Louvre Abu Dhabi opens Spices and Wonders on 14 October
Published on 09/27/2026 at 11:19 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Spices and Wonders: Sailing the Indian Ocean opens at Louvre Abu Dhabi in Abu Dhabi on 14 October 2026. The exhibition runs until 14 February 2027 and examines maritime links between Africa, the Middle East, Europe, South Asia and Southeast Asia.
The museum presents the exhibition as part of its 2026-2027 programme, making the October opening the next major date in its Abu Dhabi calendar.
Spices and Wonders opens on 14 October in Abu Dhabi
The exhibition is organised in partnership with the National Museum of Asian Arts - Guimet in France. Its subject is the movement of people, goods and ideas along Indian Ocean routes from antiquity to the seventeenth century.
The programme describes displays of spices, textiles, ceramics and other cargoes connected with those networks. The exhibition therefore links the museum's international setting with a subject built around exchange between regions that are also represented in the exhibition's geographical scope.
The official 2026-2027 exhibition calendar gives the opening date as 14 October 2026 and the closing date as 14 February 2027. It also names the Guimet museum as the French partner for the presentation.
Louvre Abu Dhabi connects its dome to Indian Ocean routes
Louvre Abu Dhabi opened in 2017 on Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi. The museum was designed by Jean Nouvel, whose architecture draws on the relationship between the site, the Arabian Gulf and the traditions of the region.
That setting gives Spices and Wonders a specific frame. The exhibition deals with routes across water and between continents, while the museum itself stands in Abu Dhabi's Saadiyat Cultural District, where the building's galleries and public spaces form part of a wider cultural quarter.
The Louvre's Abu Dhabi overview records the museum's 2017 inauguration and identifies Jean Nouvel as its architect. It also describes the institution as the first universal museum in the Arab world.
Visiting Louvre Abu Dhabi: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- Spices and Wonders: Sailing the Indian Ocean is scheduled for 14 October 2026 to 14 February 2027 at Louvre Abu Dhabi in Abu Dhabi.
- The exhibition is presented inside the museum as part of its 2026-2027 programme, with the named venue on Saadiyat Island rather than at a separate city location.
- The museum is in the Saadiyat Cultural District on Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates.
- The exhibition concerns maritime exchange from Africa and the Middle East to Europe, South Asia and Southeast Asia, with spices, textiles and ceramics among the listed display themes.
- English is widely used for visitor information in the United Arab Emirates, whose national currency is the UAE dirham.
- Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.
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Frequently asked questions about Louvre Abu Dhabi
When does Spices and Wonders take place at Louvre Abu Dhabi?
Spices and Wonders: Sailing the Indian Ocean runs from 14 October 2026 to 14 February 2027.
What is Spices and Wonders about?
The exhibition explores maritime routes and cultural exchange from antiquity to the seventeenth century, including links between Africa, the Middle East, Europe, South Asia and Southeast Asia.
Where is Louvre Abu Dhabi and how do you get there?
The museum is on Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi's Saadiyat Cultural District, in the United Arab Emirates.
