Qasr Al Watan

This guide to Qasr Al Watan traces how Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan persuaded six of seven emirates to sign a union together on December 2, 1971, while Ras Al Khaimah held out for ten more weeks. It follows his early meetings with Dubai's ruler, Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, and the years of persuasion it took to get six rulers to hand over pieces of their own sovereignty. A tip: pause at the entrance and notice the scale of the palace before you step into the Great Hall.