ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) - The Latest on the opening of the Louvre Abu Dhabi (all times local):
7:40 p.m.
French President Emmanuel Macron is examining the galleries of the Louvre Abu Dhabi.
With architect Jean Nouvel at his side, Macron entered the first gallery of the museum. Nouvel pointed out the skylight, which mirrors the Louvre Pyramid.
The floor beneath them bore the outline of the United Arab Emirates, with different world cities named on it in Arabic, Chinese, Hindi and English.
They then looked at a two-headed Neolithic statue from Jordan, one of the oldest known in human history.
Jean-Luc Martinez, the president-director of the Louvre in Paris, offered Macron a brief description of the statue.
Macron is in Abu Dhabi to inaugurate the museum Wednesday night.
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7:25 p.m.
French President Emmanuel Macron has arrived at the Louvre Abu Dhabi for its inauguration.
Macron and his wife, Brigitte, walked up to the museum with Abu Dhabi’s powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nayhan and Dubai’s ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
An Emirati honor guard greeted them.
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9:30 a.m.
French President Emmanuel Macron will be joining Arab leaders to inaugurate the new Louvre Abu Dhabi.
The new museum in the capital of the United Arab Emirates will host the officials on Wednesday evening.
The museum marks a major cultural achievement for the UAE after a decade-long wait and questions about the condition laborers on the project faced.
Artwork at the new Louvre offers a brief history of the world and its major religions, not shying away from Judaism in a country that officially doesn’t recognize Israel.
Museum officials say it also serves as a cultural bridge between the East and West. Designed by French architect Jean Nouvel, the museum sits under a honeycombed dome of eight layers of Arab-style geometric shapes.
The museum opens to the public on Saturday.
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