A new edifice was added to the many cultural and cultural monuments that spread throughout the UAE, with the opening of Al Watan Palace in Abu Dhabi to the public yesterday morning to represent its cultural and historical landmarks, enriching the knowledge of its visitors and representing a new bridge of cultural communication. With the peoples, thanks to what it brings together from its sides of information and historical, knowledge, human and architectural stories. In the early hours, the palace witnessed the flow of visitors, especially from the tourist delegations visiting the country.

The 150 million-hour Al Watan Palace is located within the 380,000-square-meter Abu Dhabi Presidential Palace complex and is designed to reflect the Arab architectural heritage with a contemporary vision of the 21st century. Arab architecture through patterns, decorations, geometric shapes and colors inspired by the nature of the region, and therefore dominated by white, which symbolizes serenity and peace, blue color derived from the sea water, in addition to the yellow color derived from the desert sands.

Grand Hall

The main hall of Al Watan Palace is the heart of the place. It is the largest hall in the palace and has been allocated for the establishment of ceremonies and official receptions. The length and width of the hall is 100 meters, while the main dome is 37 meters, one of the largest domes in the world, According to the tourist guide at Al-Watan Palace, Amal Al-Dhaheri, during the media tour organized yesterday morning for the media. The first floor was 6.1 meters high, the second was 15.5 meters long and the third was 21 meters. The walls of the hall and the palace were generally decorated with various designs and designs of Islamic and Arab architecture and architecture. The eight star and the mummies.

The great hall leads to the "prominence" or the council, where the ruler and the leader meet with his people, listen to them, and meet their needs and demands. The design of the tower was inspired by its meaning and values. The roof was inspired by the interlocking hands, which symbolize the bonding, cohesion and communication. It is similar to the curtains in the tents where the boards are held, while the columns are inspired by the hot water springs and the flow of water. Al Barzah represents the second largest hall of Al Watan Palace after the grand hall, hosting 300 guests, and visitors can watch a five minute video showing the history of the Council in the UAE.

The spirit of cooperation

The western part of Al Watan Palace is located at the "Spirit of Cooperation" hall, which has been allocated to host the meetings of the Supreme Council of the Union. In addition to the official summits and meetings such as the meetings of the Arab League, the Gulf Cooperation Council and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. Which is enjoyed by the leaders and the assembled leaders. The hall was designed in a gradual manner in the form of an open theater, so that those in attendance could follow the proceedings. The ceiling of the hall is decorated with a 23-carat gold carving ring and a 12-ton chandelier. It is made up of three layers and contains 350,000 pieces of crystal. Due to the size of the chandelier, it was installed inside the hall before it was suspended. Aesthetics; Thuraya plays a practical role in absorbing noise and noise in the hall. The Western Pavilion also includes the Presidential Gift Room, which includes a special collection of diplomatic gifts to the UAE, which is presented to the public for the first time. It embodies the friendly relations that the country brings together in various countries and reflects the culture and economic values ​​of the countries that provide them. On the other hand, there is the presidential banquet hall, where celebrations are held at official events, which reflect the UAE's hospitality in what is presented to representatives of brotherly and friendly countries. The hall contains 149 thousand pieces of silver and crystal specially designed for «Palace of the homeland».

The Palace Library

The eastern wing of Al Watan Palace is topped by the Al Qasr Library, which contains more than 50,000 books. It is the main destination for researchers seeking knowledge resources for the UAE. The pavilion includes the House of Knowledge, which includes rare works and artworks. The most important of which is a collection of ancient manuscripts dating back centuries from various parts of the Arab world, including the Birmingham manuscript of the Holy Qur'an, the Atlas manuscript in astronomy, He explained the illiteracy of the alley of jurisprudence and assets Trials. The first modern map of the Arabian Peninsula of 1561, drawn by Italian Giacomo Gastaldi, is presented at Bayt Al-Maarifa by using the information collected by the Portuguese explorers and is believed to be the first map of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. Most manuscripts are rare, whether in terms of theme, form or reproduction. In keeping with the Year of Tolerance, Al Watan Palace presents the three heavenly books: the Holy Quran, the Bible and the Psalms of David side by side.

On the east wing, a work entitled "The Power of Speech" by Matar bin Lahej, which is one of the words of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, may Allah be pleased with him. "The real wealth is men's wealth, not money and oil. He makes fun of the people.

In addition to the palace and guest rooms, the visitors will be presented with a visual and audio presentation entitled "The Palace in Motion", highlighting the splendor of the palace and reviewing the progress of the UAE through a three-part video tour, And its vision of a more prosperous future.

Numbers from «Palace of the homeland»

The building of Al Watan Palace took 150 million hours. Its white granite and limestone facade was built for hundreds of years. White was chosen as a symbol of purity and peace, and the colors of buildings in the coastal Gulf countries are usually white and light brown. In addition, 5000 different geometric, natural and vegetal forms were used to decorate the palace and its walls. The doors of the palace are made of solid maple wood, with its durability and light color. The hand-carved inscriptions are decorated with 23 carats of French gold, and each door is made for 350 hours.

Zayed and the media

At the entrance of Al Watan Palace is a press conference hall, inviting visitors to the palace to stop and take pictures of the memorial in the hall entitled "Remembrance of the Palace." The hall also notes the keenness of the late Sheikh Zayed to communicate with the media. During his tenure, journalists and journalists from all over the world, during interviews with him, showed his leadership, wisdom and vision. The hall also includes a picture of Sheikh Zayed, may God have mercy on him, speaking to a journalist from the French television station in November 1971.

The palace witnessed the flow of visitors since the early hours, especially from the tourist delegations that visit the country.

350 thousand pieces of crystal in a chandelier hanging from the ceiling of the hall weighing 12 tons