The world-renowned Madame Tussauds wax museum has been prominent across the globe. With currently having a number of Madame Tussauds worldwide, including six in the USA and museums in Beijing, Tokyo and Sydney, Australia and many more, the UAE is set to get its very own first Madame Tussauds

The museum that first opened in London in 1835, houses lifelike wax figurines of prominent figures from across the globe. From famous Hollywood and Bollywood artists to world-famous politicians and more.

The museum in Dubai will have around replicas of 60 global celebrities, including Shah Rukh Khan, Katrina Kaif, Kylie Jenner, Cara Delevingne, Audrey Hepburn, Will Smith and Cristiano Ronaldo. There will also be political figures like former US President Donald Trump, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The museum will open its doors in the UAE at Blue Waters Island later this year. While the museum is all set to open soon in the region, the buzz of the museum coming to the Emirates was had been circulating since 2008. The rumours were then confirmed in 2016 and finally deciding on opening in 2017. However, after many delays, the museum will make its way into the region now.

Opening by the end of this year, the location is next to Ain Dubai and is spread across 21,528 square feet and with two floors.

Along with global icons, the Dubai version of the wax museum will also have 16 wax statues native to the Middle East region. Statues of Arab singers Nancy Ajram and Maya Diab will be present at the attraction along with few other names that will be announced soon.

The museum will be divided into six zones – leaders, fashion, film and media, Bollywood, sports, and music party. Each area will have experience zones for the visitors such as an Air Force One presidential photo opportunity, riding a rickshaw with Salman Khan, a football penalty shoot-out, a projected interactive dance floor or be part of an epic bike chase with Tom Cruise, among others.

The figurines at the Dubai Museum will be made by expert sculptors using the same artistry techniques as founder Marie Tussaud. It takes up to 12 weeks for an artist to create one statue, works of which are underway. After documenting about 500 precise body measurements and inserting real hair strand by strand to create the model, the cost for a statue can go up to Dh700,000, depending on the detail required.