Beijing - China:

The world's first scientific museum dedicated to pterosaurs, which are winged reptiles closely related to dinosaurs, has opened in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northwest China.

Design inspired by pterosaur eggs

The Hami Pterosaur Museum is located within a national geopark in the Hami region, a site famous for its abundant pterosaur fossil discoveries. The exhibition area is about 4,600 square metres, and consists of six oval-shaped halls arranged in an overlapping manner, to look from above like a group of pterosaur eggs lying in the desert. The total area of ​​the museum is about 8,000 square meters, and it includes five thematic exhibition halls and two halls designated for public interaction.

Rare fossils displayed for the first time
The displayed collection includes fossils unearthed during more than two decades of excavation work conducted by researchers from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleohumans of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The most prominent exhibits include the world's first fossils of pterosaur eggs and embryos preserved with 3D technology, in addition to huge specimens of pterosaurs displayed for the first time to the public. The exhibits provide a comprehensive picture of the life and development of pterosaurs during the Cretaceous period, that is, about 130 million years ago.

A new tourist destination for lovers of natural history and science

This museum represents a new tourist destination for lovers of natural history and science, and adds a unique stop to the map of cultural tourism in Xinjiang. It also opens the door for the Arab investor to benefit from the developing science museums and educational tourism sector in China, especially with the increasing global interest in geological and museum tourism.