Mansour bin Mohammed witnesses the opening ceremony of ICOM Dubai 2025 at Expo City Dubai

His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of the National Olympic Committee, and Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, witnessed the opening ceremony of the 27th General Conference of the International Council of Museums “ICOM Dubai 2025”, which is being held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, may God protect him, and which Dubai is hosting for the first time in the Middle East, Africa and South region. Asia.

The opening ceremony was held under the dome of Al Wasl Square in Expo City Dubai – the largest interactive exhibition dome in the world – and presented, over the course of twenty minutes, an inspiring musical theatrical show consisting of four artistic paintings, which embodied the story of Dubai’s origins on the banks of the creek, and narrated its details in a creative, interactive way, in which it employed two- and three-dimensional techniques, and presented live performances and musical pieces that took the audience on an influential journey through the history of the emirate since its founding on the banks of the creek in the year 1833 until it became a global cultural center.

Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum praised the joint efforts between Dubai Culture and Expo City Dubai, which resulted in a dazzling artistic display that embodies the essence of Dubai, its creativity, culture and openness to the world. She said: “I am proud of Dubai’s journey and its story that deserves to be told… It is the story of a city that believed in the role of culture in building people and advancing societies, and whose people worked with determination and will to achieve the vision of its wise leadership.” Today, through the opening ceremony of (ICOM Dubai 2025), we are reviewing the story of the emergence of Dubai, which from its beginnings opened its doors to the world, established the concepts of openness, and strengthened global cultural exchange, achieving the most prominent achievements, so that the world meets today on its soil in the largest international gathering in the museum sector, which is a matter worthy of pride and a cause for national pride.

Her Highness praised the artists, performers and creative teams who participated in presenting and designing the show, describing their efforts as “a reflection of our cultural identity, where creativity, craftsmanship, and cultural narrative come together to connect the past with the present, and tradition with innovation.”

The opening ceremony was attended by His Highness Sheikh Majid bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, His Highness Sheikh Hasher bin Maktoum bin Juma Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Media Incorporated, His Highness Prince Rashid bin Abdulaziz bin Saud Al Saud, Sheikh Faisal bin Saud Al Qasimi, Supreme President of the Arab Network for Creativity and Innovation, and Sheikha Shamma bint Sultan bin Khalifa Al. Nahyan, CEO of Frontier25, and Dr. Emma Nardi, President of the International Council of Museums (ICOM), along with a number of general directors and senior officials.

The theatrical performance “This is Dubai” took the audience on a poignant journey through the history of Dubai, since 1833, the year in which the Al Bu Falassa tribe made the decision to leave Liwa to build a more stable future.

Upon their arrival at Al Khor, they found water and land suitable for life, so they began building houses from fronds, and from then on, the features of Dubai began to take shape.

The second painting dealt with the diving and fishing journey, as the community began to grow, and the sea became the primary source of livelihood, and men would leave before dawn to dive in search of pearls, and spend weeks at sea while their families waited for them on the coast.

The third panel celebrated Dubai’s openness to the world, as ships began to arrive there, the first markets appeared there, and cultures, languages, and voices diversified. The show concluded with a joyful duet presented by the fourth panel, which focused on Dubai as a city of stability and not a transit station, where new homes were built, and a diverse society was formed that brings together multiple cultures and experiences in perfect harmony.

The work was directed by Amna Abdullah Abu Al-Hol, who led a team consisting of Emirati cadres and international companies, led by the great Emirati poet Ali Al-Khawar, who wrote the poetic text of the work, and the music was composed by the ambassador of melodies, Fayez Al-Saeed, with a distinguished operatic performance by the Emirati artist Fatima Al-Hashemi, and the voice of Dubai was performed in the show by the poet and media personality Hoda Al-Fahd, while the Emirati Reem Abdullah Al-Ghaith supervised the cultural narrative content of the show.

Produced by the in-house creative team at Expo City Dubai, the show took more than 100 hours of rehearsals and more than 380 hours of historical research into early Gulf maritime treaties, British India Office records, and regional archives. Through this research, the show traces the path of Dubai’s transformation from a modest coastal city into a vibrant center of trade, culture and exchange, recounting its history that was linked to the sea and its identity that was formed through openness to the world.

The show transformed the Al Wasl Plaza Dome, with a diameter of 130 metres, into a distinctive visual canvas using 252 Christie D4K40-RGB laser projectors and more than 813 lighting units, immersing the audience in a 360-degree panoramic audio-visual experience, supported by 27 sound matrices and more than 150 advanced speakers.

The show’s music also combined traditional Emirati rhythms with contemporary orchestral arrangements, forming a soundscape that reflects Dubai’s unique harmony between heritage and innovation.

The show was organized in partnership with Expo City Dubai, Du, and the Roads and Transport Authority in Dubai, to celebrate the visitors and guests of the “ICOM Dubai 2025” conference. The ceremony embodied Dubai’s history based on cooperation, creativity and communication, and expressed its long journey and its transformation from a society dependent on diving and trade to a global center for culture, creativity and knowledge exchange, which reflects the emirate’s belief in culture as a common human language that unites peoples and inspires humanity.