Dubai’s bold and imaginative architectural marvel, the Museum of the Future, is nearing completion. The last piece in the iconic structure was fitted on October 3 in the presence of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

Located in the Emirates Towers area near Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai, the 30,000-square-metre and 77 metre-high iconic building has an egg shape with a hole in the middle that stands for “the unknown”. Its stainless steel facade with illuminated glazed Arabic calligraphy makes it a unique creation. Set to be the one of the most beautiful architectures in the world, it will have seven floors of exhibition space that will showcase innovative and futuristic concepts, services, and products for the future of cities. The Museum, built at a cost of Dirhams 500 million, aims to be a place of tolerance where varied cultural, philosophical, social and spiritual outlooks are welcome.

HH Sheikh Mohammed said that the Museum of the Future is “a global monument of urban excellence” and a quintessential Emirati contribution to delivering a brighter future.

“A universal architectural icon, the Museum of the Future combines between our authentic Arab culture and far-reaching ambitions. It is a global engineering icon, but speaks the Arabic language,” Sheikh Mohammed stated at the ceremony. With the attachment of the final piece to the museum’s facade, another milestone has been reached in completing the future landmark that will add to Dubai’s distinguished track record of architectural masterpieces.

The Museum of the Future, along with the Emirates Towers, the Dubai International Financial Centre and the Dubai World Trade Centre, represents an innovation-driven area, he said.

“We are not after architectural wonders, but we rather seek to unleash human potential to create a better future that abounds in miracles and testifies to the remarkable achievements made by the UAE. Dubai will continue to deliver architectural masterpieces as the world continues to be in progress for those who know exactly what they want,” His Highness said. He noted that the museum has already gained global fame even before its opening thanks to its one-of-a-kind design.

Sheikh Mohammed and his entourage were shown around the landmark to see the progress of work while the team of the Dubai Future Foundation, the body in charge of the project, briefed him on the key design techniques, architectural styles and state-of-the-art solutions that went into accomplishing the cultural landmark.

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After its successful launch of the Hope Probe to Mars, the UAE has set its sights on the moon now. On September 29, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, announced the launch of the first Emirati and Arab mission to explore the moon. The mission supports the UAE’s efforts to enhance the region’s space industry and contribute to its future built by innovative Emirati minds, WAM reported.

The Emirates Lunar Mission is part of the 2021-31 strategy launched by the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), which includes the development and launch of the first Emirati lunar rover named “Rashid”, after the late Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, builder of modern Dubai and father of the present ruler.

The explorer will be designed and built in the UAE by an Emirati team of engineers, experts, and researchers. So far, only the United States, Soviet Union, and China have sent successful moon missions. An international entity will assist MBRSC in landing the Rashid Lunar Rover on the Moon.

The mission aims to conduct tests to study various aspects of the lunar surface, including the lunar soil and its formation and components. During its mission period, the Lunar Rover will capture multiple images and relay it back to the control room in Dubai. The Emirates Lunar Mission will also test new technologies in material science, robotics, mobility, navigation, and communications, specially designed to survive and function in the harsh lunar environment.

The Emirati rover will land on an area of the Moon’s surface that has not been explored by any of the previous lunar exploration missions. Therefore, it will provide novel and highly valued data, images, and insights. During its mission, the lunar rover will collect scientific data on matters relating the origin of the solar system, our planet and life.

The Lunar Rover will test new exploration techniques on the Moon, which will help test the UAE’s capabilities before embarking on manned missions to Mars.

The Rover will be equipped with state-of-the-art technologies including a 3D camera, advanced motion system, sensors, communication system and be powered using solar panels.

It will have an advanced motion system to enhance the efficiency of the Lunar Rover’s wheel movement on the Moon and overcome natural barriers, along with a robust structure to protect devices and machinery from changing temperatures.

The team at MBRSC is working towards completing the design of the Lunar Rover by 2021. The rover is set to be manufactured in 2022, while preliminary experiments and tests of the prototype are expected to start in 2023. The Centre aims to launch the Lunar Rover by 2024, setting another record in its growing list of achievements in the space sector.

The Lunar Rover is expected to face many challenges on the surface of the Moon, as it has a harsher environment than Mars, and the temperature can reach minus 173 degrees Celsius. With a success rate of only 45 percent, landing on the Moon is considered one of the most challenging space missions due to the precision required for a successful landing.

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From Etisalat to Noor Bank, changing trains at Union and passing the Burj Khalifa station, my first ride on the Dubai Metro to meet a friend in Jumeirah remains unforgettable. Since then, the occasional metro ride alone, usually in the Women & Children carriage, has been relaxing and fun – watching carefree shoppers, chattering student crowd and of course, and preoccupied working women on their way to work. A sea of humanity quietly leaves the carriage at each air-conditioned station, up the steps or elevator and out into the sun.
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The cacophony that characterised the Chennai local trains and Metro was endearing in its own way – women selling flowers, vegetables, the blind selling trinkets or singing a mournful number and the random fishmonger sitting on the train floor with her basket on her way home – but the flawless precision and absolute cleanliness with which the Dubai Metro functions make me want no more. No eating, chewing gum or drinking water in this automated Metro that is the pride of the emirate of Dubai.

On September 9, 2020, the Dubai Metro celebrated its 11th birthday. As always, residents remembered with gratitude the grit and vision of the HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, the Vice-President of UAE and the Ruler of Dubai, who made this dream possible.

Parvathi S., a college-goer who often uses the train service, says: “Dubai metro will always have a very special place in my heart. It has made life simple, comfortable and so much easier. For a student like me, Dubai Metro has always been a life-saver. Reaching school, university or any place in Dubai has become very easy thanks to the metro service. The happiness of getting a seat during a long ride is one of those little moments that make the metro journey memorable. Thank you Dubai Metro for your 11 years of exemplary service.”

