A property long-rumoured to be a haunted palace in Ras Al Khaimah has been listed for £4.5 million.
Is there anything more intriguing, romantic, and wonderfully terrifying than a haunted palace? Whether or not you believe in ghost stories, there's no denying the magnetic appeal of the reportedly haunted palace in Ras Al Khaimah, which is now up for sale. Between its shattered chandelier and damaged artworks and reports of ghoulish faces through the window, the history of Al Qasimi Palace is riddled with local myth.
Located on Sheikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum Road, the four-story palace sits on a hill overlooking a 180,000-square-foot plot. It’s impossible not to be captivated by the palace’s presence – striking and formidable – and its story, the stuff of urban legends.
The palace was commissioned in the 1970s by Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Humaid Al Qasimi, a member of Ras Al Khaimah’s ruling family and a patron of the arts. Over the next decade, careful construction included fusing various artistic practices and architectural eras. Artisans from Iran, Morocco, India, and China left their mark through mosaics, painted tiles, frescoes, and walls painted with ghazals and birds. French and Belgian crystal chandeliers were hung from the ceiling, while sculpted plaster pigeons and owls emerged out of the walls.
Across the 34,000 square feet of built-up area, the palace includes 35 bedrooms with balconies and terraces, a prayer hall and an office, along with numerous living spaces throughout the expansive hallways bathed in light from wall-to-ceiling arched windows. The exterior of the palace also reflects this eclectic sensibility. An eight-pointed, star-shaped fountain on the paved pathway leads you across the expansive, sparsely landscaped grounds. From there, you are greeted by a bronze Saluki statue. Beyond it, the palace glows white with Thassos marble, its burgundy-toned pyramidal roofs creating a bold, almost theatrical, contrast.
The dominant central axis of the palace, with the matching pavilion wings on each side, create a high symmetrical composition, giving the structure a formal, almost ceremonial quality. The continuous stepping forward and backward of the facade from the projected balconies, curved corner volumes, and the towers gives the palace a more sculptural presence on the hill.
Perhaps the most fascinating element of its exterior is the exceptional combination of styles. The pointed, lancet-like arches – a repeated motif in the entrance – arcades and great windows are evocative of Islamic architectural traditions. This, in contrast with the pyramidal burgundy-toned roofs, places the palace’s design within a mix of Islamic revival and international influences.
The palace, in all its wonder and eccentricities, was completed in 1991 with an estimated cost of over £100.7 million. However, Sheikh Abdulaziz and his family may have never lived in his great project.
And this is where the myth begins.
In one story, the Sheikh stayed only for one night before leaving, after strange incidents drove them away. In another, the family’s protests against the artworks in the palace were the reason it has remained unoccupied for almost 35 years. Perhaps, because of its grand and arresting presence, or the stories of the artwork and sculptures inside, local myths began to circulate about the palace on the hill. A former watchman reportedly heard the sounds of children laughing and crying; others spoke of seeing faces – particularly of children – appearing from behind the palace windows. There are stories of jinns scratching the eyes out of the painted figures inside, and claims that religious figures were invited to drive these supernatural beings away from the property.
Despite these stories, Al Qasimi Palace was sold in 2019 by the Sheikh’s heirs to businessman and art collector Tareq Ahmed Al Sarhan. For six months, the palace was restored to its former glory. Tiles, paintings, furniture and sculptures were repaired, and the palace was renamed Qasr Al Ghamedh, which translates to The Palace of Ambiguity.
Open to the public since 2019, the palace became a museum and tourist attraction. But now, it’s entering a new chapter in its story. Al Sarhan is selling the palace for AED 22.5 million (£4.5 million), after previously attempting to sell it in October last year for AED 25 million (£5 million). The listing mentions that the palace has no heritage restrictions, meaning the new buyer will have the freedom to demolish, rebuild, remodel, or renovate as they see fit.
If this allegedly haunted palace in Ras Al Khaimah is finally sold this time around, it would be a shame to see it demolished. The architecture, design and artistic merit of the structure all tell the story of a particular time in the emirate's history. Despite never fulfilling its original purpose as a residential home, The Palace of Ambiguity became something the Sheikh couldn’t have anticipated. Its grand architecture, strange beauty, abandonment and supernatural mysteries have made it part of the country’s collective imagination.
