Inside 'The Marble Palace', Dubai's most expensive mansion up for sale

The most expensive residence in Dubai, where luxury real estate is in hot demand, is a Versailles-style palace listed for 750 million dirhams ($204 million or Rs 1,600 crore). The selling agents dubbed the home “The Marble Palace” because it was constructed with Italian marble stone that cost between 80 million and 100 million dirhams. “We’re so excited to bring this listing to the market. It is a testimony of the forward-thinking and innovative approach to property design that is rippling across Dubai,” George Azar, CEO of Sotheby’s International Realty in the UAE, said in a statement. Features The Marble Palace was created to resemble homes constructed in Paris during the Belle Époque era. While delicately restrained in its presentation, the neoclassical façade is true to the time period and oozes majesty and sophistication. On the other side, the interiors are a veritable explosion of opulent décor, with gilded statues and exquisite surface treatments among other elegant accents. Luxhabitat Sotheby’s International Realty, which is marketing the property, claims that the nearly 12-year-long construction project was finally finished in 2018. Seventy expert personnel laboured for more than nine months on tasks that included applying 700,000 sheets of gold leaf, according to the brokerage. [caption id=“attachment_12743592” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] The Marble Palace was created to resemble homes constructed in Paris during the Belle Époque era. Graphic: Pranay Bhardwaj[/caption] Also read: Why the ‘world’s most expensive bungalow’ is now a death trap Interior details The house is one of the biggest in Dubai’s upscale Emirates Hills neighbourhood, with 70,000 square feet of land (plus an additional 60,000 square feet of built-up space). The property’s focal point is the formal dining room on the first floor, which has a sizable coral reef installation and a crystal dining table. 160 marble columns, two hand-carved glass domes, a koi pond, an indoor pool, a steam room, a sauna, a 24-carat gold jacuzzi, a 2,153-square-foot techno-gym, and a 16-car garage are some of the home’s additional special features. Currently, the house has three guest bedrooms, a mini-main room, and a 3,875-square-foot major bedroom. Additionally, potential buyers have the option to add up to eight extra rooms. The building provides views of the famous Burj Khalifa and looks out over a golf club. About 400 works of art from the owner’s personal collection, mostly statues and paintings from the 19th and 20th centuries, are now displayed in the house. The owner is willing to negotiate to include these works of art as well as furniture in the sale. The owner, a local developer of real estate, refuses to give his identity. “It’s not everybody’s taste or style,” Luxhabitat Sotheby’s broker Kunal Singh says, well aware that buyers will either love it or hate it. Also read: Ten bedrooms, private spa, indoor pools: What makes Anant Ambani’s new house the most expensive in Dubai? One of the world’s most expensive properties The house is not just the most costly in Dubai; it is also one of the most expensive homes for sale worldwide. Just over $100 million (~Rs 8.20 billion) separates it from The Holme, a 205-year-old palace in London listed for an estimated $300 million (~Rs 24.65 billion). It is only somewhat more affordable than the penthouse in Central Park Tower (listed at $250 million). “The Palace’s grandiose design is the culmination of a rigorous twelve-year research and analysis of royal palaces and residences, which entailed frequent trips to Europe. 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,” he said of the extravagant property. According to Bloomberg, Kerry Michael, marketing director for Luxhabitat Sotheby’s said, “This is something you would buy to show off-to bring some elite people, leaders, politicians. The person who buys it definitely is in politics, is in leadership. They want to entertain people. You can’t do that on the Palm (The Palm Jumeirah, the manmade archipelago where there are many high-end homes) without getting noticed, without getting media. In Emirates Hills, you can invite the Obamas, you can invite the sheikhs into this palace and entertain.” Also read: Why has Los Angeles imposed a ‘mansion tax’? What’s the fallout? Potential buyers Broker Kunal Singh estimates that there are just five to ten potential buyers who are wealthy enough and interested in the Marble Palace’s aesthetic. Singh claims that in the past three weeks, just two people have visited the house, according to DNA. It would be necessary to figure out a way to convey that much money; possibly a Russian who sent a representative to inspect the property. The second client is an Indian who already owns three homes in Emirates Hills; Singh asserts that his wife is uncertain and leaning towards something a little more modern. With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook ,  Twitter  and  Instagram .