24°27′44.104″N54°18′19.832″E / 24.46225111°N 54.30550889°E /24.46225111; 54.30550889
| Qasr Al Watan | |
|---|---|
قَصْر ٱلْوَطَن | |
 Facade and courtyard of Qasr Al Watan | |
 Interactive map of Qasr Al Watan | |
| General information | |
| Location | Abu Dhabi,United Arab Emirates |
| Height | 60 m (200 ft) |
| Website | |
| www | |
Qaṣr Al-Waṭan (Arabic:قَصْر ٱلْوَطَن,lit. 'Palace of the Nation')[1][2] is thepresidential palace[3][4] of theUnited Arab Emirates, located inAbu Dhabi. The palace stands as a symbol of governance, functioning as a venue for political meetings, both diplomaticstate receptions andCouncil of Ministers meetings, as well as a destination for visitors and tourists. It is not a residential space.
Construction of the palace was completed in 2017.[5]
Prior to 2019, the palace was used to serve for official purposes only until it was opened to the public as a tourism site byPresident of the United Arab EmiratesSheikhKhalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan in 2019.[1]
Prior to its opening, the palace was used only for official purposes, mainly hosting foreign leaders of states,[3][4] and for meetings of thecountry's supreme council and federal cabinet. Even after being opened to the public, the palace continues to be used for these purposes.[6]
The palace was opened to the public on 11 March 2019,[7][8][9] in a ceremony hosted by Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed andMohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE andRuler ofDubai).[8][10] In August, the palace was named by the travel and tourism website ofHotel and Rest[11] among the top 20 landmarks of art and culture in the World.[12][13] 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.[14]
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With afaçade made of whitegranite andlimestone, the mainly white palace[8] is intricately designed and ornately decorated. It includes a dome with a diameter of 37 m (121 ft), a chandelier with 350,000 pieces of crystal, and a number of compartments.[7][9] 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.[8]
The eastern wing has the "House of Knowledge", where a number of artefacts and other objects of importance are stored.[8][10] Stored objects include gifts presented by visiting officials from other countries,[15] and 2religious texts in the "House of Knowledge": theQuran (including a replica of theBirmingham manuscript) and theBible (including thePsalms ofDavid).[16] There is also a library with more than 50,000 books which document the cultural, social and political history of the country.[10]
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 theOrganisation of the Islamic Conference,Arab League andGulf Cooperation Council. Elsewhere, banquets for official events, besides diplomatic gifts from other countries, are kept.[8]
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