Saadiyat Island
The museum is planned to be located on Saadiyat Island, just offshore of the city of Abu Dhabi. The island's Cultural District is planned to house the largest cluster of world-class cultural assets in Abu Dhabi. The Guggenheim building is part of a massive project to "create an exhibition space intended to turn this once-sleepy desert city along the Persian Gulf into an international arts capital and tourist destination." Former Guggenheim director Thomas Krens indicated that "The Middle East is one of the world's most important emerging regions in terms of contemporary culture."