Featured on the back of the Dh1000 note, this iconic fort started life in 1760 as a watchtower that safeguarded a precious freshwater well. After an expansion, it became the ancestral home of the ruling Al Nahyan family in 1793 and remained a royal residence until 1966. In a free exhibit, photographs, archaeological finds, models and other objects chart the history of Abu Dhabi and its people.
After a brief spell as an administrative centre, the palace was closed in 1990 and has been undergoing long-term restoration ever since.
