Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi

Stan the Tyrannosaurus rex and the Murchison Meteorite introduce two very different scales of natural history, from prehistoric life to material associated with the solar system's origins. Exhibitions also connect the global narrative to fossils from the UAE and environments that once existed where desert now dominates.

Stan the T. rex and the Murchison Meteorite provide obvious starting points, but the section on prehistoric Abu Dhabi gives the visit its strongest local connection. Compare that evidence with the desert you see outside: the galleries describe an earlier landscape very different from today's. Families can select one question, such as how environments change, and follow it across the displays instead of racing from specimen to specimen. The architecture also takes inspiration from geological forms, giving an outdoor view of the building a useful connection with the subject matter inside.

Use the contrast between a meteorite and a dinosaur to think about different scales of time. Then return to the local fossils and ask what evidence reveals about earlier environments in Abu Dhabi. This gives families a coherent route from the spectacular specimens to material directly connected with the place they are visiting.

• Stan the Tyrannosaurus rex
• Murchison Meteorite
• Prehistoric UAE environmental history