Qasr Al Watan


Qaṣr Al-Waṭan, is the Presidential palace in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates.

History

To celebrate the heritage of the country, Sheikhs Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan decided to open the palace open to the public in 2019. Prior to its opening, the palace was used only for official purposes, namely hosting foreign leaders of states, and for meetings of the country's supreme council and federal cabinet. Even after being opened to the public, the palace continues to be used for these purposes.
The palace was opened to the public on the 11th of March 2019, in a ceremony hosted by Sheikhs Mohammed bin Zayed and Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. In August, the palace was named by the travel and tourism website of Hotel and Rest among the top 20 landmarks of art and culture in the World. In 2020, the Qasr Al Watan Presidential Palace was nominated for the World Travel Awards as the main cultural tourist attraction in the Middle East.

Interior and exterior

With a façade made of white granite and limestone, the mainly white palace is intricately designed and ornately decorated. It includes a dome with a diameter of, a chandelier with 350,000 pieces of crystal, and a number of compartments. The dome is located on top of the central chamber known as "The Great Hall", which is surrounded by two wings to the east and west.

Eastern wing

The eastern wing has the "House of Knowledge", where a number of artefacts and other objects of importance are stored. Stored objects include gifts presented by visiting officials from other countries, and 2 religious texts in the "House of Knowledge": the Quran and the Bible. There is also a library with more than 50,000 books which document the cultural, social and political history of the country.

Western wing

The western wing has halls which are used for official purposes. Here, there is a room known as the "Spirit of Collaboration", where meetings of the UAE Cabinet and Federal Supreme Council would be hosted, besides summits of international bodies like the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, Arab League and Gulf Cooperation Council. Elsewhere, banquets for official events, besides diplomatic gifts from other countries, are kept.