In honour of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the Founder’s Memorial was unveiled last week in a spectacular ceremony, ahead of the attraction’s opening to the public in the next few months.
The Founder’s Memorial will be a permanent national tribute to the UAE’s founding father, and is dedicated to commemorating the life, legacy and values of the late Sheikh Zayed. Through art, landscape, and multimedia experiences, the monument marks a place where people can learn aboutthe late Sheikh Zayed as a man and a leader, enabling people to gain a deeper understanding of his vast influence on the UAE and the wider world.
At the center point of the monument is “The Constellation”, a dynamic three-dimensional portrait of the late Sheikh Zayed, created by artist, Ralph Helmick.”The Constellation” can be experienced in many unique ways from different viewing points around the memorial, and is made up of more than 1,300 geometric shapes suspended on more than 1,000 cables. At night, these shapes shine like stars, evoking the timelessness of Sheikh Zayed’s vision as a guiding light for the UAE people.
When it opens to th public, the site will provide 3.3 hectares of pristine public space to the UAE community for walking and quiet reflection, featuring landscaped areas planted with trees and shrubs indigenous to the UAE and the Arabian Peninsula, and an elevated walkway that will offer captivating views of The Constellation, The Corniche, and the Abu Dhabi skyline.
