Passengers get Museum of the Future passport stamps on arrival in Dubai

The new UAE landmark will be open to the public on Wednesday

Visitors had their passports stamped with a Museum of the Future stamp, featuring the date of the opening of ‘the most beautiful building on Earth’. All photos: Museum of the Future

A woman shows off her new stamp.

The stamp has the date 22.2.2022, the opening date of the museum, as well as the phrase 'the most beautiful building on Earth' alongside an illustration of the landmark's unique shape.

The museum opened with a fanfare on Tuesday, with public bookings starting from the following day.

A young girl is pleased with her new stamp.

This is not the first time the Emirates has handed out special stamps and stickers to mark occasions such as the UAE's journey to Mars and reopening to international tourists in the pandemic.

Tickets for the Museum of the Future are now on sale.

A family shows off their new stamps.

The opening of Museum of the Future was marked in passengers' passports today as they arrived in Dubai.

"What a memorable way to introduce the world to #MuseumOfTheFuture," shared the official social media accounts of the new landmark. "Visitors on arrival had their passports stamped with a unique #MOTF stamp to announce the date of the opening of the most beautiful building on Earth."

The stamp has today's date on it, with the phrase "the most beautiful building on earth" written underneath, alongside an illustration of the museum's unique shape.

Dubai's Museum of the Future officially opens today, Tuesday, February 22, with tickets now on sale and doors open to the public from tomorrow.

It promises visitors an immersive experience that uses technology to represent art, and encourages guests to imagine what the future could be like in spheres such as outer space, nature and wellness.

Spanning an area of 30,000 square metres, the seven-storey pillarless structure stands 77 metres tall. The stainless steel facade, which extends to more than 17,000 square metres, is illuminated by 14,000 metres of Arabic calligraphy designed by Mattar Bin Lahej, based on the poetry of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, about his vision for the city's future.

Translated into English, it says: “The future belongs to those who can imagine it, design it and execute it. It isn’t something you await, but rather create.”

On Wednesday, Burj Khalifa's facade lit up with Arabic calligraphy reflecting the Museum of the Future's exterior.

"Welcoming the most beautiful building on Earth," a message read in Arabic and English.

The new landmark was named as one of the 14 most beautiful museums on the planet in a list compiled by National Geographic magazine in July, while it also won the Tikla International Building Award last year as a unique architectural model.

Shaun Killa, partner at Killa Design and the architect who designed the museum, says its shape represents "Dubai's perpetual energy and a vision of the future".

This isn't the first time Dubai Airport has dished out special passport stamps.

In February 2021, airline passengers arriving in UAE received a stamp to mark the country's mission to Mars, with ink created from the same type of volcanic rock found on the Red Planet's barren surface.

In July 2020, Dubai marked the return of international tourists with a special sticker saying "a warm welcome to your second home", put on passports by immigration officials.