Visitor Center

The first stop in Wahat Al Karama, the Visitor Center, offers a unique, interactive experience providing an opportunity to learn more about the nation's heroes, the memorial, as well as the UAE's diplomatic and humanitarian efforts.

Visitors can go an tour of the Center's four galleries, allowing them to gain a deeper understanding of Wahat Al Karama. The Visitor Center features a guestbook that allows visitors to express their feelings towards the nation's heroes and to learn more about prominent figures who visited Wahat Al Karama. The center also includes a souvenir shop with proceeds going to the Emirates Red Crescent.

The Memorial Plaza

The Memorial Plaza is the second station in Wahat Al Karama and occupies the largest space in it (4000 square meters). It is surrounded by amphitheater- style seating with the capacity to hold up to 1,200 people. The amphitheater and plaza are paved using elegant travertine stones.

The plaza contains a spectacular round, 2 mm shallow pool that offers a breathtaking reflection of The Memorial and Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, located opposite Wahat Al Karama. There is also a waterfall opposite the main street which adds beauty and charm to the Memorial Plaza and casts on it a sense of peace and tranquility.

The Memorial

The Memorial is the centerpiece of Wahat Al Karama, and its third external station. It was designed by British artist Idris Khan. The symbolism behind it is clear - its 31 aluminum-clad panels lean against each other, portraying the unity, solidarity and synergy between the UAE's leadership and its citizens. Poems and the quotes from the UAE's leaders are engraved on the tablets’ surface, telling the story of the heroes’ courage and nobility.

The poetic verses and quotations splayed out across the panels, include poetic verses by the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founding President of the UAE, on the two front panels. The rest of the panels are engraved with poems and quotations from H.H. Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed, President of the UAE, along other quotations by H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai, and H.H. Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.

At the base is a horizontal panel supporting all panels, called “The Allegiance Panel”. It represents the nation's soldiers, reflecting the solidarity between the leadership, people and soldiers, and bearing the inscription of the Pledge of Allegiance of the UAE Armed Force.

The Pavilion of Honor

The journey ends at The Pavilion of Honor, the last station in Wahat Al Karama. On the right, Surat Al Fatiha is engraved, whereas the ceiling is covered in eight panels, seven of which represent the seven emirates. The eighth panel represents the UAE’s heroes. Verses of Surat Al Imran are engraved on the upper panels.

The Pavilion of Honor contains the names of all heroes, inscribed on panels made from innovatively recycled pieces from armoured vehicles previously used in service with the UAE Armed Forces. They were cut into medium-sized parts, melted in the UAE then sent to China and Australia for inscription after being shaped into panels.

The glass sculpture in the center consists of 7 transparent glass panels 346 cm high that represent each of the 7 emirates. The glass panels have the UAE Pledge of Allegiance artistically printed multiple times on both sides, enabling visitors to read them no matter where they are standing. The panels are surrounded by a round pool with water running smoothly and calmly.