Inside Holocaust Museum in Dubai as Founder Shares Inspiration

Located near Dubai Creek within a historic house, the Crossroads of Civilizations Museum features a unique permanent exhibition dedicated to the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust. This display is positioned alongside collections exploring Emirati heritage, Islamic civilization, and the history of the Holy Land and Palestine. Opened in May 2021 shortly after the UAE normalized ties with Israel through the Abraham Accords, the gallery serves as a tangible symbol of religious coexistence in the region.

Visitors to the privately owned institution can view various artifacts and documents detailing Nazi persecution, including a life-size image of the young boy from the iconic Warsaw Ghetto photograph with his hands raised in surrender. The exhibition also highlights the bravery of Muslims who rescued Jews during the Holocaust, such as Egyptian physician Mohammed Helmy, who provided shelter to Jews hiding from persecution in Berlin.

Museum founder Ahmed Obaid Al Mansoori, a former member of the UAE Federal National Council, explained that his passion for historical preservation began in childhood through inherited family manuscripts. He started collecting systematically in 1989 and opened a private museum at his home in 2006. Dubai authorities later provided a historic building for his expanding collection, which opened publicly in 2014. Two specific experiences later inspired him to add the Holocaust exhibition: a visit to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington during the 1990s, and a conversation with an American Jewish acquaintance about rising antisemitism that prompted him to research and organize a remembrance event in Dubai.

A Dubai museum houses one of the Arab world's first permanent Holocaust exhibitions to promote coexistence.

## Exploring Multiple Narratives

The founder collaborated with an international team of Arabs, Jews, and Christians to build the gallery. Following a positive public response at its opening, Al Mansoori decided the commemorative initiative should remain permanently. Beyond the Holocaust displays, the museum intentionally places historical maps from both Israeli and Palestinian perspectives side by side with Jewish manuscripts and photographs to represent overlapping regional histories.

Why it matters

The permanent establishment of this exhibition in Dubai marks a significant step for cultural and religious dialogue in the region. By bringing diverse historical narratives and memorials into a single shared space, the museum encourages mutual respect and understanding among different communities despite political and religious differences.