Al Shindagha Museum unveils new addition to Beauty and Adornment House

Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) has announced that a dress designed by Sheikha Alyazia bint Nahyan Al Nahyan is now being exhibited at the UAE’s largest heritage museum, Al Shindagha Museum’s Beauty and Adornment House, presented on special loan from Anasy Media.

A filmmaker and multidisciplinary creative, Sheikha Alyazia is also the founder of Anasy Media and served as the Extraordinary Ambassador for Culture for the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO) from 2021 to 2023. Created in 2024, the dress is a graceful meditation on heritage and modernity. Crafted from a silky, silvery pastel-green fabric, it is adorned with intricate geometric and floral embroidery at the neckline and wrists. Nabatean script flows across the garment in carefully composed clusters, forming rhythmic circular patterns that echo early forms of communication and storytelling. Each detail reflects a deep reverence for Emirati identity, reimagined through a contemporary lens.

The silhouette is further elevated by a sheer bronze-toned tulle that cascades fluidly from the left shoulder, inspired by the tunics of ancient Palmyra. This translucent layer is secured with a reinterpreted Mishmash coin, part Phoenician, part Emirati dirham, symbolising cultural exchange and continuity across time and place.

The addition supports the Beauty and Adornment House’s wider focus on how clothing and adornment have long carried social meaning and shaped identity. Visitors are invited to view the work as a meeting point between material tradition and contemporary design.

Sheikha Alyazia’s work has been shown in cities including Madrid, London, and Berlin. She has produced documentaries such as ‘The Tainted Veil’ and ‘Nanny Culture,’ and in 2020 made her directorial debut with the fantasy short film ‘Athel,’ which received a Platinum Award for Best Fantasy Short and a Gold Remi Award in the United States. Across film and visual practice, she continues to advocate for the importance of storytelling in shaping public understanding, inviting audiences into a meaningful cultural dialogue.