A Look Inside RAK's 'Haunted Palace': Nothing Scary About 35-Bed Mansion On Sale Now

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) For years, the Al Qasimi Palace has stood on a hill in Ras Al Khaimah, its unusual architecture and empty rooms feeding stories that have made it one of the emirate's most talked-about properties.

Now, the 35-bedroom palace, known locally as the 'Haunted Palace', is back on the market for Dh22.5 million without its furniture, or Dh23.5 million with its original artefacts and collectibles.

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But before the price tag, there is the palace itself.

Reaching the main lobby takes a short walk up the hill, about two minutes. As the palace comes into view, its scale becomes more apparent, with the building standing prominently against the hillside.

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The first details to catch the eye are not inside, but underfoot and along the walls. The palace is finished in rare Thassos white marble from Greece, which continues into the interior.

Inside, the first impression is one of scale and excess. It is difficult to take everything in at once. Ornately carved wooden furniture, patterned walls, framed paintings and chandeliers fill the rooms, giving the interiors a distinctly theatrical feel.

One of the first details to stand out is a large tiled scene depicting deer and birds among trees, flowers and flowing water. Nearby, heavily carved wooden furniture sits against walls where almost every surface appears to have been decorated.

Yet despite all the detail, the palace feels unusually still. The rooms are large and quiet, and the absence of everyday signs of life creates a striking contrast with the richness of the interiors.

Details at every turn

Moving through the main halls, individual details begin to emerge from the layers of decoration.

Geometric patterns cover entire sections of walls, while colourful floral designs frame others. Decorative borders run around the ceilings in layers of blue, red, gold and silver, with falcon-like figures appearing beneath sections decorated with gold-and-silver plates.

Some of the mirrored designs were assembled by hand, piece by piece, creating intricate patterns that catch and reflect the light from the chandeliers.

The palace was built in 1985 by the late Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Humaid Al Qasimi, a member of Ras Al Khaimah's ruling family. Artisans from Iran, Morocco, India and China contributed to its interiors, with mosaics, painted tiles and frescoes forming part of its eclectic design.

The craftsmanship continues along the staircase, where patterned tiles, framed landscape paintings and chandeliers accompany the climb upstairs.

But at the top, something altogether different comes into view.

A pyramid surrounded by bedrooms

At the centre of the second floor stands a large white pyramid-like structure.

It rises towards the patterned ceiling, surrounded by chandeliers, decorative clocks, ornaments and glittering figures.

More unusual is what surrounds it.

Eight bedrooms are arranged around the central space, meaning visitors walk around the pyramid to reach them. Rather than a conventional corridor lined with bedroom doors, the entire floor is organised around this one feature.

With 35 bedrooms across the palace, those eight rooms make up only part of the property.

Inside them, the eclectic decoration continues. One has deep burgundy bedding, a silver-coloured metal bed frame, patterned walls, a Persian-style rug and a wooden rocking horse. Another is considerably more colourful, with a patchwork-style bedspread in shades of red, orange, purple and gold.

Like much of the palace, the rooms do not appear to follow one uniform style. Instead, each seems to have its own combination of colours, furniture and objects.

From palace to museum

In 2019, the property was given a new lease of life when Tareq Ahmad Al Sharhan converted it into a museum called Al Qasr Al Ghamedh, or the Palace of Ambiguity. Visitors can enter for Dh75 per person.

Now, its next chapter is once again in the hands of a potential buyer.

The property spans 191,742 square feet, with a built-up area of 33,827 square feet. It is being represented by Bishop & Knight, which has been speaking to prospective buyers alongside luxury real estate adviser Abubakr Siddiq of Mehar Properties.

According to the agents, interest has come from buyers in the UK, India and the region, with potential owners considering different uses for the property.

“The palace could become a small kingdom of their own - a private estate where generations of a family can gather, with space to restore the building, shape the grounds and create something entirely personal,” said Josh Henry, Managing Partner at Bishop and Knight.

“Another buyer might see the makings of a destination for hospitality or events, subject to the necessary approvals. What they share is the chance to give a remarkable place a new life without losing the history that makes it special.”

One last look up

Unlike many historic properties, the palace has no heritage restrictions, meaning a new owner could demolish, rebuild, remodel or renovate the property.

For now, however, the palace remains what it has been for decades: a building that is difficult to pass without looking twice.

Perhaps the strongest reminder of that comes on the third floor.

Looking up, a large crystal chandelier hangs beneath a dramatic ceiling where daylight pours through a geometric skylight. Around it, hand-painted figures resembling signs of the zodiac cover the curved surface, with fish, a ram, a bull, a lion and other figures appearing among clouds, water and celestial shapes.

Natural light streams through the skylight, illuminating the paintings as the chandelier hangs at the centre of the space.

Like much of the palace, the ceiling reveals more the longer you look at it, one final unexpected detail in a building already filled with them.

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