Zayed National Museum has launched a thematic tour tracing women’s contributions to society across about 8,000 years, linking an ancient burial with stories of leadership, coastal labour, education, healing and cultural preservation.The one-hour Women of the Nation experience opened on August 1 as part of programmes marking Emirati Women’s Day, observed annually on August 28. It will run until September 26, with English-language tours on Thursdays and Arabic sessions on Saturdays.
Visitors move through five permanent galleries at the museum on Saadiyat Island: Our Beginning, To Our Ancestors, Through Our Connections, By Our Coasts and To Our Roots. The route brings together archaeological objects, personal possessions, oral histories, photographs and traditional crafts to examine the varied roles women played in different periods.
Among the earliest stories is the burial of a woman who lived about 8,000 years ago. Archaeological evidence indicates that she reached approximately 50 years of age, well beyond the average life expectancy of her period.
She was buried with feathers, shell jewellery and daggers fashioned from human bone. The care given to the burial and the objects placed alongside her suggest that she held an important position within her community.
The tour uses the discovery to challenge assumptions that women’s authority and social standing are mainly modern developments. Other exhibits indicate that women may also have occupied influential positions during the Iron Age and pre-Islamic periods.
Coins based on designs associated with Alexander the Great illustrate the region’s extensive trading connections, while inscriptions containing references translated as “daughter of” provide clues about women’s lineage, identity and authority.
The narrative also examines women who shaped the values and development of the UAE. Particular attention is given to Sheikha Salama bint Butti, mother of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.
Her courage, resilience and commitment to community welfare are presented as formative influences on Sheikh Zayed. She opened her home to women seeking help, offered advice and prepared remedies for people who were unwell, sometimes delivering the treatments herself.
The museum links those acts of service with the emphasis Sheikh Zayed later placed on compassion, social responsibility and support for families. It also explores the role of Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Mother of the Nation, in widening women’s access to education, healthcare and public participation.
A Quran presented to Sheikha Fatima by the first female graduates of United Arab Emirates University is among the objects highlighted. The gift reflects the graduates’ appreciation for her support and the broader transformation of educational opportunities available to women.
Beyond prominent figures, the tour focuses on work that was essential to the survival of households and communities but was not always recorded in formal histories.
The By Our Coasts gallery examines the responsibilities women carried when men spent lengthy periods at sea for fishing, pearling and trade. Women managed homes, raised children, protected resources and supported community networks while facing uncertainty over whether vessels and crews would return safely.
Their work helped maintain economic and social stability in coastal settlements. Oral histories included in the exhibition convey the anxiety surrounding maritime journeys and redirect attention towards the labour performed onshore.
Traditional knowledge passed between generations forms another central strand. Sadu weaving shows how women without formal schooling developed complex skills by observing relatives and working together.
Patterns were inspired by tools, animals and landscapes familiar to desert communities. The craft served practical purposes while preserving visual identities that could identify families, places and shared traditions.
Women also transmitted knowledge of herbal remedies and methods used to comfort children. The museum presents these practices as sophisticated systems built through experience, environmental understanding and collective learning.
Falconry, often portrayed as a male activity, is represented through the story of a woman who learnt the practice from her mother. Her experience demonstrates how women helped preserve desert traditions associated with hunting, animal care and survival.
A photograph of girls graduating from Quran classes provides a smaller but revealing account of community solidarity. The girls are pictured wearing gold jewellery borrowed from neighbours, reflecting how families shared valuable possessions to support younger women during important occasions.
Other objects include a crescent-shaped necklace made in Ajman during the 1950s. Jewellery is used throughout the tour to explore status, celebration, craftsmanship and the personal histories carried by objects across generations.
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