Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, has its own Louvre. The complex, located on Saadiyat Island in the Persian Gulf, was built by French architect Jean Nouvel.

Related: The Louvre Abu Dhabi opens on November 11

It is compared with a giant beetle under a silver shell or with a flying saucer riddled with wind. The museum, designed by Jean Nouvel, is the first part of the rebus called the Arab “cultural region” Saadiyat. The project, initiated by the authorities of the Emirates, on an island of 2,700 hectares (a quarter of Paris’s square), includes, in addition to the Louvre, four other major “star” architecture objects: the British Zaid National Museum Norman Foster, the Japanese Maritime Museum Tadao Ando, ​​the Guggenheim-Abu Dhabi American Frank Gehry; and finally, the Center for the Arts, designed by Zaha Hadid Architects.

The first goal was scored by the Frenchman. “I know Arabic architecture well,” says Jean Nouvel. - Exactly 30 years ago I built the Arab World Institute in Paris. It is based, in particular, on two concepts that are of particular value to me: light and geometry. I am a contextual architect. My first wish was that this museum was part of the culture, history and geography of Abu Dhabi - it cannot be “transplanted” to Paris or New York. ”

“The idea was to create an Arab Agora, a place where people could gather, come here and come back again, talk about culture and art. So that it would not be an ordinary building with an entrance and a sign "museum".

180 meters - the diameter of the museum dome. It consists of 7,850 holes allowing light to penetrate inwards. “The light sunny rain that passes through creates a stunning effect. I wanted this umbrella to establish metaphysical relationships with the sky, ”the architect says. The dome consists of eight metal layers (stainless steel, iron or aluminum) with a total thickness of seven meters. Weighing 7,500 tons (heavier than the design of the Eiffel Tower), the dome rests on four pillars, carefully hidden inside the building - it seems that the hemisphere levitates overhead. Jean Nouvel calls this the "aesthetic of the miracle" - "we must always keep secrets."

300 the masterpieces are provided by 13 French museums "Louvre in the Desert" in the first year of existence. Among them are the works of Van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, Pablo Picasso and Leonardo da Vinci's “The Beautiful Ferronier”. But the Arab Museum not only relies on the help of the French tricolor. For his permanent collection, he plans to acquire another 600 works, of which more than 200 will be exhibited at the opening.

64 000 square meters - the total area of ​​the museum complex on Saadiyat island. Louvre Abu Dhabi occupies 8,600 square meters, 6,400 of them are allocated for the permanent collection, 2,000 for temporary exhibitions and 200 for the children's museum. “This museum is a micro city. Each of the different-sized white cubes corresponds to a room or a function, ”comments Jean Nouvel. The “city” is 55 individual volumes; 26 are intended for permanent galleries.

525 000 000 the euro will be paid by Arab sheikhs for 30 years only for using the name Louvre

561 000 000 Euro - the total cost of building the Louvre of Abu Dhabi (according to the latest estimate). The cost of the project was not supposed to exceed 83 million euros, but went beyond due to delays in work and financing. (For comparison, the Museum on the Quai Branly, also designed by Jean Nouvel, cost "only" 150 million euros).