Etihad Museum

This guide to the Etihad Museum in Dubai centers on the morning of December 2, 1971, when the rulers of six Gulf sheikhdoms crowded into this building and, by British diplomat Julian Walker's account, descended into confusion signing a provisional constitution. It follows Ahmed bin Khalifa Al Suwaidi reading the document aloud, Sheikh Zayed raising the first UAE flag outside, and Ras Al Khaimah's holdout over its parliamentary seats. You'll also hear how the museum's architecture, from its scroll-shaped roof to its seven pen-like columns, was built to echo that same document.