Dubai Culture Celebrates Emirati Heritage at Arabian Travel Market 2025

Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) concluded its participation in the 32nd edition of the Arabian Travel Market (ATM 2025), held at the Dubai World Trade Centre under the theme ‘Global Travel: Developing Tomorrow’s Tourism Through Enhanced Connectivity’. The Authority highlighted Dubai’s cultural richness and reinforced the emirate’s position as a premier destination for cultural tourism, living, and investment.

Participating within the Dubai Government Pavilion, Dubai Culture presented key heritage sites such as Al Shindagha Museum, the largest heritage museum in the UAE. The museum showcases more than 80 historical houses across 22 pavilions, offering a vivid portrayal of traditional Emirati life from the mid-19th century to the 1970s through artefacts, photographs, oral histories, and exhibits.

The Etihad Museum, another cultural landmark promoted at the event, presented its unique archive chronicling the UAE’s foundation. Through interactive exhibits and educational content, the museum narrates the story of the union and the vision of the Founding Fathers from 1968 to 1974, culminating in the formation of the UAE in 1971.

Adding an artistic dimension to its presence, Dubai Culture curated a special art exhibition at the VIP Majlis at ATM 2025. The exhibition featured works by several prominent Emirati artists exploring themes tied to national heritage:

• Mattar Bin Lahej showcased the sculpture ‘Future’, reflecting on the philosophical interplay between presence and absence.

• Nawal Alblooshi exhibited ‘Rashid Bauhaus’ and ‘Rashid Pattern’, combining Bauhaus aesthetics with Emirati architectural themes.

• Faisal Abdulqader displayed ‘Reflections of Legacy’, inspired by the Burj Al Arab, and ‘In the Old Neighbourhood’, a tribute to historic Dubai communities.

• Alia Al Shamisi presented ‘Forgotten Architecture’, a documentation of Dubai’s iconic buildings, originally commissioned by Brownbook magazine.

• Khalid Al Banna contributed ‘Gargour’, an installation symbolising the merging of tradition and innovation through the motif of a traditional fishing trap.

• Saeed Alketbi and Majedah Alawadhi of Ajzal Studio introduced the ‘Burj Rashid Collection’, which offers artistic interpretations of the iconic tower's facade.

Through its rich showcase of heritage, art, and history, Dubai Culture reaffirmed its mission to elevate Dubai’s cultural identity on a global platform and deepen public appreciation for the emirate’s authentic Emirati roots.