One of Dubai’s most expensive homes was recently listed for $204 million by Luxhabitat Sotheby’s International Realty. Called The Marble Palace, the massive abode fits the bill for the city’s proclivity towards opulence and pure lavishness.
Located in Dubai’s ultra-exclusive neighborhood Emirates Hills, known as the Beverly Hills of Dubai, The Marble Palace is a Versailles-style mansion that was designed to emulate the Belle Époque buildings in Paris. The home spans 70,000 square feet with an additional 60,000 square feet of built-up space. It’s one of the largest homes in the neighborhood and certainly exudes awe-inspiring grandeur.
The inspiration for the property was the High Renaissance and Baroque periods, with rich surface treatments, geometric finery, and gilded statuaries. One look at the marble-and-stone facade, and it’s easy to see why it took 12 years of meticulous construction work to complete. It was finished in 2018 and is on the market for the first time.
In true Dubai form, the home features 700,000 sheets of gold leaf that took nine months to apply and was built with more than $27 million of Italian marble. Marble covers most of the home, including the floors, the walls, and the 160 columns adorned with elaborate Corinthian motifs found throughout the house. There are five large bedrooms—including a 4,000-square-foot primary suite and a mini-primary bedroom—and 19 bathrooms, plus 12 staff rooms that can sleep up to 25. There’s room to add more bedrooms, should you choose. Of course, the living and dining areas are bigger than most people’s homes.
“The Palace’s grandiose design is the culmination of a rigorous 12-year research and analysis of royal palaces and residences, which entailed frequent trips to Europe,” says George Azar, CEO of Luxhabitat Sotheby’s International Realty. “Such meticulous attention to detail is evident throughout the property, and it testifies to the unwavering dedication of everyone involved in making this project a resounding success.”
Other features include two Parisian-style domes that soar 45 feet, which took more than 2.5 years to complete and feature hand-carved glass completed by 17 French artisans. The formal dining room is the heart of the home and has an 80,000-gallon coral reef aquarium and a precious stone and crystal dining table. The main floor also has an indoor pool room finished with mother of pearl, steam room and sauna, and a 24K gold Jacuzzi.
To round out the amenity offerings, there’s a presidential-style home office with a secretary cabin, a gym outfitted with TechnoGym equipment, a bank vault, power substitution, 50 mature trees, a small lake with a pavilion, a koi pond, and an underground professionally outfitted garage for up to 16 cars. And in case you fall in love with the art and furniture, you’re able to purchase 400 works from the owner’s personal collection and furniture to be worked into the deal.
The home also has stunning views of the golf course and Dubai’s iconic skyline, which includes the Burj Al Arab and the ever-growing coastline. It’s truly a one-of-a-kind property in one of the world’s fastest-growing cities.