R. Doug Wicker — Author

Today we’ll finish our tour of Qasr Al Watan Palace, and this week’s Fun Photo Friday will present the third and final of favorite images taken here. After that it’s time to move on to our next United Arab Emirates destination — Dubai. But in this article, we’re going to concentrate on the Presidential Gifts room and a hint of the treasures contained within. To orient you, we’re talking about Item 3 in the diagram below:

The image below is a view that awaits you as you inside the Presidential Gifts room. This particular view was taken after we had completed our rounds and were preparing to exit. The entrance to the room is near the far wall on the righthand side:

If you look carefully near the entrance in the image above, you’ll see a white robe. As you enter the room, that display is to your left. This is how it appears up close:

Included in the Presidential Gifts Room are several handcrafted boat models. Here’s an example:

The gifts contained here come from many different countries, and many are quite ornate:

In the collection are examples ranging from large pieces of amber to exquisite timepieces, such as this Brittanica 1885 Gold:

I’ve no idea the significance of this piece, but it appears to be a quartz crystal:

After this week’s Fun Photo Friday concludes this series on Abu Dhabi, I’m going to take a short break next week with three random photos I find interesting.

For additional information on the Qasr Al Watan Palace see:
● Qasr Al Watan Palace
● Qasr Presidential Gifts (Palace website)
● Qasr Presidential Gifts (Experience Abu Dhabi photo gallery)
● Qasr Al Watan Abu Dhabi site
● Qasr Al Watan official website
● Islamic architecture
● Abu Dhabi
● United Arab Emerates
● Arabian Peninsula
● Middle East

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