Dubai is turning into an open-air museum. Here's a glimpse!

Dubai is already well on its way to becoming a graffiti hub, or as Sheikh Mohammed would call it, an "open-air museum". 

Now, the emirate is getting an Arabian/Khaleeji makeover featuring marvelous street art, thanks to the Dubai Street Museum project.

Led by Brand Dubai, the creative arm of the Government of Dubai media office, in partnership with the Dubai Municipality, the urban art initiative will see international and local artists cover the emirate's walls with murals inspired by the United Arab Emirates' heritage.

Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum recently gave Dubai Street Museum the go-ahead. 

According to the UAE's news agency WAM, the project is inspired by Sheikh Mohammed's pursuit to preserve UAE's cultural legacy and his "vision to transform Dubai into an open-air museum and promote aesthetic excellence and innovation".

Celebrating UAE's culture and national symbols, the artwork will be implemented in select areas in Dubai over the course of five years.

The first set of murals will be unveiled on the 2nd of December Street in Satwa, chosen for its historic significance. The street is one of Dubai's oldest streets and it leads to Dar al-Ittihad, which saw the declaration of the UAE on Dec. 2, 1971. 

With the UAE celebrating its 45th National Day this Friday Dec. 2,  there couldn't have been any time or place more ideal to kick-start the project.

The ‘2nd of December Street’ initiative brings together 16 international and local artists to paint murals on 16 buildings along the street. Some of the artwork has already been completed:

Dubai Street Musuem will soon cover other parts of Dubai, including the al-Karama district and the mountainous area of Hatta. According to The National, the artwork in the inland exclave of Hatta will highlight its historic and natural significance, as part of a recently announced plan to make Hatta a leading tourist destination.

What's On reports that Emirati Ashwaq Abdulla and Lithuanian Ernest Zacharevic are among the participating artists. Art students from prominent UAE universities will give the professional artists a hand.

Boasting a Guinness world record for the longest graffiti scroll, Dubai is making a name for itself in the global graffiti scene. Despite being criminalized in the UAE, street art has taken over the emirate after officials came on-board with several urban art initiatives. 

Beautiful works of street art can be found all over the emirate:

An initiative by Dubai Walls saw the whole area beautifully covered in colors. A visual tour of the project can be found here.

Wasl Group transformed the facades of Karama Shopping Complex into an open street art gallery.