Qasr Al Watan, Abu Dhabi
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Qasr Al Watan - by Florian Schott on Google
Description
Qaṣr Al-Waṭan ("Palace of the Nation" in Arabic) is the UAE's presidential palace, it is used for meetings of the country's supreme council and federal cabinet but has also been opened to public visits since 2019. The sprawling white facade is made of white granite and limestone and the spectacular "Great Hall" is adorned by a chandelier with 350,000 pieces of crystal and topped by a dome 37m in diameter. The Eastern Wing dubbed the "House of Knowledge" contains a library with over 50,000 books and a number of artefacts as well as gifts from visiting officials from foreign countries. The Western Wing is reserved for official functions.
Access & Transport
Address: Al Ras Al Akhdar - Abu Dhabi The Palace is at the very western end of the main island of Abu Dhabi, west of the Corniche. Buses 9, 34, 69 stop there.
Instructions & Recommendations
The light and sound Palace in Motion Show is at 19h30 in front of the palace (last entry at 19h00) and ticket cost AED25/12
Environmental & Social
No environment data available but a building of this scale would have a very substantial footprint (construction and ongoing operations) and was built by foreign labour working under difficult conditions
Conclusion
Qasr Al Watan is now one of the emirate's and UAE's very top touristic sights and is sure to dazzle. It may not have the best environmental & social pedigree but opening to public visits actually "amortizes" that impact somewhat.
Key positive
Visually spectacular, the Great Hall in particular
Key negative
Expensive entrance fees for a government building
Suitability
Accessible for visitors with reduced mobility
About this Rating
TYPE
Desktop
RESEARCHED IN
May 2024
PROVIDER
Koreval
av. transport time:0h 25m
est. visit time:1h 30m
Monday11:00 - 18:30
Tuesday11:00 - 18:30
Wednesday11:00 - 18:30
Thursday11:00 - 18:30
Friday11:00 - 18:30
Saturday11:00 - 18:30
Sunday11:00 - 18:30