The Founder's Memorial
The Founder's Memorial
The Founder's Memorial
4.5
9:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 10:00 PM
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- Ihar BeliauskiAbu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates408 contributionsThe Founder’s MemorialThe Founder’s Memorial is a captivating testament to the rich history of our country, providing an immersive journey into the roots of the nation. Exploring this memorial becomes more than a visit; it's an educational experience that underscores the importance of understanding the history of the land we call home. With insightful exhibits and engaging narratives, The Founder’s Memorial serves as a beacon, enlightening visitors about the achievements and values that have shaped identity of the country. A visit here not only offers a profound appreciation for the past but also instills a sense of pride in being connected to the historical tapestry of the country.Visited December 2023Travelled soloWritten 19 December 2023
- Duncan R1 contributionBeautiful Memorial and well worth a visitBeautiful memorial to the late Sheikh Zayed and a window into his inspiring life and legacy. Well worth visiting. Saeed, one of the cultural advisors, hosted us on a tour around the memorial site sharing the UAE's rich history. Highly recommend visiting.Visited December 2023Travelled with familyWritten 27 December 2023
- Getaway549620187131 contributionHighly recommendedGreat place to visit. Our tour guide, Nasar was very enthusiastic and knowledgeable and gave us a very interesting tour not only with a lot of information about the memorial but also about Abu Dhabi and U.A.E. history overall. Amazing and very moving memorial built in memory of the late Sheikh Zayed and his inspiring life and legacy. Naser, our tour guide gave us a free tour and shared interesting information about Sheikh Zayed's vision and philosophy, together with some aspects of the UAE's rich history. It was great to see how much he cared for the environment and his people. At the end of the tour, we watched a short film about his life, which was very professionally done. Highly recommend visiting.Visited January 2024Travelled with familyWritten 6 February 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
201 reviews
Excellent
140
Very good
46
Average
14
Poor
1
Terrible
0
Charmaine
Melbourne, Australia210 contributions
Jan 2020 • Solo
I lovely walk not far from The Corniche and Emirates Palace. This is a memorial of Sheikh Zayed. It is an abstract art with 1000 cables and 1300 Geometric shapes. If you look at the right angle it is of the late King. đź‘Ť
Written 17 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Flyingred
Buckinghamshire, UK420 contributions
Oct 2021
This is worth going to see around sunset when the lights are coming on. The suspended polygons form the likeness of Sheikh Zayed. The gardens, paths and landscaping are very tasteful and kept in superb condition.
Written 8 November 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Roberts69
Northampton, UK18,912 contributions
Mar 2022
I was in Abu Dhabi to visit the Sheikh Zayed Mosque and had enough time afterwards to pay a visit to The Founders Memorial. A Memorial to Sheikh Zayed that enables visitors to learn more about his life, legacy and values. This is a very clever and artistic feat of engineering called 'The Constellation'. Designed by international artist, Ralph Helmick, The Constellation is a monumental three-dimensional portrait of Sheikh Zayed that can be viewed from multiple vantage points around the pleasant and nicely laid out memorial grounds. Housed in a 30m high pavilion, The Constellation contains 1,327 geometric shapes suspended on 1,110 cables to create a series of evolving personal encounters with Sheikh Zayed’s image. I visited by day and whilst I could see the portrait from some points in the memorial grounds I think it would be a far more impressive experience if visited at night when illuminated. There is also a visitor centre where you can watch video of people talking about the Sheikh, his life and the building of the memorial.
The Founder’s Memorial is free to enter and opens daily from 09.00am to 10.00pm. Free visitor parking is available at the site and accessible from 18th Street.
The Founder’s Memorial is free to enter and opens daily from 09.00am to 10.00pm. Free visitor parking is available at the site and accessible from 18th Street.
Written 1 April 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Professor_UK
London, UK97 contributions
Dec 2021
Free entry to the visitor centre. Free parking outside. The visitor centre had a large screen that provided information about the first ruler of Abu Dabhi. A second screen provided information about the memorial architecture building and artwork. Visitor centre was informative. Take a walk outside to the memorial building that sits in the centre of a lovely kept garden. The place is a great place to walk and view the surrounding area. The memorial building architecture artwork is an amazing piece of artwork for the 21st Century. There's a heavy security presence around the visitor centre and the memorial gardens, this is off-putting, every where you look, you can catch them staring at you - doesn't make for a relaxing visit. I scored it 5/5 for the artwork, clean restroom and information in the visitor centre.
Written 28 December 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Francis D
Montreal, Canada1,807 contributions
Jan 2022
This monument stands in a park that is small, but very well-maintained and curated for (employees wash the floor constantly).
Although the monument seems to be just rocks hanging in a random display, from a specific perspective (standing a bit more toward the right side of the monument), you can then see that the rocks align to form Sheik's face.
This area is free to enter.
Expect about 15-20 minutes to spend there.
There is a museum on the site, but we didn't visit.
Although the monument seems to be just rocks hanging in a random display, from a specific perspective (standing a bit more toward the right side of the monument), you can then see that the rocks align to form Sheik's face.
This area is free to enter.
Expect about 15-20 minutes to spend there.
There is a museum on the site, but we didn't visit.
Written 27 February 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lain
Brisbane, Australia94 contributions
Apr 2022 • Couples
Learning the history of the founder of Abu Dhabi and the UAE is really interesting but what is amazing about this memorial is the artistry.
How it is made up of 1327 geometric shapes on 1110 cables to create the image of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.
It’s definitely worth a stop and a moment to take it in.
How it is made up of 1327 geometric shapes on 1110 cables to create the image of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.
It’s definitely worth a stop and a moment to take it in.
Written 11 April 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ihar Beliauski
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates408 contributions
Dec 2023 • Solo
The Founder’s Memorial is a captivating testament to the rich history of our country, providing an immersive journey into the roots of the nation. Exploring this memorial becomes more than a visit; it's an educational experience that underscores the importance of understanding the history of the land we call home. With insightful exhibits and engaging narratives, The Founder’s Memorial serves as a beacon, enlightening visitors about the achievements and values that have shaped identity of the country. A visit here not only offers a profound appreciation for the past but also instills a sense of pride in being connected to the historical tapestry of the country.
Written 20 December 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Robert O
Rotterdam, The Netherlands5,752 contributions
Apr 2023
It took me some time to figure out what it was. The hanging stones in the frame form a portrait of Zayed (the UAE founder/ ruler of Abu Dhabi). Indeed an original idea, but perhaps a bit over the top, if you are more into modesty and paying hommage to the oridnary people who actually did all the work of building the new society.
Written 9 May 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lesliecaryl
Ottawa, KS51 contributions
Jan 2020 • Couples
We were in the UAE recently visiting friends. It was our first time over there, and it really was magnificent. We visited many amazing places, including the Founder's Memorial. At first we weren't really sure what it was, other than a unique architectural piece of work. We had been told about the Emirates Palace, the Presidential Palace, the Corniche, and many other things and places, but we came across this as we walked. It was very interesting, and while we were studying it a young tour guide came up and explained it to us. Very fascinating. We're so glad we happened to come by this beautiful piece, and learn of the history.j
Written 25 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
James J
9 contributions
Nov 2020 • Couples
We had a magical time strolling through the pathways and gardens at the Founders Memorial. Our guide, Abeer, was warm and friendly and offered a lot of insight into the amazing history of the UAE and Sheikh Zayeds life.
The garden was beautifully maintained with modern facilities. A definite must for anyone new to Abu Dhabi.
The garden was beautifully maintained with modern facilities. A definite must for anyone new to Abu Dhabi.
Written 23 November 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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