Get the appSign inSign up
Trip ideas  /  7 days in Dubai and Abu Dhabi  /  Qasr Al Watan
Qasr Al Watan, Dubai, Dubai and Abu Dhabi
Historic site · Dubai, Dubai and Abu Dhabi

Qasr Al Watan

Opened in 2019.A dome 37 m across.350,000 pieces of crystal.

Photo: Renek78, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Read aloud by your device's voice. It sounds different on each device.

The palace

Qasr Al Watan is the presidential palace of the Emirates

Qasr Al Watan, meaning Palace of the Nation, is the presidential palace of the United Arab Emirates, in Abu Dhabi. It hosts diplomatic state receptions and Council of Ministers meetings. It is not a residential space.

The dome

A white granite and limestone palace with a dome 37 m across

The façade is made of white granite and limestone. The dome has a diameter of 37 m, and the palace holds a chandelier with 350,000 pieces of crystal. The dome sits above the central chamber, known as The Great Hall.

350,000pieces of crystal in the chandelier

Opening

The palace was completed in 2017 and opened to the public in 2019

Construction of the palace was completed in 2017. Before 2019 it served official purposes only. It was opened to the public on 11 March 2019, and it still hosts foreign leaders and meetings of the supreme council and federal cabinet.

Knowledge

The eastern wing holds a library of more than 50,000 books

The eastern wing has the House of Knowledge, where artefacts and gifts from visiting officials are stored, including the Quran and the Bible. There is also a library with more than 50,000 books on the history of the country.

50,000books in the library of the eastern wing

Day 5, afternoon

It comes after Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. Then Emirates Palace.

More stories from this trip idea

The words are a retelling of the Wikipedia article Qasr Al Watan, and are shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. They are checked against those articles, and a fact that is not in them is left out.

Want your own days planned like this? Plan your own trip on the web or get the Archie app.