Conservation in the UAE

The first generation of Museums in the UAE was more oriented towards displaying Artifacts and ethnographic segments of history. On the other hand, the current trend is more toward the changes and associated collective memories of the community in a rapidly developing modern nation state. His Highness, Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan was the founder of the state and had a powerful and influential vision and personality that not only influenced his society, but also passed through to the whole Gulf region. Having a biographical Museum for Sheikh Zayed is essential for documenting and preserving the details of his personality and presenting different aspects of his life in an innovative manner. Such museum will allow younger, technology-oriented generations to follow in the footsteps of Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan to develop and progress their country. In addition, a biographical museum will provide a platform to reconnect with the past to conserve UAE heritage. Emerging contemporary museums in Al-Saadiyat Island exemplify the shift, from traditional forts that were restored into museums, to new forms of spaces. This new type offers technologies to support the exhibition of Artifacts and objects in context and scale based on international design guidelines. Therefore, the biographical museum that is proposed by this research is to be built in Al-Saadiyat Island. This Paper aims to highlight the importance of having a modern/contemporary biographical museum in the conservation of UAE heritage, and applies interior design theories within an academic context in order to connect between theory and practice. The research will show some of the design proposals for such a type of museums.