Presidential Palace, Ras Al Akhdar · Abu Dhabi

Qasr Al Watan

Part of the Presidential Palace complex, opened to visitors in 2019 and still used for state business. The Great Hall sits under a 37-metre dome, the library holds several thousand volumes on Arab scholarship, and after dark the whole facade becomes the screen for the Palace in Motion projection.

Why go

The Great Hall — a 100 m cube under a 37 m dome
Federal Supreme Council chamber, presented as it is used
House of Knowledge wing on Arab science and scholarship
Palace in Motion projection after dark, included in the ticket

What you get to walk through

The Great Hall is the centrepiece — a perfect cube, 100 metres each way, beneath a dome finished in white and gold geometry. Off it run the presidential banquet hall and the actual meeting rooms used by the Federal Supreme Council, left set as they are used rather than roped into a display.

The House of Knowledge wing makes the argument that the palace is a scholarly institution as much as a seat of government, with manuscripts and instruments tracing Arab contributions to astronomy, mathematics and medicine.

Palace in Motion

After sunset the west facade is used as a projection surface for a twenty-minute sequence on the founding of the UAE. It is included in the ticket and it is the reason to go late rather than early. Seating on the lawn is unreserved and fills in the half hour before it starts.

Qasr Al Watan, answered

Is Qasr Al Watan still a working palace?

Yes. It hosts state visits and Federal Supreme Council business, and sections close at short notice when it is in official use. That is also what makes the rooms feel unlike a museum.

Is the light show included in the ticket?

Yes, Palace in Motion is included. Time your visit so you are still there after sunset rather than paying to return.