A good many secondary school children who attend schools near the train stations patronise the Dubai Metro too. And for teens like my son, wanting to chill out with friends on the weekend, the Metro provides a safe and economical means of transport. In fact, it is part of the adventure too. For tourists and residents alike, a Metro ride adds to the experiences that make up Dubai. It can easily be called the city’s most popular mode of public transport.

Over 1.5 billion riders have used the Dubai Metro until now, with a daily ridership of 650,000 reported last year. The number of Dubai Metro riders on its Red and Green Lines reached 202.98 million riders in 2019. Burjuman and Union stations, interchange stations on the Red and Green Lines, accounted for 12.76 million and 10.6 million riders respectively.

Route 2020, a 15km extension of the Red Line to the Expo 2020 site, with seven stations in between, was recently inaugurated by Sheikh Mohammed.

“The UAE has exceptional goals and ambitions. Today, we are moving with confidence, determination and a clear vision to attain the highest levels of excellence in various fields. Our objective is to provide people everything that ensures their wellbeing, stability and happiness and establish a prosperous future for the coming generations,” he said at the launch.

It was on 09/09/09 that Sheikh Mohammed gave the green signal to the Dubai Metro when he swiped the first Nol (fare) card to embark on a historic ride on the Red Line from Mall of the Emirates station to Rashidiya at 9:09:09 p.m. At its first stop, Dubai International Financial Centre or DIFC, the good Ruler placed a commemorative gold coin at the station. Since then, the shiny driverless carriage has been transporting residents and tourists across the emirate belying predictions that a city of cars and fast lanes will not find the public transport attractive. Today, many prefer to leave their cars parked at home or at the Park-and-Ride terminals and take a hassle-free and reliable metro ride to their destinations.

It saves them the hassle of navigating through peak hour traffic jams, or the fear of flouting a traffic rule and incurring a fine. Moreover, there is company in a train carriage unlike in a car – though in pandemic times, human company induces fear and social distancing is the order of the day.

When COVID-19 brought the world to a standstill, the Dubai Metro, like all public transport in the UAE, was completely halted for a two-week period in April. The National Sterilisation drive disinfected 47 stations and 79 trains of Dubai Metro before train services resumed on April 26. New safety and preventive measures are in place now, which instil confidence in the commuter.

“Al abwab toglaq. Doors closing,” reminds the much-loved voice of the metro as I enter a carriage, gloved and masked, for a Friday jaunt.

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This Friday, the Crown Prince of Dubai Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed announced that Dubai is set to become a bicycle-friendly city after new road safety laws and infrastructure to support riders are put in place.

Two days after his cycling expedition in the Jumeirah Beach neighbourhood, the Ruler of Dubai along with his officials were seen visiting the iconic Ibn Battuta Mall in Dubai, enquiring about promotional offers during the ongoing Dubai Summer Surprises festival. Sheikh Mohammed provides Dubai residents an occasional surprise by visiting a coffee shop, a restaurant or just crossing the road at a pedestrian crossing in downtown Dubai. He can throw a surprise on government departments too by paying an early morning visit to check their functioning and pulling up late comers. Principle No. 2 of “The Eight Principles of Dubai”, a document Sheikh Mohammed issued on the 50th year of his service to the nation, states: “Justice is the basis of a strong and proud nation, and guarantees prosperity and stability. No one is above the law in Dubai, starting with the ruling family. The law does not discriminate between citizens and residents, rich and poor, male and female, Muslims and non-Muslims. Justice delayed is justice denied.” It also explains why the ruler and the ruled are able to walk on the streets without fear or layers of security.

His gestures and actions speak louder than words. It helps when the ruler leads by example – to wait for the green light at a pedestrian crossing or cycle to reduce carbon emissions in a city of cars. With the mall visit, he instils confidence to venture out and go about life as usual in a populace that had learnt to confine themselves to the four walls of their homes when the governments of the emirates devised plans to contain COVID-19. Now that the UAE has successfully reined in the coronavirus and cautiously opened up its businesses and leisure activities, the popular Indian Premier League cricket tournament has shifted venue to the UAE.

Sheikh Mohammed is a ruler who knows the pulse of his people, a visionary leader whose ambitious plans for his emirate has seen the desert city transform into an oasis of prosperity and modernity. The execution of his vision is achieved systematically by the best brains from across the world. That a 50-year-young nation can dream to be in space was proven when the UAE sent an Emirati astronaut to space and the Hope Probe to Mars. A human settlement in Mars by 2117 is the ultimate project of the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) created in 2006 to make the UAE a world leader in space services and exploration.

The phenomenal growth of a fishing village that struck gold with oil in the late 1960s is also synonymous with the growth of its airline into the most prestigious airline brand in the 21st century. Before the pandemic struck, Emirates was the world’s most preferred airline, the Dubai International Airport the world’s busiest in terms of international passenger traffic and Dubai Duty Free the most successful airport retailer.

With his Midas touch, Sheikh Mohammed has made the impossible possible in Dubai – man-made islands, indoor ski resort, the Dubai Metro, trams, driverless pods, and of course, the world’s tallest building Burj Khalifa. There is more to come – the Creek Tower that will be the new tallest building, Ain Dubai the biggest Ferris wheel, Expo 2020 the World’s Greatest Show (postponed due to COVID-19), the Museum of the Future and Atlantis 2, to name a few.
Even as it builds more architectural marvels, Dubai seeks to be a sustainable and futuristic city. By 2050 Sheikh Mohammed aims to have 75 per cent of the city’s energy from clean sources and leave the smallest carbon footprint.

Under his enthusiastic and charismatic guidance, Dubai continues to aim for superlatives. So, welcome to the Happiest City in the world.

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