Al Ain Palace Museum - History, Timings & Entry Fee

At a distance of 1 km from Al Jahili Fort and 145 km from Abu Dhabi, Al Ain Palace Museum is a historical fort that has been developed into a museum. Also known as Qasr Al Ain, It is one of the popular museums in UAE and among the must include places in Abu Dhabi Packages.

Al Ain Palace Museum is situated in the Sheikh Zayed Palace of Al Ain, within the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The palace is one of the best-reinstated forts in the Abu Dhabi emirate. The Bedouin-style palace was originally built in 1937 on the western side of the Al Ain Oasis, the largest oasis in Al Ain. The former UAE President, Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan and his family lived here until 1966. The palace was converted into a museum in 1998 and opened to the public in 2001.

The original structure comprised a private residence for the ruler and his family within a complex of courtyards. The architectural design of Al Ain Palace is typical of historical buildings of the UAE. It features the characteristic ventilation structures that are designed to keep the buildings cool in the summer. Locally sourced and environmentally friendly building materials were used, including clay, adobe and plaster stones, as well as palm tree elements for roofing rooms, ceilings, doors and windows. The use of teak was later introduced in the renovation of the buildings. Several articles, ornaments, jewellery, artifacts as well as some beautiful oil paintings make up the objects on display here.

Also known as Sheikh Zayed Palace Museum, the museum showcases the everyday life in a ruler's fort when the late Sheikh Zayed and his family resided in the palace prior to 1966. The palace's distinctive internal gate, decorated with verses from the Holy Quran, leads to private rooms for guests and official delegations. This section of the palace also features rooms dedicated to meeting official councils and reception rooms for international delegations. The outdoor yard includes the coffee room, from which Arabic coffee was distributed throughout the palace.

The Al Ain Palace Museum has another section where the erstwhile royal family residences have been preserved. There were two floors in this section. The ground floor was used to host women by HH Sheikha Fatima, and the upper floor was dedicated to Sheikh Zayed and his family. There are also rooms where their children used to study. Another special place in the Al Ain Palace Museum is a room dedicated to teaching the Holy Quran and Hadith, which comprises of the teaching and sayings of the Prophet Muhammad inscribed on the ceiling. A Land Rover is also placed in the Palace, which is similar to the cars used by Sheikh Zayed in his life.

When the Al Ain Palace was renovated and converted into a museum, two more buildings were added. One building displays the gifts bestowed upon the royal family by the local community. The wide array of gifts reflects the very warm relationship the family had with locals. The other building displays a family tree of the Al Nahyan family, offering visitors the opportunity to learn about the country's ruling family and lineage.

Timings: 8.30 AM - 7.30 PM from Saturday - Thursday, 3.30 PM - 7.30 PM on Friday & Closed on Monday

Entry: Free