We are somehow midway through September and didn't even notice the season had begun. The pool days blurred, the iced coffees multiplied, and suddenly everyone else seems to have a “cultural calendar.” Time, then, to tear yourself from the sofa and step into the world of art, sparkle, and history. This month’s highlights range from Hermès diamonds to Mamluk dynasties, with a few sharp detours into photography and motherhood. Four stops, all worthy of pretending you planned them in advance.

When? Until Sunday, September 21

Where? Hermès boutique, The Dubai Mall

Jewelry, but make it art. Shopping, but make it cultural. Hermès has rolled out its Chaîne d’ancre exhibition — a love letter to a humble anchor chain sketch from 1938 that became an icon. Pierre Hardy, Creative Director of Hermès Jewelry, has reimagined the motif across eleven collections, proving that even a chain can be avant-garde. Highlights include minaudières dripping with 7,600 white diamonds and 4,398 pink sapphires — the not-so-quiet luxury of a bag that does all the talking. If you ever wanted to see 1,500 hours of craftsmanship condensed into pure glitter, this is your last chance.

When? Until November 5

Where? Lawrie Shabibi, Alserkal Avenue

Photographs that ask you to look twice — Marwan Bassiouni’s first solo exhibition in the region reframes European landscapes through mosque windows. Between 2018 and 2022, he captured views of traffic junctions, supermarkets, and apartment blocks framed by patterned tiles, rugs, and minbars. These aren't monumental mosques but repurposed garages, shops, and flats transformed by migrant communities into prayer rooms. The result is a distinctly Western scene seen through a distinctly Islamic frame — ordinary yet charged, intimate yet political. It is landscape photography without exoticism or spectacle — just the simple, loaded act of looking out.

When? Until January 25, 2026

Where? Louvre Abu Dhabi

If you like your culture with a side of grandeur — the Louvre Abu Dhabi is delivering. Over 270 works trace the legacy of the Mamluk Sultanate, a dynasty that ruled the Islamic world for two and a half centuries. Expect helmets, manuscripts, glasswork, carpets, and one very important Key to the Kaaba. It is history, politics, and artistry all under one dome — plus, you will leave with the vague sense that you could definitely hold your own at a medieval trivia night.

When? Until November 7

Where? Firetti Contemporary, Dubai (with Hunna Art Gallery)

Motherhood is many things — but rarely described as glamorous. In this solo show, Aidha Badr captures the in-between space of becoming a mother — intimate, fragmented, and quietly radical. Horses appear as recurring motifs, shifting from fragile toy to proud steed, mirroring the artist’s acceptance of change. The works read like diary entries — exposing the tenderness and complexity of transformation. Bring tissues if you must — but also expect moments of sly humour. After all, what is more universal than reluctantly growing up?