National Archaeological and Historical Crossroad of Civilizations Museum

Published on 11 Jul 2025

Crossroad of Civilizations is a private museum in the city of Dubai. This museum was inaugurated in the year 2014. It is an iconic and classic museum and pays homage to the rich and vibrant history of Dubai as a trading link between West and East. This museum is situated in the traditional land of Shindagha Historic District. It explores and appreciates the essence of historical dimensions of the main civilizations that played a quintessential role in the development of human values and beliefs. These set of values encompass the positive and aesthetic aspects of people, who left their artistic marks and fingerprints.

Crossroad of Civilizations Museum

Private Museum in Dubai

The museum keeps custody of historical artifacts belonging to the Sassanians, Abbasids, Greeks, Babylonians, Ubaids, and Delmons along with a multitude of other exhibits brought from different geographical regions of the world. The museum presents a history that reflects all civilizations under one roof.

To mark the contribution of these age-old civilizations to the path of human progress, Crossroad of Civilizations Museum has been developed. It seeks to bring everybody on one platform by emphasizing the essence of positive antique relationships among different people. It provides a crucial opportunity to the upcoming generations to explore the beauty of tolerance. The foundation of this museum is based on three main principles of mutual respect, tolerance, and positive thinking. These three core values are rooted in the very norms, ideology, and culture of the people and the leaders.

Crossroad of Civilizations Museum Pillar

The entire museum is bifurcated into three parts (Civilizations, Weapons, and Manuscripts). These parts tell all about the rich legacy of Dubai and the United Arab Emirates as a whole. Dubai has always witnessed a grand interplay of approximately all the civilizations of the world. The dynamism of these civilizations led to the development of a flourishing humanity. The museum, through its collection of literature, art, and cultural paraphernalia, reflects the bounty and beauty of all the historic civilizations.

Crossroad of Civilizations Museum Entrance

The CCMs are focused on promoting the achievements and contributions of all the civilizations to the entire human race. It reflects the values that were inculcated by all the travelers and traders of the historic time. They invested in building mutual interests among people. The museums are a storehouse of many interesting elements. Some of the most remarkable ones are:

1) Galleries

There are a plethora of galleries and they are categorized in an interesting and innovative manner. A wide range of manuscripts, artifacts, autographs and letters from different travelers, kings, explorers etc. have been maintained. Some works of military generals and sultans have also been kept in a protected manner., The three museums have hot permanent galleries like-

Historical Royal Gallery
Swords and Daggers Gallery
Multi faiths
Traditional Guns Gallery
Old Books Gallery
Explorers Gallery
Local History Gallery
Historical Manuscripts Gallery
Palestine and Holy Gallery

Apart from these, some other galleries are mainly devoted to historical jewelry and local historical documents.

2) Collections

The museums house some most iconic collections like those of:

Glass- Different glass artifacts have been stored from civilizations and have been kept protected in the museum.
Ceramic- There are a plethora of innovations in different crafting methodologies. A collection of more than 3000 BC years has been maintained. One of the highly distinguished works includes a Hercules vase. This vase was developed right before Alexander’s Great rise to power.
Stones- Antique statues, Roman armors, sculptures, and messages have been carved on rocks and stones.
Coins- A collection of historical coins has been maintained for the interest of the visitors. Roman, Islamic, Greek, and Byzantine coins have been kept on a show for the public.

Utensil Collection of Crossroad of Civilizations Museum

3) Sitarah

The Curtain of the Door of the Kaaba is a great work in the CCM museums. In AD 1543, this was sent to Mecca by the popular Sultan, Suleiman. He was a great patron of culture and art.

4) Manuscripts and Old Books

The museums are also a storehouse of many old books and manuscripts. Quranic Manuscripts, Manuscripts from Asia, Africa, Middle East and Europe – all can be found here. The Hamburg Quran and the initial editions of Carsten Niebuhr’s books can be found here. The latter is available in several languages. One can also find the first edition of the book written by Gasparo Balbi in this museum. He wrote ‘Voyage to the Oriental Indies’ back in the year 1590 AD. You can also find a photograph of Abd Al-Qadir. He was a renowned Algerian freedom fighter. You can also find the ancient Hebrew manuscript from Torah. Italian cryptology also has its roots in the museums. The work of Hottinger which is a storehouse of all the Islamic knowledge can also be found here. The World of Islamic Civilization (by Gustave Le Bon) is also present at this very location. Some rarities like a facsimile of the work of Johannes Gutenberg, first English translation of Gaius Plinius’ work, manuscripts on Prophet Mohammad etc. are also present here.

Frequent manuscript exhibitions are held in the museums for the knowledge of the visitors. There is also a separate documents center for the people who want to know about these works in detail. The document center houses many other interesting reports and records and is a storehouse of knowledge for the students, teachers, and researchers. There is also a separate Geography Gallery that houses many geographical scripts. Separate space has also been devoted to showcasing the collection of antique saddles and guns.

Crossroad of Civilizations Museum Art Collection

The CCM was awarded as The Best Private Museum by the Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperative Council in the year 2015.

If you have a fetish for all the historical stuff, then this is the right place for you. There a very few museums in the world that host such a vast repository of historical knowledge and the Crossroad of Civilizations is one of them. If you are in Dubai you must explore the world beyond today; a path across civilizations. It will not disappoint you and will be a great destination with your family and friends.