At about 4.30am local time (06:30 GMT), the raider(s) broke into the gallery's temporary exhibition area through an aluminum-framed door on a balcony.

CNN: Picasso, Mondrian works stolen in Athens art heist

The museum contains a room dedicated to the Emirati woman poet Ousha Bint Khalifa -- known as the Girl of Arabia, a gallery devoted to temporary art exhibitions, a collection of Arabian fragrances and oils, traditional jewelery and a women's study center.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

An outburst from the public gallery during a debate on hydraulic fracturing caused a temporary suspension of the assembly, on 6 December 2011.

BBC: Hydraulic fracturing