The United Arab Emirates marked a historic milestone on Tuesday, celebrating its 54th Eid Al Etihad, or National Day, with a breathtaking immersive performance at the newly inaugurated Zayed National Museum. The ceremony transformed the museum into a living stage, weaving together the nation's rich history, artistic expression, and core identity into a single, powerful narrative.
A Nation's Story Told Through Land, People, and Radio
The event, graced by the presence of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and numerous other rulers, ministers, and dignitaries, unfolded through three central themes: the voice of the land, the people, and the radio. The show opened with a poignant question: "Can you hear his voice?" as the sound of footsteps on sand merged with a vehicle's engine.
Archival footage projected above the audience featured the UAE's Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, from the 1968 documentary Farewell Arabia. The film was digitally enhanced to reveal his exact vehicle: a 1966 Formal Black Chrysler Newport. A rare matching car, found in California, was meticulously restored with larger wheels and a flag mount, mirroring Sheikh Zayed's own modifications for desert travel. This restored symbol of leadership, determination, and vision now resides permanently inside the Zayed National Museum.
Organizers noted that Sheikh Zayed's voice and his cherished values—respect for heritage, tolerance, and the deep bond between leader and people—resonated throughout the entire performance.
A Journey Across Millennia: From Pearls to the Union
A radio dial served as a narrative time machine, transporting the audience back 8,000 years to Marawah Island, where a diver retrieved one of the world's oldest natural pearls. This highlighted the early Gulf communities' reliance on pearling, trade, and cooperation.
The journey continued to the Iron Age industrial centre of Saruq Al Hadid, where craftsmen worked under the Al Jabbar constellation. Discoveries of carnelian beads there underscored ancient maritime trade routes. The narrative then advanced 2,000 years to the Abiel coin, a unique artifact featuring a horse instead of common Hellenistic imagery, pointing to the region's adaptability and evidence of early female leadership.
Six centuries ago, the story turned to the sea, following the legendary Arab navigator Ahmed Ibn Majid, who used the kamal navigation tool to chart new horizons. The performance crescendoed with the defining moment of modern Emirati history: the unification of the seven emirates. It depicted the rulers' gatherings and the landmark radio announcement of the Union 54 years ago by Ahmed bin Khalifa Al Suwaidi, as the national flag was raised for the very first time.
Rooted in Heritage, Soaring Towards the Future
The modern UAE took center stage with the debut performance of the UAE National Orchestra playing the national anthem, Ishy Bilady, symbolizing a cultural identity both rooted and globally connected. Veteran reporter Khalil Aylabouni's narration bridged past and present.
The ceremony also showcased the nation's future ambitions in clean energy, advanced science, technology, and space exploration, dramatically symbolized by a Mirage 2000-9 aircraft soaring overhead like a spacecraft ascending. In a deeply symbolic act, Sheikh Zayed's restored Chrysler was driven to the museum, representing the enduring continuity of his vision across "the land, sea and stars."
The emotional finale featured the nation's children singing a patriotic National Day anthem, driving home the message that "the legacy of Sheikh Zayed does not rest in the past but lives on in every generation." The Zayed National Museum will open its doors to the public on Wednesday, December 3.
