Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi Launches AR Experience with Snap Inc.
The Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi has partnered with Snap Inc. to introduce groundbreaking augmented reality (AR) experiences that bring 13.8 billion years of natural history to life. This collaboration, announced on January 14, 2026, transforms the museum into an immersive journey through prehistoric environments, ancient creatures, and Earth’s evolutionary timeline using Snapchat’s cutting-edge AR technology.
Located in the Saadiyat Cultural District, the museum is the largest of its kind in the Middle East. The new AR experiences shift museum exploration from passive observation to active discovery, allowing visitors to interact with natural history as though stepping directly into the past.
Immersive AR Experiences Transform Museum Visits
Using both mobile AR and Snap’s next-generation Spectacles, guests can experience three distinct AR showcases. The museum’s iconic atrium transforms into a lush Jurassic environment where visitors walk among three ancient species: Camarasaurus, Barosaurus, and Tylosaurus, each brought to life at full scale with educational storytelling. A permanent QR code allows instant access through Snapchat’s camera.
Through Snap’s next-generation Spectacles, visitors experience an exclusive hands-free encounter with a full life-size Brachiosaurus during curated demos and tours. The experience blends physical and digital environments with extraordinary realism, offering a window into prehistory without screens or handheld devices.
One of the most educational moments features a full-scale Blue Whale reconstructed with photorealistic precision. The lens includes an X-ray mode revealing the whale’s internal anatomy, including its heart, lungs, and deep-sea diving adaptations, transforming abstract scientific data into an intuitive visual learning tool.
Leadership Perspectives on AR Innovation
“This collaboration with Snapchat allows us to introduce storytelling and education through an engaging and interactive lens. By merging world-class science with cutting-edge AR, we’re enabling visitors to understand the universe and planet’s past in deeper, more intuitive ways.”
Dr. Peter C. Kjærgaard, Director of the Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi
“Our collaboration with the Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi pushes the boundaries of what augmented reality can do. We’re using Snap’s technology to bring 13.8 billion years of history to life, creating an immersive journey of discovery and learning.”
Antoine Challita, UAE Country Head for Snap Inc.
Setting New Regional Standards for Museum Technology
This collaboration establishes a new regional benchmark for how museums can leverage AR to extend learning, accessibility, and engagement. The permanent experiences make natural history more interactive, emotional, and memorable for millions of visitors. The 35,000 square meter museum, designed by renowned architects Mecanoo, now combines globally significant collections with state-of-the-art AR technology.
The Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi serves as a global hub for cutting-edge research in paleontology, earth sciences, biodiversity research, and conservation. Through this partnership with Snap Inc., the museum demonstrates how cultural institutions can shape the future of learning by enabling visitors not just to see history, but to step directly into it.
